The BIlls EXTEND Taron Johnson & why CURTIS SAMUEL should NOT stop Buffalo from DRAFTING another WR

Summary

Buffalo Plus Podcast – March 19, 2024

Episode: The Bills EXTEND Taron Johnson & Why Curtis Samuel Should NOT Stop Buffalo from Drafting Another WR
Hosts: Mike Catalana and Dan Fetes (with Jenna Cottrell off this week)

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Episode Overview

This episode centers on the Buffalo Bills' key roster moves: extending slot corner Taron Johnson through 2027, and signing wide receiver Curtis Samuel. The hosts dissect why Samuel's addition shouldn't deter the Bills from aggressively pursuing wide receivers in the draft, and explore what these decisions mean for the team’s evolving leadership and offensive identity.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Taron Johnson’s Extension: Value and Leadership

[02:05 – 07:12]

• Deal Highlights:
  • Taron Johnson extended through at least 2027.
  • Recognized as the highest-paid nickel corner in the NFL.
• Defensive Importance:
  • Johnson’s versatile coverage, run support, and reliability allow the Bills to use nickel as their base defense ~75% of the time.
    • “You have always been able to make the case that he's maybe the most important player on the Bills defense.” – Dan Fetes [02:23]
  • He’s “made for the slot position,” tough, and finally “able to keep himself healthy” after early-career injuries. – Mike Catalana [03:07]
• Leadership Shift:
  • With Jordan Poyer likely gone, Micah Hyde possibly retiring, and Tre’Davious White released, Johnson’s role expands as a vocal and on-field leader for the secondary.
  • Johnson (clip): “It's a new opportunity for me. I have to be more vocal this year and I’m expecting to do that a lot. ... Help the guys that are going to be new coming in and help us win.” [04:23]
  • Expect Terrell Bernard and Johnson to emerge as captain figures on defense.

2. Curtis Samuel Signing: The Real Impact

[08:00 – 21:56]

• Contract Details:
  • 3 years, $24 million with $13 million guaranteed; effectively a 2-year, $16 million commitment.
• Reaction to Fan and Media Hot Takes:
  • Hosts reject the binary takes that Samuel either “fixes” or is “meaningless” to the WR room.
    • “The thought that Curtis Samuel changes the Bill's draft plan or philosophy moving forward is just asinine to me.” – Dan Fetes [11:54, reiterated at 19:38]
    • “The dumbest take is that they're done with wide receiver.” – Mike Catalana [11:01]
• Why WR Still a Major Need:
  • Samuel is not a Gabe Davis replacement; plays a completely different role as a yards-after-catch, gadget, and short/intermediate weapon.
  • The Bills still need—and will draft—a future No.1 receiver. The hosts believe they could double-dip at WR in the draft.
    • “If he’s what they hope he is, they still need a future number one guy.” – Mike Catalana [11:10]
• What Samuel Brings (and Doesn’t):
  • Not a classic deep threat; best used in motion, from the slot, and as a runner after catch.
  • “Curtis Samuel falls somewhere between Deebo Samuel and Isaiah McKenzie. … Not a go-route wide receiver, more gadgety, close to the line of scrimmage.” – Dan Fetes [16:17]
  • His speed stretches defenses horizontally rather than vertically.
  • Comparisons to Debo Samuel’s deployment for SF (with caveat: “He’s not Debo.”) [12:28]
• Team-building Philosophy:
  • No.1 WRs are rarely available in free agency—teams draft or trade for them.
    • “Number one wide receivers don’t hit the market.” – Dan Fetes [15:07]
    • Most of the NFL’s top-45 in receiving yards were either drafted or traded for.
  • Bills trying to avoid past flaws (e.g., miscasting Gabe Davis as a WR1).

3. Stefon Diggs: Still the Guy, Ignore the Drama

[22:28 – 24:55]

• Diggs’ cryptic tweets and rumors dismissed as empty social media drama.
• “Diggs isn’t going anywhere... It will be in Buffalo. Stop.” – Dan Fetes [23:36]
• Cutting him isn’t financially feasible; he remains essential as the No.1 WR.

4. Salary Cap — Myth vs Manipulation

[24:55 – 27:10]

• The “cap hell” narrative is overblown; smart GMs can always create space.
  • Bills released Mitch Morse to clear $8M, then immediately spent the same amount on Samuel.
• “It’s manipulating the cap, folks… The cap is accounting.” – Mike Catalana [25:40-25:46]
• Good teams retain key players and spend wisely (compare Bills, Chiefs, Eagles to Saints).
• The Bills’ ownership and GM give them an edge here.

5. Final Words on the Offseason and Moves

[27:28 – 28:15]

• Curtis Samuel is a useful, versatile player—“Isaiah McKenzie on steroids”—but does not solve the long-term WR need.
• Bills now have the flexibility and speed they’ve been lacking, but the draft remains critical for offensive upside.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Taron Johnson’s role:
  “He allows the Bills to play a nickel defense as pretty much their base defense. It's what they're in 75% of the time.” – Dan Fetes [02:23]
• On "hot takes" for Curtis Samuel:
  “Do I like Curtis Samuel on the Bills? Yes. Do I think he makes the Bills better? Yes. Do I think he's a long-term solution? No. And that's okay. Some signings are just good signings.” – Dan Fetes [21:56]
• On cap management:
  “It’s manipulating the cap, folks… The cap is accounting.” – Mike Catalana [25:40-25:46]
• On Stefon Diggs rumors:
  “Diggs isn’t going anywhere… It will be in Buffalo. Stop.” – Dan Fetes [23:36]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:05] – Taron Johnson’s extension, role, and leadership transition
• [08:01] – Curtis Samuel contract and initial takes
• [11:00] – Why Samuel’s signing changes nothing about WR draft priorities
• [16:17] – Samuel’s fit in the offense: horizontal speed, gadget usage
• [15:07, 15:27] – Number one wide receivers and Bills’ team-building philosophy
• [19:38] – Samuel is “not a deep threat,” not a Davis replacement
• [22:28] – Diggs “drama” and why trade/cut is not happening
• [24:55] – A breakdown of salary cap realities and how the Bills manage
• [27:28] – Summing up Samuel’s value and the continued WR need

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Summary Flow and Tone

Throughout the episode, Mike and Dan keep things sharp, informed, and occasionally irreverent, balancing analytical breakdowns with jabs at internet overreactions and "hot take" culture. Their stance is clear: the Bills have made savvy moves with Johnson and Samuel, but to reach their ceiling, they must nail the receiver draft and continue evolving their approach on both sides of the ball.

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Perfect listen for Bills fans who want real analysis behind the headlines—and reassurance that the front office still has a plan to keep this team competitive.

Transcript

[A]

In the time it takes you to actually board a flight from Group 8.

[B]

Now boarding Premier Altitude Elite Club members.

[A]

You could have bought a Hyundai on Amazon. Visit HyundaiUSA.com or call 562-314-4603 for more details. Limited availability pickup through participating Hyundai dealer in select markets. I'm happy that the Bills signed Curtis Samuel.

[B]

Yeah. Good play.

[A]

Yes. Do I think he makes the Bills better? Yes. Do I think? But this thought that Curtis Samuel changes the bill's draft plan or strategy or philosophy moving forward is just asinine to me. This is the Buffalo plus podcast brought to you by Connors and Ferris, everybody.

[B]

Welcome Back to the Buffalo Plus YouTube channel, presented by Connors and Ferris, Mike Catalano along with Dan Fates. Jenna Cottrell getting a Veterans Day off to be with her grandfather. So good for her.

[A]

Some family time for Jenna.

[B]

Love it. Good for her. So she's getting. Do that while we get to talk, please make sure to, like, comment and subscribe to the podcast and make sure you listen. Right now in the off season, every Tuesday morning is the plan for these to be dropped, including audio pods. So if you're out walking the dog, running around, cutting the grass soon, all those things, you can just listen to us pontificate while you're doing the work around the house. I think that's always a good thing to do, right?

[A]

Yeah, I'm just checking. Last night, right, I texted you at 12:22am and said I can't wait to podcast tomorrow.

[B]

Okay. I said, you're going to watch the Kentucky Derby in May and you see them getting the horses ready and there's always that horse they can't get it in to be ready for for the start of the race. And they're like, come on, come on. Because that horse cannot wait to go. Secretariat over here, ready to go, ready to go with.

[A]

But hot, not hot takes, not hot takes. It's a hot take about other people's hot takes.

[B]

Okay, are we going to start there or do you want to start with Taryn?

[A]

Let's start with Taryn.

[B]

All right.

[A]

That was the news of the day.

[B]

Good news of the day. It came out on Monday. Taryn Johnson, contract extension with the Bills. I love it for him. I think we saw this coming at some point. Made sense with his contract now, what he's done for the organization and where he is going forward. He's with the team, at least by the contract through 2027.

[A]

Yeah, he's been a guy, I think, that we've talked to over the years. That he's not the most talented player, but you have always been able to make the case that he's maybe the most important player on the Bills defense. Look, he is a massive reason of why the Bills are able to play the defensive system. That they are able to play like it's strictly because of tearing. His ability to coverage, his ability to help in the run game, his ability to do all of those things allows the Bills to play a nickel defense as pretty much their base defense. It's what they're in 75% of the time. So you can argue that other players may be more talented and. But it'd be tough to argue there's not somebody as valuable as Taryn Johnson on the Bills defense.

[B]

He's made for the slot position. He's tough.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

He's been able to keep himself healthy, which was an issue.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Earlier in his career. He makes tackles. He can cover tight ends. He can, you know, look, you know, somebody's going to comment and say, how come he can't stop Kelsey? It's what I always laugh about. Yeah, just stop, Kelsey.

[A]

Just cover him.

[B]

Just stop them.

[A]

Just cover.

[B]

Just blitz ball in times, you know, they won a game in Kansas City regular season was his interception that sealed the game for them late.

[A]

Yep. And look, the Baltimore interception in the playoffs, playoff game. Oh, 100 and 100.

[B]

One of the big moments in the history of the franchise. Yeah, that was a huge playoff win for him. Got him to the AFC championship game back then in the 2020 season. Yeah, into that part. And then the other part about with Taran is. And I've talked about this a little leading up to it is, you know, Jordan Poyer is gone. We don't believe Micah Hyde's coming back. Right. I mean, the thought still is that Mike is going to retire. And you talk about him as a leader and I always have thought he's been a leader, but he talked about what his role is expected to be a little bit different for him coming into the season with those two guys not being around.

[C]

It's a new opportunity for me. I have to be more vocal this year and I'm expecting to do that a lot. So whatever that role leads for me then, and that's what I'm going to do. Whatever it takes, I want to get going. You know what I'm saying?

[A]

Help.

[C]

Help the guys that are going to be new in, new coming in and help us win.

[B]

Yeah. I mean, it makes sense.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I think he's always been one of those guys and I'm not saying he's overly vocal. I don't even know. You know, it's interesting with the way Poyer and Hyde handle things. Poyer is a little more fiery. Hyde's a little more maybe analytical in the way they would deal with it. But I, you know, I think. I think it's in there in Taran to be a little more of that. I think he deferred to those guys. I don't know if he would agree with that, but I think at least vocally he did. But they always included him as well, really, with Trey White as the four guys, but those three and more towards the back end.

[A]

And I think it's always telling, too, like, he's a Weber State guy. Like, they drafted him. He's the guy that had the combine moment where you're going down the gauntlet. You're looking one way. Taren, you can find the gift. He gets hit with the football, not looking the other way. And then he is, like I said, found a niche. He's played so hard at times. That was part of, like, the knock is that, like, he can't stand the field. Like, his body just wasn't able to. He had shoulder, collarbone, forearm, all of those things, that kind of balance. And that was kind of the one thing was, like, when Taran's on the field, he's really good. It's just a matter of can he stay on the field. And so I think that's part of that leadership role. It's also, like you said, Mike knowing his place, but that was the one thing that I was concerned about. When you make these moves to. Tremaine Edmonds, gone. Micah Hyde, gone. Jordan Poyer gone. Like, like, you're making this. This conscious effort because Matt Milena, while I said I thought he'd be more of a vocal leader that would step up, you were saying on one of our other podcasts that, like, it's. It's Terran's job, too, is also. There's no more Trey White.

[B]

Like.

[A]

Like the secondary is now going to really lean on this kid. Kid, this guy, to be that voice in that secondary. And it helps because he's always on the field.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

In every single formation, Terran has found a way to be in goal line, to be in base, to be in dime, all of those things. Terrence on the field, and that's just massive.

[B]

Yeah. I think he and Terrell Bernard are going to be the two leaders of the defense. And I think Bernard was great. I'm just very excited to see Bernard and Milano back together, I think is going to be great for them. But Taron Johnson has been. I say sometimes it's almost like a little bit forgotten because we talked a lot about the safeties and we talked about, you know, injuries and we talked about the corners and Trey and all the changes and Kair Elam and all this stuff. And there's Taryn just lining up. Yeah, lining up, lining up. And every team around the league knows him. Highest paid nickel corner.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

To this point. So good for him.

[A]

It was perfect. He waited till Kenny Moore got his deal with the Colts and then said, brandon, I would like more than that. And they were able to come to a deal. So works out well. That was another one. Heading into the off season, Dion's extension, Terrence extension. Kicking the can down the road for that. That salary cap that people keep telling us is real.

[B]

I believe I read cap hell. They were in.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And would have no money.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And there was actually people, semi reporters, you know, national. Some of these national guys before they. Before they did the Josh Allen one, which was more of a formality, they were like, buffalo still is not cap compliant. I'm like, settle down. Like, they became cap compliant and then they made these other deals.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And then they went out and signed a guy. Go to Samuel.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Brought him in. Our friends over at Spottrack gave the numbers for him. 3 years, 24 million. 13 million guaranteed to sign. 1.9 million for next February. Be the guarantee. So basically they referred to. I love the way they refer to this. Two years, 16 million. Practical. Basically, that's. It's a two year deal for 16 million.

[A]

Yeah. And I think that's very fair. And this is one of the things where I was excited to do this podcast because they signed him 15 minutes after we finished our podcast last week.

[B]

Yeah. Thanks a lot, Bean.

[A]

Yeah. So we just got done. And that was why I came on and just gave the. The quick public service before you go into it. Yeah. I like this move.

[B]

Well, wait a minute. This move. I was reading some guys saying this move means they don't need wide receivers anymore. Isn't that.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. They're solved.

[B]

They're done.

[A]

Everything's. Everything's all set.

[B]

Curtis Samuel done.

[A]

Yeah. We've seen both ends of the spectrum. This was one of the things I was excited about, Mike, to talk about was this. The fact of when I don't know something, I'm not going to really talk about it or I'm not going to go in depth on it. But when it came To Chris Samuel. I was like, hey, by the way, we had the weekend to think it over. We had the weekend to find the numbers now and do this podcast. And like, I liked Curtis Samuel because of his connection with Joe Brady. You also find out that Brandon Bean was also the one that drafted him when he was with Carolina, 40th overall, early second round. And he started to get to see more about this. And so many people were caught up on this. Half the people seemed like it thought it was a terrible move. Like the Nick Wrights and the Chiefs fan saying, we got Hollywood Brown, they got Curtis Samuel, we get the better guy. Everybody that comes in place with Mahomes automatically turns into an All Pro. And that's just not the case because you can ask MVS and you can ask Kadarius, Tony, guys, like, it's just not that easy.

[B]

Let me just interrupt you for a second. The Kansas City Chiefs are the best team in the NFL. They win Super Bowls because they have a great defense, but most importantly, because they have Patrick Mahomes, who made ordinary guys look okay in spots, and they still found ways to win.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

It wasn't like they brought in nobodies and they crushed it. He's won with nobodies. And Travis Kelce.

[A]

Correct.

[B]

Made Rasheed Rice, who could be a very good player. He's looked good. The other guy stunk most of the year and made a few catches.

[A]

Yeah. This thought that, like, you all of a sudden get in the huddle with Patrick Mahomes and turn into an All Pro. Just. It. It isn't accurate.

[B]

And he still won.

[A]

Yeah, right.

[B]

We know that. Yeah.

[A]

And for everybody that says, well, you know, who has Josh Allen turned into anything? Well, I. I would argue Cole Beasley turned into an All Pro.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Like, Cole Beasley was fine with the Cowboys.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And then Josh took him, and Cole took Josh to new levels.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So. So it can happen. My point is, is that one end of the spectrum is saying that Curtis Samuel is. Is nothing. He doesn't affect anything. And the other side of the spectrum is that Curtis Samuel solves all of the Bill's issues in the wide receiver room is now fixed.

[B]

I don't know which take is dumber.

[A]

Yeah, that's. That's where I'm trying to.

[B]

Well, I would say the dumbest. The dumber take is that they're done with wide receiver.

[A]

Correct.

[B]

Because you don't know exactly how Curtis Samuel is going to do.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But if he's what they hope he is, they still need a number, a Future number one guy.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Which is what they'll be drafting for. Yeah. And another one. I think they're going to be drafting two wide receivers.

[A]

Yeah. Like again, I love hot takes. I. I've had several of them on this channel. But not every signing has to be a hot take. Like some signings are just. Yeah, that makes sense. I like the side. Like I like that. I liked Curtis Samuel heading into this offseason because I thought of the connection. His best season was with Joe Brady. You're going to get full Joe Brady this offseason with his system and all these things. They needed to add a wide receiver because they really only had Diggs and Khalil Shakir and Justin Shorter. We also have Justin Shorter.

[B]

Justin Shorter, yes.

[A]

But this thought that Curtis Samuel changes the Bill's draft plan or strategy or philosophy moving forward is just asinine to me. The hot take is do I like Curtis Samuel? Yeah. I'm happy he's in with the Bills because I'd rather have him with the Bills than not with the Bills. But do I think that he's a long term solution to where the Bills need a wide receiver? No. And has my thought hasn't changed at all that the Bills should and will draft a wide receiver in the first round to improve their offense, which is what they really need.

[B]

He's taken snaps and targets away from where Gabe Davis was. He doesn't play like Gabe Davis. It's different kind of player. But Gabe got a lot of snaps and got a lot of targets. Curtis Samuel will get a percentage of those things. The flaw with the Bills is was thinking Gabe Davis was more than he is. I think they know what Curtis Samuel is as a player. He. I will compare him the way he lines up and what he can do for a team to Debo Samuel. Now before you go type in your comment and tell me he's not. I know he's not Debo Samuel. He's not as strong of a runner but he can line up in the backfield. He runs shorter routes. He's got speed. They could use him in a similar way is all I'm saying. That's the way he plays. Okay. He's not Hollywood Brown. He's a different kind of player than he is. I think the type of player, the way you would line him up if Kyle Shanahan had him, that's the way he would use him. Okay. In a similar way, he's not Debo. They got Samuel name but he's not Debo.

[A]

But we've Talked to Bean at the combine before. He has talked about drafting before. It's a need.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And now this is a rare circumstance where the Bills need a fill, like we've said, an immediate need at wide receiver while also needing to, like we've said, finding a number one wide receiver before Stefan Diggs, whatever his future is, we'll get to him in a second. He's going to be in Buffalo. So don't, don't freak out. But, but that's the sense. And, and Bean understands you don't find number one wide receivers in free agency. It just doesn't happen. It hasn't happened for two decades. Like you go back and like the last few guys that were good wide receivers that hit the free agent market, I wrote these down. Christian Kirk hasn't really worked out.

[B]

He said he's a good player.

[A]

He's not a number one Alan Robinson and a 30 something and a 30 something year old DeAndre Hopkins.

[B]

No. Most of the time when these guys are free, it's. They've had injuries or they haven't put up the huge numbers to get number ones. You draft him or you trade for him.

[A]

I wrote, I, I went and I found the 45 top guys in receiving yards last year.

[B]

When Dan has an idea dog with a bone, he's going to find the numbers. Look, he takes notes.

[A]

Yeah. And for all of Mike's notes that people didn't like, I wrote a lot of them here.

[B]

I hid my notes this time. Don't lead him.

[A]

It's just the fact of. I went through like the top 45 guys. Four of them last year were free agent signings. All the other guys were traded for or drafted for. Tyreek Hill, CD Lamb, Amon RA St. Brown, Puka Nukua, AJ Brown, DJ Moore. The list goes on. Like think of a wide receiver. The team either drafted him or they traded for him.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Number one wide receivers don't hit the market. T. Higgins is a, is, is the latest example.

[B]

He's. He's number two on that roster and they still tagged.

[A]

Yeah. So the other thing too I've seen with, with obviously the loss of Gabe Davis of. Okay, he, he replaces him. Yes. Because if he's another wide receiver, that's the only thing.

[B]

Snaps and targets, that's what it is.

[A]

But the, their fit is completely different. Curtis Samuel is really fast. You can look at his 40 time. I think he ran somewhere in the four threes. Okay. But he's not a downfield guy. Don't associate speed with a downfield Threat. This is a guy that stretches the field horizontally. He doesn't stretch it vertically. And so if you sitting there and your hot take is, oh, this is a guy now they gotta got. They got some burner to go deep. That's not it.

[B]

But speed works in more than one way. They have not had the run after catch speed that they've needed. You know, honestly, that's what he is. I hate to say it, like at a cheaper version. They were hoping from a little bit of this from Deontay Hardy. They got none of it.

[A]

Correct.

[B]

I mean just we're talking about. And they did try to throw to him deep and that never worked out.

[A]

Correct. And that was where we joke around about Curtis Samuel falls somewhere between Debo Samuel and Isaiah McKenzie. He falls somewhere in between there. He's got some gadget to him. He will line up in the backfield. He arrived at Ohio State as a running back. Like this is a guy that is not going to be this go route wide receiver. He is a close to the yard. Like his depth of targets is not very. It's very shallow. He's one of the bottom three in the league.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So understanding what you're getting and to know what the Bills are missing is a deep threat that defenses need to respect. They haven't had it since John Brown. Gabe Davis didn't even provide that.

[B]

Yeah, in moments he had moments.

[A]

Not consistent.

[B]

Right.

[A]

So they still need that and they will still be looking to do that because you can take all the wide receivers in this draft class, throw them in a bag, close your eyes, pull them out. That guy can take the top off the defense. That's who Brandon Bean is going to be looking for at 28 or 25 or 23 or 18. This does not solve the Bills wide receiving room issues and what they miss in their offense, but he is a piece. And again, the Bills need speed. That is where the NFL game is going. Bean's always talking about it. This helps.

[B]

And look, you want it down the field, you want to be able to take the top off. But we have also seen the way defenses are playing. Giving things underneath more does make teams vulnerable to catch and run. And we've seen it with Kansas City in the past. We've seen it certainly with Miami. You know, you see it with San Francisco where guys can take the ball and go, yep, the Bills have not had that kind of speed. Samuel helps with that helps.

[A]

That is his strength.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

He is electric with the ball in his hands.

[B]

When I think about how you feel about A player that your team signs. I always think to myself, what's your team? What. What if the. What if one of your rivals signed him? How would you feel about him? And if, if, if, say, the jets signed Curtis Samuel, you might go, okay, he could help him. He's got Garrett Wilson on the other side. He's a pretty good player. Not the end of the world, but not Alan Lazard. Right. Like, you know, the guy can play, but he's not going to scare you to death. It's like, Hollywood Brown does not scare me to death. If I'm the Bills or any other team. I think he could help the Chiefs, but I don't think he all of a sudden becomes this consistent great player because he's with Mahomes. I think he's. He helps him. I think Kansas City is also going to be drafting a wide receiver.

[A]

Yeah. And that, that's where it goes to this point where it's like. And the Chiefs have kind of been that scary team where anybody that goes there, they go, oh, great, he's going to be great with, with Mahomes. That just hasn't been the case. It used to be that with New England. Yeah, right. Some guy goes there that we've never really heard of and we're like, well, Belichick knows something and this guy's going to catch.

[B]

But usually he was more on defense when he got, you know, I mean, he, they did get a few players that helped them.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

But it was more, it was more about the team thing, which is where Kansas City is now. But I'm telling you this, they're going to be like the Bills. They. They didn't end. They're looking at their wide receiver room by getting Hollywood Brown correct again.

[A]

I'm happy that the Bills signed Curtis Samuel.

[B]

Yeah. Good player.

[A]

He doesn't solve their problems and he doesn't prevent them from drafting a wide receiver. He is not a deep threat guy. He doesn't replace Gabe Davis in this offense. He's another speed piece, which is a good thing. But if you think that all of a sudden that Curtis Samuel becomes a deep threat, you don't really know what you're talking about.

[B]

Whatever.

[A]

Because. Because this is the thing too. This is where it'll come in. Into Joe Brady, who I'm very high on. I like the creativity that I hope we're going to see. But the fact is, is that you got Dalton, Kincaid, Khalil Shakir, and now Curtis Samuel that all do their best work about 8 yards within the line of scrimmage so you're going to have to try and find how they can do it. Now again, other teams have found success in doing this and there's a difference between being a slot wide receiver like Cole Beasley and a wide receiver that can work in the slot, which is Stefan Diggs, Khalil Shakir and Curtis Samuel. They're going to have to find there's only one ball and there's only so many guys can be in the slot. But it'll be on him to does Kincaid line in line more at the end of the line of scrimmage, does he flex out more that that. Those are all the pieces that you're going to want to figure out.

[B]

That's where the game has changed too. Years ago, guys played their spot, stayed at the X, stayed in the slot, all that stuff. They move players around constantly, maybe use motion on some players, get them moving. There's things they can do. By the way, I'm not going to sit here and pretend the Bills have so many weapons now. They're set, they are getting. I'm not going to guarantee you they're taking a wide receiver in the first round. I want you to be emotionally prepared for this. There is the possibility that they take a defensive player. It's out there. It's out there. I don't think that's happening. I think Bean is sitting there with 11 picks just itching to move up. He's going to fall in love with two or three guys that he thinks can get to him and he's going to go after him and he's going to find somebody. He just needs to find the right team to trade with. Might take a little capital, but if you get the right guy, really the right guy, the hope is that that player plays for you his first year and eventually can become your number one player. Yeah, because it's. They don't think that way of. And Curtis Samuel's 27 years old. This contract's going to take him to 29 for at least the two years of it.

[A]

So again, that was my big hot take where it's like I don't really have a hot take on everybody else's hot take of Curtis Samuel does nothing or Curtis Samuel is the solution. Again, do I like Curtis Samuel on the Bills? Yes. Do I think he makes the Bills better? Yes. Do I think he's a long term solution? No. And that's okay. Some signings are just good signings.

[B]

Emmanuel Sanders was a good signing. Couple of years.

[A]

Think Emmanuel Sanders with the type of Adding to the offense but not solving the offense.

[B]

Yes, Diggs. That's why I said whatever. What other tweets did he have? Y' all need to stay off my Twitter. Nah, I wasn't stirring up. Y' all need to stay off my Twitter. He's had some. You know, he's a little cryptic. Is he still in France? I don't know. I haven't looked at his Instagram.

[A]

I thought he posted something about him training.

[B]

Yeah, we know that's never an issue. He'll be training.

[A]

He also tweeted well, dot, dot dot.

[B]

You know what that means.

[A]

Ready for whatever. Hard emoji. Yeah, yeah. Wow. If you want to know our thoughts on Diggs, go back and watch any other video over the last year and a half. And it's the same thing. I love it. I think Diggs loves the attention. I could care less. Diggs isn't going anywhere. And so for when you see these, I don't want to say this meanly second rate media accounts that want to say where would be the next best team for Stefan Diggs to play next season and where do you think he will be? It will be in Buffalo. Stop.

[B]

Yeah, I listen, it's. We talk about the cap. Just a reminder. It's when you can dictate the terms of the cap. For example, the way he just signed Samuel, the way he did Taryn Johnson's extension, the team expects that player to be there for two years. Or Taron Johnson through maybe 26, it says through 27. Because the team is controlling that. Where you get into trouble with any player or takes away your flexibility is when the player and you are at odds about what they're doing. Trey White's injury, the future, Von Miller's injury and his other, you know, they thought longer term with him. That's why Josh Allen's dead. Cap hit right now is $119 million.

[A]

Something like that. Yep.

[B]

I think he's safe on the team for multiple reasons.

[A]

But post June 1st, I think it was only 60 something million. So you could still make. You could still do it.

[B]

Hey, that's how badly Denver wanted to get rid of Russell Wilson. What I'm saying is from a football perspective, first and foremost, Devon Diggs is still the best wide receiver on the roster and they need him as number one. They find the right guy, they start thinking differently. A year from now, we could be having a different conversation. I guess everybody could be surprised. I would be beyond surprised. If there was any movement, I'd be stunned.

[A]

Yeah, stunned. Can we take. Before we go just a few. Could we get a little snarky about the salary cap just one more time?

[B]

Have at it.

[A]

Because Mitch Morris was a salary cap casualty. They needed to save that $8 million to get under the cap. And then they just turned around and gave it right to Curtis Samuel.

[B]

Gave him. Yeah. Yeah. And then they. They cut Jordan Poyer, and then they gave that to Taylor Rap and gave the extension.

[A]

Yeah. And Dayquan Jones, they gave him. So all that money that they saved.

[B]

Dion. Dion Dawkins cut himself.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And then came right back.

[A]

So all the money that they saved, they just pocketed. Oh, no. They just turned around and spent it on different players.

[B]

It's manipulating the cap, folks. Yeah. It's accounting. It's more fun to say.

[A]

It's just more fun to say it's not real.

[B]

The cap is accounting.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And Bean's great at it. He's not the only one.

[A]

No, but he's really good at it.

[B]

Very good.

[A]

That's what gives the Bills part of their leg up in understanding.

[B]

And we always say this, you want to see who does it well. The Bills do it well. Kansas City has done it well. The Eagles do it well. You want to see who does it terribly. The New Orleans Saints, they kicked it down the road with bad players and bad sporting it, and they're still a mess. They never figured it out. They keep doing it. And they don't have good players.

[A]

Good teams don't let players leave. That they have because of the salary gap. They find ways to keep them. And I always use the exam, a perfect example of this. And people will say, well, there's Tyree Kill. The Chiefs could have paid Tyree Kill. They could have done it 100%. They didn't want to deal with this sideshow that is Tyreek Hill off the field.

[B]

And Miami was offering them a lot for him.

[A]

So when everybody says, oh, it's not real. They couldn't pay everybody. They could have figured out a way to pay him. They didn't want to.

[B]

And it's an unfair argument to say they can't pay everybody. They don't want to pay everybody.

[A]

It's. That was something that. Something that got in the case that goes, well, Dan, why don't they just offer everybody. If it's an op, if it's a blank check, There's a. Teams have their limits on what they think each player is worth. They're not just going to. Recklessly spending and salary cap are different things.

[B]

Yeah. I mean, some teams are have been a little reckless. They're not that smart. But yeah, hey, listen, they're smart. Feel fortunate, Bill fans. Yes, feel fortunate, Jeanette. Bills fans, you got a smart GM and an owner who is willing to, to front the money. So it's at that way. It's working. So yeah.

[A]

So that was it. I just want like said, Curtis Samuel, we like him.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

I think he, he will bring a new dynamic more than hardy. An Isaiah McKenzie on steroids will, will provide speed which the Bills will always need. On offense, it's another weapon, but it ain't solving no problems with the wide receiver term, long term.

[B]

I was just Picturing what Isaiah McKenzie on steroids would be like.

[A]

Good.

[B]

Hey, he's with the Giants now.

[A]

Yeah. Good for him.

[B]

It's good for Isaiah. Back with our boy, back with Dable. So that's going to be the case. All right. That's going to do it for us. And in case you missed at the beginning, Jenna with family, a little time off. Good for her. So we're here holding down the fort.

[A]

That's it.

[B]

Feeling good.

[A]

Yeah. We'll keep it updated as we move along. Also, we're going to have comment slash commenter of the week starting next week or on some of the vlogs. People seem to like the open and the comments can also be negative if they make us laugh. And it's a good comment.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Most likely about me.

[B]

Put it on commenter of the week and then we'll tell some stories next. Next time too.

[A]

Story time when Jenna gets back.

[B]

That's it. All right. That's going to do it for Jenna and for Dan Fates. I'm Mike Catalana. Thanks for watching. Please make sure to like, comment and subscribe and we'll see you next time.

[A]

Here on Buffalo+Buffalo+ your interactive look at the week in football brought to you by Connors and Ferris.

[D]

Shopify's point of sale system helps you sell at every stage of your business. Need a fast and secure way to take payments in person? We've got you covered. How about card readers you can rely on anywhere you sell.

[B]

Thanks.

[D]

Have a good one. Yep, that too. Want one place to manage all your online and in person sales? That's kind of our thing wherever you sell. Businesses that grow grow with Shopify. Sign up for your $1 a month trial at shopify.com listen shopify.com listen.