Beane's plan, creating mistaches and what is next for Bills

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Buffalo Plus – “Beane's Plan, Creating Mismatches and What is Next for Bills”

Podcast: Buffalo Plus
Hosts: Mike Catalana (A), Dan Fetes (B)
Date: May 4, 2023
Episode Theme:
A detailed breakdown of the Buffalo Bills’ offseason plan, roster-building strategy under GM Brandon Beane, and the team’s approach to engineering offensive and defensive mismatches. The hosts also preview possible next steps for the Bills ahead of the 2023 regular season and discuss schedule rumors.

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Main Theme & Purpose

This episode dives into:

• Brandon Beane’s offseason strategy for the Buffalo Bills
• The evolving approach to creating mismatches, especially through personnel changes
• Remaining roster needs and speculation on possible veteran signings
• Early thoughts on key matchups and the upcoming NFL schedule

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Beane’s Offseason Plan & Roster-Building Philosophy

[00:41–03:45]

• Speed and Physicality (Offense):
  • Beane has prioritized adding speed (e.g., Deonte Hardy) and physical running backs (Damien Harris, Latavius Murray).
  • “He wanted to add speed … he has always called kind of call it their fastball … I think they wanted to get more physical.” – Dan [01:24]
• One-Year Deals & Retain-Your-Own Approach:
  • Bills embracing short-term deals, minimizing long-term risk, and keeping a balance between veterans and young talent.
  • “I love the one-year deals for this team … sort of a transition ... replacing them with young players.” – Mike [02:22]

2. Defense in Transition: The Middle Linebacker Conundrum

[03:45–11:23]

• Uncertainty at MLB:
  • The loss of Tremaine Edmunds leaves a hole. Multiple in-house options but no clear solution.
  • “I think he's got caught a little bit with his pants down with the middle linebacker … it just seems like he doesn't … have a transition plan yet.” – Dan [03:45]
  • Possibility of shifting defensive philosophy to speedier, more coverage-oriented linebackers or “positionless” defense.
• Plan B, C, D:
  • Beane uses secondary free agency post-draft to fill needs; example: Puna Ford and Latavius Murray signings.
  • “There’s like a second wave of free agency … Bean has these plans. He’s got plan B, plan C, plan D, all these things.” – Dan [08:02]

3. Offensive Matchups & Creation of Mismatches

[12:28–18:23]

• Kincaid as a Potential Gamechanger:
  • Rookie TE Dalton Kincaid highlighted as a possible “matchup problem” in the middle of the field, similar to how Cole Beasley was once a safety blanket for Allen.
  • “The idea of Dalton Kincaid is absolutely to become a matchup problem in the middle of the field.” – Mike [12:30]
  • Kincaid compared to “a poor man’s Travis Kelce” in terms of usage and skillset, though expectations are tempered.
  • “Kincaid is going to have to be that X factor.” – Dan [15:03]
• Need for More Matchup Weapons:
  • Outside of Diggs, offense needs another difference-making receiver; current depth leaves uncertainty, especially with Gabe Davis’ inconsistency.
• Physical Run Game:
  • The run game should become more reliable, forcing defenses to respect options beyond Josh Allen.

4. Remaining Needs: Wide Receiver Room and LB Options

[11:23–12:28], [18:23–22:43]

• Wide Receiver Depth:
  • “I still think this wide receiver room needs to be improved. 100% … there’s still veterans to be had out there.” – Mike [11:38]
  • Speculation on veteran options post-June 1st (e.g., DeAndre Hopkins, Corey Davis).
• Veteran MLBs Still Available:
  • Rashaan Evans mentioned as a potential target if the team decides to double-dip after using a third-round pick on Dorian Williams.

5. Schedule Speculation & Anticipation

[24:10–31:43]

• London Game:
  • Bills rumored to play in London early October.
• Prime Time Exposure:
  • Despite some questions nationally, Bills remain a marquee TV draw; multiple prime time games expected.
  • “Josh Allen moves the needle ... I still think the Holy Trinity is Mahomes, Burrow, and Allen.” – Dan [25:38]
• Key Matchup Hopes:
  • Hosts predict Bills/Jets as a likely Week 1 Sunday night matchup.
  • Avoidance of Bills/Bengals Week 1 for emotional reasons.
  • “I don't want it to be Bills–Bengals Week 1 in Cincinnati.” – Dan [27:40]
• AFC East, NFC East, and Other High-Profile Opponents:
  • Division and cross-conference games versus big market teams mean few “duds” on the schedule.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Beane’s Roster Building:

  • “There is no reason to commit long term to guys. I think this is a mindset and a lot of good teams do this.” – Mike [02:22]

• On Middle Linebacker Uncertainty:

  • “If there's a new plan, that's fine. And he doesn't have to tell us.” – Dan [07:36]

• On Dalton Kincaid's Role:

  • “Kincaid can own the middle of the field. It’s a big target … being compared to Beasley with that skill.” – Mike [16:12]
  • “Right now, the hope is he's a poor man’s Travis Kelce, because that still means he's a really damn good tight end.” – Dan [18:23]

• On the Wide Receiver Room:

  • “I'm with you 100%. I mean, look at what they have on … [they] still need to find them [matchup advantages].” – Mike [12:04]

• On the Schedule & National Perception:

  • “I still think the Holy Trinity is still Mahomes, Burrow and Allen ... Josh Allen moves the needle.” – Dan [25:38]

• On Aaron Rodgers & The Jets (Humorous):

  • “[Rodgers is] the dad dropping off his kid at college and going to the bookstore for a new hoodie.” – Mike [29:05]
  • “What was he at the hockey games? ... He was at the Knicks games. He’s courtside forced to sit near Jessica Alba ... he did it because he is a team guy first.” – Mike [28:32]

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Important Timestamps

• 00:41–03:45: Beane’s offensive/defensive plan and philosophy on one-year deals
• 03:45–11:23: Middle linebacker situation and defense strategy shift
• 12:28–18:23: Offensive mismatches (Kincaid, run game, need for WR)
• 18:23–22:43: WR room issues, Kincaid/Kelce comp, Diggs as clear WR1
• 24:10–27:28: Schedule anticipation, week 1 guesses, prime time outlook
• 28:03–29:54: Aaron Rodgers/Jets jokes, AFC East matchups, minimal duds on schedule

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Overall Tone

Conversational, lightly humorous, practical, with both hosts combining deep football experience and accessible analogies (e.g., “NBA small ball,” “poor man’s Kelsey,” “dad dropping his kid at college”).
Mike often injects levity and context; Dan focuses on roster concerns and X-factors. There’s a balance of optimism about the Bills’ elite status and realism about unresolved questions.

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Conclusion

The Buffalo Plus team breaks down how Brandon Beane’s strategic flexibility, focus on mismatches, and roster discipline keep the Bills at the NFL’s top tier—though linebacker and receiver depth merit monitoring. The schedule release looms, with excitement around a tough, star-powered slate of matchups.

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Transcript

[A]

It's time for the Buffalo plus podcast. Now and again. Rolls on the move, lets it fly. Oh, digs. Oh, what a catch. Hey everybody, welcome Back to the Buffalo Plus YouTube channel. Mike Catalano along with Dan Fates. Please make sure to like, comment and subscribe. Jenna's on vacation. Much needed, much warranted. She will be back next week, don't worry about that. But Dan and I holding down the fort while she's gone. She hates having days off, doesn't she?

[B]

Miserable. She just hates vacations. She's not a fan.

[A]

Yeah, we are hoping she's coming back would be the issue. All right. A lot's been going on with this Bill's team over this past few weeks. We've had the draft that we've talked about and you can check out all those videos right here on the YouTube channel. Free agency. It continues, right? This is a long term plan here. Everybody focuses on those first few days. That's only a small part of it. And then what's coming up beyond that? We're going to talk about that. We're going to talk about matchups, what they're attempting to do with this offense and maybe Dan a little bit with the defense. But let's start with the overall plan. What do you think Bean's plan was and do you believe he's executing it right now?

[B]

Well, I think his plan was in a few different areas. I think offensively he wanted to add speed. That is something that he has always been high on and, and has always called kind of call it their fastball. So I'm okay with that. And then sticking on the offense, I think they wanted to get more physical and for the longest time it was a whole lot of talk, but not the pieces to, to execute their plan of being a physical style of running team and things like that. So adding Damien Harris, adding Latavius Murray, drafting Osiris Torrance, I think all of those things make them more physical up front. So, so I like those moves. I'm still a little uncertain. I know we'll get to this later. Like, what do you think of the, what needs to still be done? I think there are still some pieces that need to be done, especially on the defensive side, but for the most part. Okay. I think on the offense, I, I, I think he, I think he checked some of the boxes going into this offseason. He really wanted to.

[A]

I, I think this was an off season to, I won't say reset, I certainly won't say rebuild. You got Josh Allen, you have Stefon Digs you have elite players on this team. This is a team that thinks they can win it all and they should think that way. They have been a contender, they've been a division champ, they've been a playoff team. But when I say reset I mean they, they're actually going to get Compex a big compact okay in free agency because they gave up a big piece certainly in terms of money with Tremaine Edmonds and, and being talked a little bit about that this week and then they have gone the route of retain your own on defense, get some pieces on offense. But I've said this before here. I love the one year deals for this team. There is no reason to commit long term to guys. I, I think this is a mindset and a lot of good teams do this. The Patriots have done it for years. The Eagles have done it for years. The Chiefs have done it with players. You bring players in who can prove to you, you can prove something to them. Maybe they're just one year holdover guys. Maybe they're guys you bring back. But I like it, I like it for this team and they need it. It's sort of a transition Dan to they still have a lot of vets to eventually replacing them with young players who can step in. But I like the idea of it.

[B]

Like I said, I think he crossed a lot of the boxes. Signing Deontay Hardy adds that element of speed and he's that rack guy on offense. So like there was some needs that I think Bean wasn't oblivious to obviously and he, he, he checked some of the boxes. Like I said the running back said the wide receiver position and, and being more physical. I, I still have some concerns and this is, you know, kind of going off of your question of what is his plan been. I think he's got caught a little bit with his pants down with the middle linebacker. Like it just seems like he doesn't. Have you talked about a transition plan? I don't know if there's a transition plan yet as we record this right now on May 4th at the middle linebacker position because they didn't draft one. They brought back some guys that I think they'd be okay with starting and they didn't make that signing of that bridge middle linebacker like I thought they would. So it seems like he's kind of caught a little bit in between and hearing him talk after the draft he kind of said that too. Like yeah, you know they're all, all four of them are going to get a chance and it's like if that's where you're going. I, I don't think that that's where he wanted to be, but that's where he has found himself. Maybe there's a systematic change in the defense, which is fine, which I think they're going to see on offense. Like, they talk about changing personnel and the way they run their offense. Maybe they're going away from the big linebacker into smaller, speedier, faster linebackers. That could also be it. But right now it just seems like that middle linebacker position is a little bit in flux of a transition.

[A]

All right, So I had an issue with a Damian Williams draft pick because I looked at him and thought, yeah, Dorian, what are you, or Dorian Williams, what are you getting here? What type of player are you getting here? Look, he's certainly respected around it. Certainly was a big time player in college, good tackler, all those things. But you're talking about a guy, you know, like Tremaine Edmonds, a physical freak there playing that position. But Bean was on, I think it was green light with Chris Long y and he was talking about Tremaine and he mentioned all those physical traits. But he did talk about the things he or referenced, the things that maybe weren't as easy for him, being a 65, rangy, great athlete, long wingspan, all those kind of things. And he did talk about, you know, matchups. And that's what I wanted to get to the idea of matchups where you go for faster, quicker, more coverage. Guys, my thought is, when I look at their defense, Sean McDermott has a vision. I think that's why he's taken over calling the place. I'm not saying this works. I'm saying as you go from nearly every snap on the field, Tremaine Edmonds is there, that middle linebacker to. Could we see him in that role? Could we see. Some times It's Tyrell Dodson, A.J. klein.

[B]

I mean, I know.

[A]

Could you. How about, how about rap playing that spot on occasion on third downs? Or you bring a six defensive back, basically, and you play with one linebacker. I, I guess I look at it and say the game has changed. Think of it in the NBA where you go small ball five and you go, hey, we got a guard, guys on the perimeter. This ain't, you know, old school where we got to, you know, clog the middle. I wonder philosophically and financially, not paying Tremaine is where they are with this. And that's the plan. They got a bunch of guys out there and they'll see how it mixes together.

[B]

That's just the only thing. And like I said, if they make a fundamental change at the position in the system of their defense, that's fine.

[A]

But.

[B]

But we all kind of thought Jack Campbell was a perfect fit because he was like a Tremaine Edmonds. So that is just the only thing where if, if there's a new plan, that's fine. And he doesn't have to tell us. He doesn't have to tell anybody in the media. He doesn't do any of that stuff. But if you're looking at what they've done and what maybe they still need to get done, in my opinion, I still think the middle linebacker position can be improved.

[A]

Yeah. Oh, no, I agree.

[B]

Looking at. And I was just looking at middle linebackers that are still in the free agent market because as we saw with. I did a video on Puna Ford, not Puna Williams, it's Puna Ford. And the fact that he, to me, is just a perfect fit and he's another guy that wanted to. There's like a second wave of free agency that happens after the draft because a lot of times teams will bring in guys and they'll work them out and then they'll say, well, if we can, we'll see how the board falls. Right? And then we'll call you back up. So Bills didn't get a defensive tackle in the draft. They signed Puna Ford like four days later. They didn't get a running back in the draft. They signed Latavius Murray. Like, Bean has these plans. He's got plan B, plan C, plan D, all these things. Rashawn Evans is still out there as a middle linebacker. And I was just reading Albert Breer his mailbag and one of the questions was, why is he still on the market? And his answer is, I don't know. Like, he said that he was really productive with Atlanta. He, he was productive when in with the Titans. He's a guy, he said he's a big, physical, middle of the line, middle of a defense, interior linebacker. And I'm looking at. He goes, maybe he thinks he could have gotten more money or he's holding out for a couple more bucks now that the draft's over. In a team that didn't get a middle linebacker, maybe they wanted. But as, as I say that they still spent a third round pick on a linebacker. So I don't know if they're gonna spend. They spent, you know, draft capital. Are they going to spend financial capital on, on adding one? But I still think there needs to be improvement.

[A]

Yeah, look, I don't disagree with you that they liked Campbell. It seemed that be the case. But you know, you go into it saying we think this kid could step right in and play a version of that role. But that's an awful lot to be thinking to yourself. You know, we're going to sit there at 27 and dictate our defense based on a guy who had most people had early second round grades on and say we got to get this guy. Because if that was the case. Yeah. And obviously the Lions took him so easy I early. I guess that could have been the case that they were thinking that way. But maybe they say to themselves, okay, if this is the case, we're going with plan B. Which plan B is to go with multiple guys, different matchups and. And really change fundamentally the way you play in the. Now do we call it, you know, we always talk about the front seven or the. The seven they play. Look at, you know, the way they play. They play with five defensive backs all the time. Do they get another one on the field? Is that kind of what they're doing? When I look at Dorian Williams, I thought to myself, do they want this guy to play safety at some point? But if you think about it, it depends on the skill set of the guy. Some guys can. Can be that in the box guy that maybe still need to learn a little bit more about coverage in the NFL. You know, a guy like Rap, maybe he can be out there. I do think it's a fundamental difference that they were leaning towards. And look if they thought, they certainly had every reason to believe Campbell could have been there when they were ready to pick. And Detroit got a good football player. They got him really early, but they got a good football player. And so they adjusted. So we'll have to see how it plays out. But I get the idea of going smaller. Yeah, match up guys. I get the idea of it. It has to play itself on the field.

[B]

I guess my other one thing, and I want to get your perspective on what you still think needs to be done on this roster. This team is evaluating. I know. I feel like I'm sounding like I'm beating a dead horse. And I'm not trying to be negative here. And in the X factor we'll get to. But I still think this wide receiver.

[A]

Room needs to be improved 100%. There's still veterans to be out to be had out there and I don't know if Corey Davis is going to be on the market. You know, the jets have signed, you know, every one of, I mean Come on, seriously. When are they getting touchdown Jesus with the Jets? That's going to happen. Right. It's just a matter of time before he goes there. You know, there are guys that are going to be free. It's still going to happen.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And you mentioned these signings. You know, again, they're in the. They're going to get a compensatory pick now. It looks like a high one Foraine Edmonds. It's past that point. It doesn't count towards it anymore. That's why they wait on some of these guys once it gets past the draft. So, yeah, I still. I'm with you 100%. I mean, look at what they have on. And we're going to talk about that and let's. Let's just transition right to that.

[B]

That's what I wanted to use. Yeah.

[A]

In terms of matchups. Okay. Because when I look at their offense in the past, they had matchup issues for teams. Steph. Well, Josh Allen is a matchup problem for everybody. It's Stefan Diggs and in his prime, and he was still in his primary. Cole Beasley as a matchup problem for teams. You know, Emmanuel, say Sanders, John Brown, Cole, good players. I don't think they were ever considered at this stage. Matchup issues. Gabe Davis getting deep. Yeah, but you're not. He's not Tyreek Hill here. He's a good football player who struggled last year. He's not a matchup problem. The idea of Dalton Kincaid is absolutely to become a matchup problem in the middle of the field. I like that idea. He hasn't stepped foot on a practice field yet. So we don't know where do they have matchup advantages and where do they still need to find them?

[B]

They need to find a. Not a bunch of them. And when we talk about matchup issues, I think of defensive coordinators lying awake at night going, how are we going to solve this? And that's why it's so funny. Like Cole Beasley on its own doesn't necessarily fear you, but all of a sudden you add in the pieces. With Josh Allen's mobility coupled with Stefan Diggs, coupled with Gabe Davis, who, you know, at times had really big games, and all of a sudden you go, ah, this is going to be a tough. It's gonna be a tough week for us to solve defensively, I guess to me, Kincaid is the biggest X factor. I think Kincaid is going to dictate opposing defenses or that's what the hope is. And I have that hope because while I did my first Video. And I said, I don't get it. I think that it's very old school, the way of running two tight end sets, like. And everybody says, well, Patriots did it with Hernandez and Gronk. It's like, yeah, that was like 12 years ago. Like, the NFL has changed so much since then. And players are not only faster, they're bigger on top of it. So it used to be if you could just have bigger guys, that would just be bullies. Kincaid's going to have to be that X factor. And I like what Brandon Bean had said about running this 12 or 11 and a half personnel. It can dictate the coverage of what the defense does and it will give you an idea of what defense they're running. And you're kind of pushing the tempo and you're pushing the narrative of what you want the defense to do. And remember, Mike, I used to talk about it. It's going, oh, well, the defense does this, so we got to change that. And it was like, stop your Josh Allen in the Bills offense. You do whatever the defense has to make the adjustment. And if this is what it can be. I like that thought of Dalton Kincaid being that you want to line them up in line and line them up the end line of scrimmage. That's going to be tough for a defense, for a linebacker. If you want to line them up outside, man, then you're either pulling that linebacker out or you're getting softer boxes because a corner now is going to have to cover him. So I like that. I think. I think that will simplify some things for my boy Ken. I'm hoping that will make some things easier for my man Ken to find some easier plays and give Josh some of those gimmes. But I think it all is dictated around Dalton Kincaid to really push these mismatches because besides that, Mike, it's just Steph.

[A]

Yeah. And I think Kincaid can become that. Right. You're gonna have to prove it to teams. Right. I mean, Dawson Knox is a good football player that has made plays for them. He's not a matchup issue. He's a good player, solid player. He'll be on the field.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

I think the snaps still, no matter what, it's Knox and Kincaid, but I do think their idea is both can be on the field at the same time. To your point and your point about the mismatch is the way he runs and where he runs his routes. I mean, he can own the middle of the field. It's a big target. He can be available. He does seem when you watch him and again it's against college defenses and it's, it's a different world that they're playing in. But he does seem to be that guy that can find those areas and being compared them to Beasley with that skill. And that's a big skill and it takes a time. You know, it doesn't mean week one this is what it's going to be, but this is what you want to build towards and I think, you know, does that open it up for everybody else? Well, that's certainly the hope. And then the other part is you said it to be a more physical team. I don't think there is a running back that scares anybody. They didn't draft Bijan Robinson here. But if you can run it more effectively and teams at least have to respect that, you can put it on the ground with somebody other than Josh Allen and you can hurt somebody with your run game. You know, look at the Chiefs with Pacheco, like he is effective in the run game and in the pass game and you've got Damien Harris. Latavius Murray is still big and physical. I don't know what kind of role he's going to have on a cheap one year deal. And you did draft James Cook for that. Again, we're not rehashing this. They're not a quote running team. But give give the other team something else to worry about. And look, will this help Dorsey? You would hope so. Right middle of the field, run game, more physical presence, help Gabe be who Gabe is. And then you start, you know, you look at the other guys, Sherfield and Shakir. I don't know what Khalil Shakir is going to be in year two. I like a lot about the way he moves on the field. I think he is a smooth player. I think he's, he's a guy who can help you. I don't know how many snaps he's going to get this year, but in that role of what would we say, fourth wide receiver for them.

[B]

Yeah, right. That's, that's the issue is right now, I think he's the third and that's what scares me a little bit about that wide receiver room. To your point about the Chiefs and how Pacheco is just enough to keep defenses honest. There are a lot of people in the mentions in the comments being like Kincaid's like Kelsey, he's like Travis Kelsey and it's like, okay, like let's just pump the brakes real quick. Like Mike, like you said, like he's never had an NFL helmet on. And you're talking about maybe the greatest passing tight end in the history of the NFL. But the Chiefs offense is dictated off the coverages that they get from covering Travis Kelsey or the lack thereof because nobody can seemingly cover him. So if you want to try and like let's say right now he's the. The hope is he's a poor man's Travis Kelce because that still means he's a really damn good tight end. And it's almost like I remember when. When Dawson was playing really well, it was Diggs getting help from it and vice versa. And I think they need to get find that again was that Dawson had joked around about that Dawson should get some of Diggs's money because he was playing well and that was opening stuff up for Steph. And Steph was saying how Dawson was just playing so well and like I want to see that again because like you said, Mike, how many times was it Josh just make magic happen and it was too much so to get easier things a duos. Sometimes a duo is enough. And whoever that. That Batman or Robin or whoever you want to call it, they just need some of that to feed off one another in big plays where you can go with one another. Like you said, Mike, you make a great point. I never thought we would talk about Cole Beasley as much as we did, but man, was he a safety blanket. And then when the safety blanket got covered, then you could hit the home run with Gabe or then you found Steph.

[A]

When we talk about playing like Kelsey, there's nothing wrong with saying that the person plays the game in a similar way. Fine seams, good route runner can take off with the ball, not a burner, but makes all the catches, can run the full route, tree all those things. Right? This is the way the guy plays. I mean, you guys laugh. I'm going to say plays a lot like Zach Ertz is the way he plays. You'd take Zach Ertz as a pass catcher in his prime. Middle of the field controls the middle of the field. Kelsey is an extreme, but I remember when Beasley came back when they signed him and we got a chance to talk to him about the way he plays and Josh mentioned it. There are guys who just have that feel and that's what you know. Beasley was always open. He can't run anymore. He was always open. Right. And for whatever reason, Kelsey think about when you think of Travis Kelsey catching passes, how often do you think of him catching a contested ball?

[B]

Rarely.

[A]

The guy is and every team knows coming into the game.

[B]

Correct. And he's not the size of Beezy where it's almost like he slithers around. He's 6, 4, 6 5, like he's a monster.

[A]

But he's not. He's not the biggest and fastest. He's just so good at understanding. And obviously he and Mahomes have a great mix between the two of them is obvious. So when you say that kind of player. Yeah, that's good. They also have Diggs on the outside who's better than any individual receiver the Chiefs have. I mean, it's the idea of getting that type of player. And again, here we are talking about it now. We're a long way off. I'm with you. Bean still needs to be in the market for a veteran wide receiver who can come in there. There's guys out there all the time. There just are. And so I, I think it's, I think we'll all see. Especially after June 1st, there's going to be veterans back on the market with teams because they get their rookies in, they know what they have and then they make a move. So I think that's the next next step for Bean. He's one year deal a lot and I could still see that on the offensive side of the ball. Still find him. And who says a team doesn't still want to deal somebody? I don't, I don't think it's DeAndre Hopkins. But by the way, I mean, seriously, it's one minute he's on the block and then he's not. They didn't get offered anything for him. If they did, they would have traded him.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

So for all we know, Hopkins gets cut loose after June 1st because I don't buy anything coming out of that place.

[B]

They're a dumpster fire. They have a lot of cap. They have talking to somebody else about this. Them and Houston are projected right now to have the two lowest win totals in, in Vegas this season. On top of that, people like think about the Arizona Cardinals. They think of Kyler Murray. He ain't playing for a while. Like he's coming off an ACL surgery. He's owed a lot of money. So if they have the lowest two odds for those fewest win totals, Arizona has both of those picks. Has both of those picks. So if Caleb Williams is coming out in this draft again, way too far ahead. But they are. There are viewed as some really damn good quarterbacks coming out next year. I know we have said that before and the quarterbacks don't pan out, but they owe Kyler a lot of money. They owe Hopkins a lot of money. They need to find a way out of that. And it'll just be interesting where everybody's like, you go make a move. And not. And I was the one saying it. I still like Hopkins. It just has to be at the right price. To which I keep hearing is Brandon Bean's not budging from whatever his price is. I, Mike, I almost think it's a standing offer with, with, with Arizona. Hey, we'll offer you a 5th round pick next year. Whenever you guys want it, give us a call. Like, I just think that's just my guess of what it is. But now if he gets cut, you don't got to give up anything, right?

[A]

And, and being held on to those picks for 24. And I know that's tough because everybody knows if you throw in something for the future draft, it's supposed to be a deeper draft and all those things, you could, you can always make a deal. You can also do a deal that is a, you know, a pick that could vary based on how much the guy plays. And it doesn't even have to be DeAndre Hopkins. He's just the name that everybody has talked about. So. So that gets us to the last subject I wanted to talk about was between now and then. We've talked about them still on the look for players, you know, they're not close yet to the 90 man roster to get. There's more guys coming in. It's what they're going to do. And always keep in mind it's a 70 man roster during the year. By the time you're done with the practice squad and everybody else too. So things we're going to be looking for. The schedule is coming out on the 11th. Looks like that Thursday the 11th. But I think we're going to hear about London. There's already some whispers about London. What are we hearing first week in October?

[B]

Yeah, October 8th, right, Mike?

[A]

Yeah. At least that's been because people have been looking at what's out there at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium. I guess that's interesting. We all know it's going to be somewhere in the beginning of October and we know they're playing in London. It's just a matter of who they play. And also. But when that schedule comes out, it's going to be really interesting. I don't think. Let me ask you this. Do you think there's any change in the way the Bills are perceived by the league and by the networks when the schedule comes out.

[B]

Not at all. At all. I still think that the Holy Trinity is still Mahomes, Burrow and Allen of, Of. Of clicks now. The Eagles are probably up there too now with Jalen hurts making as much money as, you know, his contract and things like that. But I still think that, that Josh Allen moves the needle, Joe Burrow moves the needle and Patrick Mahomes moved the needle. They just all happen to be. And I think now a Jets game has to be a prime time game. It wasn't before.

[A]

Think about it.

[B]

How many times have we gone to the Meadowlands or had the jets here and it's one o' clock on a Sunday. That ain't happening this year.

[A]

There's certainly. At least. At least one of them is going to be prime time. Could be the first week of the year for all we know. Think about it, though. They also play the NFC East. You have Bills, Giants, Bills, Eagles, Bills, Cowboys in Washington. I know, but those are teams that live on the prime time.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And playoff teams. So you've got that element. The division is prime time games. They play the Chiefs, they play the Chargers. Right. So when you look at. And they got a game in London which will be, you know, I don't know, it'll be a morning game here, I guess. Right. By the time they play that one. So, yeah, the schedule is.

[B]

Do you have a dream pick for who they play Week one?

[A]

Well, I'm. I'm actually kind of hoping it's not. Well, I don't think it's the Chiefs because I don't think they're putting them back in that game again.

[B]

Correct.

[A]

And I don't really think they need, you know, if it's not the Thursday game. I mean, everybody's watching that first week anyhow. I don't think they use the Eagles early. I don't think like first week, it's Bills at Eagles to open the season. I agree. I don't see that happening. But I think, honestly, I think it's Bill's Jets.

[B]

I think it's Bill's jets too. I. The game, I don't want it to be. I don't want it to be Bill's Bengals. Week one in Cincinnati.

[A]

Yeah, I don't. I don't think we're getting that.

[B]

That to me, yeah, that would. I don't know. I don't want to do that. Week one. I don't want that to be all the talk going back to Cincinnati. Obviously now it's a much happier story, but I don't Want that to be week one. That's just my personal opinion and I don't want it emotionally draining. Week one. I don't want to have. I think it's Jets. I think it'd be awesome Sunday night.

[A]

Yeah, I think it feels like it. The game's going to be in New York or Jersey, right? It would feel like it. They're going to have him open, by the way. How about the way that man has sacrificed Aaron Rodgers by getting. You know, he's just said, I am going to just suck it up and spend several weeks in New York City being treated like a hero at every game I go to. Man, he is a dedicated guy, isn't he? Team guy first, isn't he?

[B]

Yeah. What was he at the hockey games? He was at the.

[A]

Right. Oh, he's at the Knicks games. He's courtside forced to sit near Jessica Alba, which sounds terrible to sit through a whole game with that. And he did it because he is a team guy first.

[B]

Totally. And he's getting. And he's. And he's getting all his friends jobs, too. Randall Cobb.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Because he's not 97 years old.

[A]

Yeah. And you know, he's got sauce with him. You know, he's the cool. He's the cool Uncle Aaron hanging with the kids. Right.

[B]

He's the dad dropping off his kid at college and going to the bookstore for a new hoodie.

[A]

That's who he was. Showing up. Slow mo. Everything is slow mo. Look, he's not that slow yet. I mean, he's. Look, he's really good still. He's still. I mean, it's a huge upgrade for the Jets. And as we talk about it, man, the Bill schedule has virtually no duds. I mean, there's a few. Washington's a dud at the moment. There's a. There's a couple more on there. But when New England is the quote dud of the division just because they don't have the exciting players, it's still the Patriots, but they don't. They may be tough, they may be a different team this year, but they're not and they really aren't. If they weren't wearing Patriots uniforms, it would be that. But, man, the rest of that schedule, there's very few duds in there. It's going to be a lot of fun.

[B]

Yeah, it'll be another. Like I said, I don't see how they don't get the max of. Of prime time games again.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. I think there's. There's no question. So that is coming up on the 11th and then we'll see the schedule.

[B]

Of the schedule of the schedule release. Yeah, they're so good at that. They have announced the schedule of when the schedule will be released. Well done, NFL.

[A]

But they will announce, they always do. They will announce the Europe games. I think they, they do some of those games. They'll announce the opening game. They, they, they've turned that into like a week long thing. My guess is Monday, Tuesday, you'll see, boom, it'll come out who they're playing and when on in London, you'll see who the Chiefs are playing on the opening night, the first Sunday night game, the first Monday night game, all those things. So, hey, I know a lot of people still love Sunday at 1. We'll get a few of those. But this team still ain't Sunday at 1. They are prime time. They are big. Oh, and I'm also hearing, and I don't know if it's true that that Amazon Friday game that there was some thought that it could be the Bills and it still could be that it might be Eagles, Giants. At least that's been, I think Peter King was saying is it's really leaning towards Eagles Giants on that Friday. But we'll see.

[B]

I mean, no Thanksgiving game.

[A]

No Thanksgiving.

[B]

I called Roger and told decline. They respectfully declined.

[A]

Yeah, I, I told Rog, I said, listen, three out of four years, it's enough we stay home and have Turk.

[B]

Was that after you helped Bean through the draft or was that before?

[A]

Yeah, we worked on some stuff Brandon and I did. But yeah, it's going to be fun and we'll get ready for camp. Okay, that's going to do it for us. Remember Jenna relaxing on her vacation? She's back next week. I mean, what are you going to do?

[B]

We're going to. Well, he, we will hear all about it.

[A]

Yes, I've seen pictures.

[B]

It looks incredible.

[A]

Yes. So she's having a lot of fun, but she'll be back with us and we'll be getting you ready. We'll be reacting to the schedule. We'll be reacting to any other free agent moves. So there's plenty of video here on the Buffalo Plus YouTube channel. Make sure to like, comment. Subscribe for Dan Fates. I'm Mike Catalano. We'll see you next time on Buffalo Plus.