Tre White on being BACK in BUFFALO & BEANE'S Draft PLAN

Summary

---

Buffalo Plus Podcast Summary

Episode: Tre White on being BACK in BUFFALO & BEANE'S Draft PLAN
Date: April 22, 2025
Hosts: Mike Catalana, Jenna Cottrell, Dan Fetes

---

Overview

This episode of Buffalo Plus centers on the return of Tre'Davious White ("Tre White") to the Buffalo Bills, providing insight into his mindset, emotional press conference, and expectations for his role in the team. The hosts also break down GM Brandon Beane's upcoming draft strategy, including how college football’s transfer portal and changing landscape complicate player evaluation. Additional discussion points include James Cook’s OTA absence, expectations for young receivers like Keon Coleman and Dalton Kincaid, and the outlook for Josh Allen entering his eighth year.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Tre'Davious White’s Return to Buffalo

• Emotional Homecoming:
  Tre White discusses the excitement and sense of belonging upon returning (00:30). He highlights the significance for himself and his family:

  "My entire family is excited...to go into the attics, unbox those Buffalo blue jerseys and start back wearing the Buffalo blue again." — Tre White (00:30)

• Mindset and Attitude:
  The hosts rave about seeing Tre White's old, joyful self—pre-injuries (01:28–02:05). Jenna notes:

  "He felt like Trey. Pre-injury. Joyful, engaged, happy...he just wasn't happy. He's happy now." — Jenna Cottrell (01:29)

• Feeling at Home:

  "Me walking through the door yesterday...just seemed like I never left. Like, so many familiar faces...I felt home." — Tre White (02:33)

• Motivation & Goals:
  White is focused on winning, expressing how he wanted to finish his career with Buffalo and hopes to “do it the right way”—with a Super Bowl:

  "This is the only place that I really want to be and do it the right way. Hopefully get a Super Bowl here and be a part of it." — Tre White (05:11)

• Strong Locker Room Ties:
  Tre has kept in close contact with teammates—including Taron Johnson and Christian Benford—a testament to his leadership and connection with the Bills’ core (03:45-06:10).

• Competition and Uncertainty:
  No guarantees were promised; White will need to earn his spot as a starting corner amid younger competition (07:45).

  “He said nothing was promised to him. He said that's the way we operate.” — Jenna Cottrell (07:45)

• Legacy and Second Acts:
  The hosts reflect on the Bills’ unique culture and note how many ex-players long to return, even if just to contribute “vibes”; Tre is seen as a still-competitive asset rather than only a morale booster (08:11).

---

2. Brandon Beane’s Draft Philosophy & Challenges

• The Transfer Portal Dilemma:
  The hosts explore how increased player transfers in college make GM evaluations far more complex (08:58–12:19). Bean outlines the challenge in assessing player character and talent across multiple teams:

  "You got a player at three schools...school A loved him...school B thought he was entitled, couldn't wait to get rid of him...school C loves him...You're trying to put all the pieces together. Are they mad he left, or was that the truth?" — Brandon Beane (10:14)

• Evaluating Production & Fit:
  Scheme changes, NIL money, and varied systems make it harder to compare stats across years and programs. The Bills must dig deeper into a player’s adaptability and learning style.

• First-Round Grades & Positional Priorities:
  Beane claims there are fewer than 30 true first-round grades in this draft (15:52). Priorities seem oriented toward defensive tackle, edge rusher, and cornerback, though receiver is not ruled out outright.

• Trading Up or Back:
  Jenna predicts there's a 65% chance the Bills trade back from pick #30, 35% to trade up, and only a slim chance they stand pat (17:01).

  “65% he trades back, 35% he trades up...They may have one of these corners that they really want to target...but it might be a D tackle, it might be an edge player. I still think those are the three spots.” — Jenna Cottrell (17:01)

• Receivers and "Everybody Eats":
  Despite the popularity of the “everybody eats” motto, Beane insists they won’t pass up good players at WR if one fits their grade (18:22).

---

3. State of the Young Offense: Coleman & Kincaid

• Expectations & Accountability:
  The hosts pressure high picks like Keon Coleman (WR) and Dalton Kincaid (TE) to step up, referencing coaches’ public calls for improvement (24:24):

  "Josh Allen needs more from them, and they've both been semi called out by the coach and the general manager...Kincaid to get stronger...Keon to fight through things a bit more." — Jenna Cottrell (24:24)

• Attitude and Self-Reflection:
  The hosts want to see more public accountability and humility—a trait they praise in Josh Allen:

  "You always see Josh fall on the sword even when he doesn't need to...I want other guys to also say, 'I wasn't good enough.'" — Mike Catalana (23:05)

---

4. James Cook & The Running Back Room

• OTA Absence Explained:
  Cook is not at voluntary OTAs. Hosts are not overly concerned, citing April's timing and Cook’s limited negotiating leverage (25:13).

  "I just don't think you have much leverage in April...there's still free agents out there...there's trades to be made...a draft filled with running backs." — Jenna Cottrell (25:26)

• Possible Ramifications:
  The Bills may keep an eye on the draft and RB market for insurance, but they expect Cook to play this season (26:04).

---

5. Josh Allen: Year Eight and Leadership

• Health and Offseason:

  “It’s the best I’ve felt physically after a season. Really didn’t have any ailments. I didn’t take too many hits this last year as the least sacked quarterback in the league...the body felt good.” — Josh Allen (29:44)

• Work Ethic and Style:
  The team praises Allen’s consistent work ethic—not a perfectionist like Von Miller, but always in shape and dialed in (30:15).

• Character and Growth:
  Allen’s willingness to shoulder blame on and off the field is contrasted with the guardedness of younger players.

• Personal Life & Low Social Media Presence:
  Humorous exchange about Allen “not realizing” White was signed, which the hosts believe is a joke and also a sign Allen has intentionally distanced himself from social media (27:46–28:14).

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Tre White on wanting to be part of a championship:

  "Y’all win a Super Bowl without me? I’m getting an honorary ring...I feel like I played a part in it." — Tre White (05:11)

• Brandon Beane on transfers:

  “Sometimes there’s sour grapes on one side or another.” — Brandon Beane (11:29)

• Jenna on draft strategy:

  “65% he trades back, 35% he trades up.” — Jenna Cottrell (17:01)

• Mike on receiver pick explanations:

  “I love that line: 'We had a first-round grade on him.' They will all say that.” — Mike Catalana (19:56)

• On accountability:

  “You see Josh fall on the sword even when he doesn’t need to...I want other guys to also say, ‘I wasn’t good enough.’” — Mike Catalana (23:05)

---

Key Timestamps of Important Segments

• 00:30 – Tre White’s excitement about returning to Buffalo
• 02:33 – Tre White describes his first day back
• 05:11 – White’s goals & honorary Super Bowl ring joke
• 10:14 – Brandon Beane on transfer portal challenges
• 15:52 – Beane & hosts discuss first-round grades and drafting priorities
• 17:01 – Trade-up/trade-back probabilities in the draft
• 18:22 – Wide receiver draft considerations
• 24:24 – Expectations for Coleman & Kincaid
• 25:13 – James Cook’s OTA absence
• 29:44 – Josh Allen on offseason health

---

Final Thoughts

This episode offers an optimistic look at Tre White’s second act in Buffalo, balanced with pragmatic analysis of the Bills’ draft approach and player development pipeline. Veteran leadership, culture, and accountability remain focal points as the team eyes another deep playoff run—and perhaps, finally, a Super Bowl.

---

Transcript

[Hyundai Advertiser]

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

[Mike Catalana]

Now boarding Premier Altitude Elite club members.

[Hyundai Advertiser]

You could have bought a Hyundai on Amazon. Yes, that Amazon, where you buy everything else.

[Mike Catalana]

Mid tier Altitude Elite. Feel free to board now.

[Hyundai Advertiser]

So while you're waiting for them to make up new boarding groups, you can order your dream car and the dealer will have it ready in no time.

[Mike Catalana]

Now boarding groups one through seven.

[Jenna Cottrell]

So close.

[Hyundai Advertiser]

Visit HyundaiUSA.com or call 562-314-4603 for more details. Limited availability pickup through participating Hyundai dealer in select markets.

[Trey White]

I was ready to go. Like, I was so, so excited. My entire family is excited. They're so excited to go into the attics, unbox those Buffalo blue jerseys and start back wearing the Buffalo blue again. So this is a big time for me.

[Mike Catalana]

All right. Welcome back to the Buffalo plus channel, presented by Connors and Ferris. Mike Catalana. I am Jenna Cottrell. Dan Fates. With a veteran day off before the NFL draft, please be sure to, like, comment, subscribe and share. You know how much we appreciate it. All right, Mike and I just got back from Orchard park today. We got to talk to Brandon Bean, Josh Allen, Trey White. We'll talk a little bit about James Cook as well. The NFL draft coming up. The Bills have OTAs this week, so there's a lot going on. But I want to start with Trey White because we got to hear from him today as he's back with the Bills. And I think it was a pretty, I don't want to say emotional press conference, but what would you make of it?

[Jenna Cottrell]

I loved it.

[Mike Catalana]

I loved it, too.

[Jenna Cottrell]

And because he felt like Trey. Pre. Injury.

[Dan Fates]

Yes.

[Mike Catalana]

Injuries.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Joyful, engaged, happy.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah.

[Jenna Cottrell]

And, you know, it's been a lot. It doesn't even. It feels almost longer than a year that he hasn't been with the team. Yeah, right. Because it was only a year ago at the end when they ended up releasing him. And then, you know, even though he went to two really good teams, the Rams in Baltimore, it was not a great year for him.

[Dan Fates]

No.

[Jenna Cottrell]

And I thought his mindset coming back to the Bills was something to behold, something to really listen to. And when I say that, Joy, he's had it. He had it for most of his time with the Bills, and the injuries took some of that away from him. He just wasn't happy. He's happy now. He's content. He's very happy to be back in Buffalo.

[Mike Catalana]

Here's what he had to say about this opportunity and what it means to him.

[Trey White]

You get Here, it's just a feel like me walking through the door yesterday was just. Just seemed like I never left. Like, so many familiar faces. Some new faces, too, but I just felt in place. I felt home. So for that, like, I'm forever grateful and I'm so thankful to be back, for sure.

[Mike Catalana]

This is the Trey White that we love to see. Yeah, right. Just, like, so grateful for the opportunity, but I think he brought so much light and fun to this team, as well as talent. And. And so I've had this. This feeling of, like, I hope he can really play well because of the injuries that he has had. He has this opportunity. He's where he wants to be. He obviously loves this team. And coming back now, I've had people ask me, like, what does this mean in terms of the Bills and for their draft? You know, does this mean they're not going to draft a corner? The bill signing Trey White does not do anything for their draft plans. They are still going to draft a corner. We expect that to be the case. So, that being said, I think it's just a really nice ad. A veteran knows the system. Who wants to be in Buffalo? And just to see the attitude in which Trey had, it was so refreshing because we've seen what he can bring to this team, and it just feels like he feels like himself.

[Jenna Cottrell]

He's only 30 years old, which is crazy. Yeah. So he's been on the team. Was on the team. If you go back to the beginning, a year before Josh Allen got towards your park, he was there with Mike and Jordan. He talks to them all the time.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah.

[Jenna Cottrell]

You know, he talks to Taron Johnson. He talks to all these different players, and he was asked about his goals and what it is. And listen, when you look at their roster constructed here on. We're doing this on April 22nd.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah.

[Jenna Cottrell]

I'd say you pencil him in as a starter only because I think he's ahead of Dane Jackson right. On the other side.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah.

[Jenna Cottrell]

I mean, Dane's, you know, a quality backup player, but a lot can change between now and then.

[Mike Catalana]

Yes.

[Jenna Cottrell]

They could still bring in another veteran, though. I don't think so. I think they're going to draft a corner or maybe more than one. I mean, who knows what they end up doing? But I think he knows that. He was asked about his goals, and he says, my goals are to win. Now, this was my favorite part of his news conference because he was talking about winning and not being with the Bills, and he was like, I would have hated my last game because you Guys, remember he was playing for the Ravens when the Bills beat them in the playoff game. And he's like, I would have hated my last game to be against the Bills there. But he told this brief little story about talking to his buddy Taron Johnson during the season about how well the Bills were doing and how he still felt to be part of it.

[Trey White]

This place is so, so special. So, so special to my family, too, that this is the only place that I really want to be and do it the right way. Hopefully get a Super bowl here and I'll be a part of it. Cause I was telling Taryn me, and Taryn was talking all throughout last year, I was like, y' all win a Super bowl without me? Like, I'm getting an honorary ring. Y' all gonna have to send that to me. I'm gonna need that for sure. Cause I feel like I played a part in it.

[Jenna Cottrell]

But an honorary super bowl ring. So now I love that.

[Mike Catalana]

It's just so Trey, though.

[Jenna Cottrell]

It is. So now, instead of being honorary, he can go try to get one with this team, which would be something if he could do it. So he's kept in touch. It's. It's wild to see him. And Christian Benford.

[Dan Fates]

Yes.

[Mike Catalana]

Well, he was asked about him, too.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah. Because Benford came in as this rookie, started from day one opposite of Trey White, and now Benford is the guy.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah.

[Jenna Cottrell]

And Trey is the guy who's back. I won't even say hoping to start. He never gave this impression. Like, he's like. Everybody talks about him being competitive. I'm probably. Brandon Bean said. Absolutely.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah. He.

[Jenna Cottrell]

You know, basically, he's in the running to start. He's gonna. Because that's kind of why you brought the veteran in. Depending on what they do. But he's certainly the other guy now. Defensively, what he's got left, we don't know.

[Dan Fates]

We don't.

[Jenna Cottrell]

I don't even know if he knows. I think when he's playing in Baltimore in a different system and in LA in a different system, he's a guy. He's not Trey White coming back to Buffalo, I think he'll feel that comfort. And he talked about his closeness with Sean McDermott, too.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah.

[Jenna Cottrell]

And they've had that.

[Mike Catalana]

Sean's first draft, he was the guy.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah.

[Jenna Cottrell]

That he took.

[Mike Catalana]

He also talked about how he was watching Bill's games when he was not with the Bills this last year, being like, oh, they're in this package. They're doing this. Like, I just think it made sense why he wants to be back. And I think for this team, what he can offer again, we don't know what he has left in the tank.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Right.

[Mike Catalana]

But I do love this move. Move from both sides of a guy can go play the place that he wants to be. And also a team can see what there is in. To in store for Trey White and what he can add because he does know this defense, he does know the players, he does know the personnel, all this stuff. So it makes sense on both sides. And it's just. He felt like Trey White and I mean that in the best way possible. So I'm really excited to see. But Brandon B. Did speak about, like, yeah, like, we'll. We'll see. Because we will see. We don't know.

[Jenna Cottrell]

He said nothing was promised to him. He said that's the way we operate.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

Which is fair.

[Jenna Cottrell]

You know, you bring him in and then you go play and it. And it's good. I think it's good in that way. It's cool. For me, for all these years covering the team, and I'm not even talking about back in the old super bowl days because players rarely left. It wasn't free agency or it was just sort of starting and it was just very different. So many of these players cannot wait to come back.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah.

[Jenna Cottrell]

There has been a long list. And they talk about how much they enjoy being in Buffalo. So the second acts aren't always big, huge things. Right. They come back, they give the team something, whatever it happens to be. Even Micah coming back last year, he didn't. I mean, he never played.

[Dan Fates]

No.

[Jenna Cottrell]

He just wanted to be around the place.

[Mike Catalana]

Vibes guy.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah, he is a vibes guy. I don't think that's what Trey White is.

[Mike Catalana]

I think I. Yeah, I don't think so either.

[Jenna Cottrell]

But he, he, he's going to be on the roster. I think we, we haven't gotten the exact details of the contract, but up to 6.8 was a joy. Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

A joy to be around today. But again, that doesn't mean Brandon Bean's not going to draft a corner. And let's talk about Brandon Bean because we had, he had his press conference today this obviously ahead of the draft, and you asked a great question, Michael.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Well, I was thinking of it. Thank you. I was thinking of this when I was looking over all the different players that could possibly be Bill's draft picks. Right. And so Trey Amos is one of those guys who is on his third college.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah.

[Jenna Cottrell]

And I said to Bean, you know, it wasn't that long ago that a Transfer was like, oh, red flag. Like, why did he leave? What was the reason? Unless you transferred from, like a smaller school to a bigger school. But even that for a few years ago, wasn't that long ago, transfers, they had to sit out. It was just a very different thing. Now it's three schools. Is. Is two is common, three is becoming more and more common. So he's played at three places. And I asked him about the evaluation process, because think about these guys. Even in the NFL, it's rare when you're different teams each year, especially at a starting level player, maybe for some other random players or backups. So I asked him about how they evaluate that in terms of figuring out what these guys are really like, what they can and can't do. And he talked about the difficulty of narrowing that all down when the guys have been more than one place.

[Brandon Bean]

I think it's definitely more challenging. To your point, Mike, in a lot of ways, you know, you can have a young man that's been at three schools. So you're trying to. You're trying to talk to people at his original school, at school two and at school three. And school A loved him, but didn't have a great fit for him. School B thought he thought he was better than he is, thought he was entitled, couldn't wait to get rid of him. And then school C loves him. So you're trying to put all the pieces together. Are they mad that he left, or was that the truth of the player? And that's the character, the DNA. You know, it used to be a lot easier. You got a player at, you know, University of Buffalo, you just go over there and you talk to trainers, the coaches, the staff, and you get kind of a consensus of what the DNA, how this person operates, and then you grade the player. This one, you're. When these guys are transferring two and three times, it's. It's harder to get the clear pictures because sometimes there's sour grapes on. On one side or another.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah, he went on and on that answer. He gave me a pretty long answer. Yeah, about that process. And I really do understand what he's saying, because you look at it and you go, you know, sometimes if the players at one school and they make a change in coaches and maybe the scheme is different, and you look at production because you will see some really accomplished players in this draft who were better as sophomores or juniors, depending on their, you know, year at the school, than they were the next year at another school. Right. But they go to a different system. They're there for one year. That's the thing. Schools are offering money. You may not be going like, oh, I like this program because they play more press man coverage.

[Mike Catalana]

You might be like, oh, that looks nice, that check.

[Jenna Cottrell]

That's it.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

And I can't.

[Jenna Cottrell]

I get it.

[Mike Catalana]

Anyone for that?

[Dan Fates]

Yeah.

[Jenna Cottrell]

But you know, that part of it I find to be really interesting for Bean and he talked about a little bit of that. I also asked him about, you know, looking at players based on the schemes they play in and especially for corner. Are we talking about man schemes? Are we talking about zone? But a lot of times, like if you have a super talented player, I'll use the idea of a player at a small school, right? And you say, oh, he's going to get a chance to go to Texas. Well, Texas ain't changing their system for him. And he might have been a press man guy at, you know, Boise, picking Boise. It's a good program, but he's going to go to Texas or Alabama, they're not. So he may not be in the best system, but they think he's a great talent and he adjusts. So the whole idea of going, wait a minute, can this guy do that? Can we look at him objectively and look at his skill set? Can we bring him in, see what he can do on the board? Which way does he learn? Because I think it's less consistent. Now. Used to be you played for Nick Saban, you were there three years and everybody there knew the guy. And now they go in different systems, different places. So it's. That's why I think there's so much volatility in where these players are going to go because you know a lot about them, but maybe less than you did before.

[Mike Catalana]

Well, and what Beam was talking about too is like, maybe he had a really good rapport at school A and school B, didn't really care for him or didn't think he had work ethic or didn't think that or thought he was above the program. And then school C was like, he's our guy. So it, there's so many layers. And I do think Brandon, being in general managers jobs in general got harder with how much transferring has affected college in general. Just of like, yeah, like how do you rank productivity now? Because some players are not going to have, are not going to be as accomplished because of what you're talking about. How much do you rate, like loyalty? Is that something that stands out to you if a guy decides to say so? And yeah, and money, like all these.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Things Think about it. There's players. Absolutely. Who they get drafted third round or less.

[Mike Catalana]

That would be making more in college.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah, yeah.

[Jenna Cottrell]

And so they already have money.

[Dan Fates]

Yes.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Now they used to make the jokes about the handshakes and the extra money. Yeah, some players got money, but yeah. Not like it is now.

[Mike Catalana]

Like.

[Dan Fates]

No. Yeah.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Where it's several million off the top. So all those things are part of the evaluation process. And then as you get to the draft, you're like, take this all in. How does he fit with the Buffalo Bills?

[Mike Catalana]

No, it's true. And it's a hard job and Bean has said this so many times before of like it's a projection business, all this stuff. But it does make it a challenge because there's that much more variance that you're seeing. But do you have an impression now of what you think being talked about? And they always say this every year. There's not 30 first round grades. There's not 32 first round grades. He said. Bean did talk about how there's a lot of. I don't want to say depth, but like it's a good D line class. Yep, he did talk about that. And obviously that's a position of, of need for this Bill's team. So he didn't go into specifics though of how you weight a position and also if that how that tracks on your like needs list. Does that make you rank things a little bit differently? But do you have an impression of what you think he'll do this upcoming week?

[Jenna Cottrell]

Well, I. Look, I don't know how many first round grades. He didn't give us a number. He said less than 30. He says that basically every time. But he did say this. I rank the grades based on the Buffalo Bills, what we want, what we like, what we need. And there is need element to it. Yes, of course there is not just best player available. Sometimes the way they look at it.

[Mike Catalana]

Yeah, the best player might be at some point a quarterback.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Right.

[Mike Catalana]

Are you going to do that in the early. No, no.

[Jenna Cottrell]

But you also say if you're looking for a corner, there may be a player whose measurables aren't as high, but he is well versed in zone defenses. They think he fits what they do. They may have a first round grade on him that 15 other teams don't. So that player could slip and be towards them that they make a move up. I'll say this. In my opinion it is 65%. Well, I'll say this. Either trade up or down, he could obviously stay at 30.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah.

[Jenna Cottrell]

I'm saying this, so I'm going to take stay at 30 out of it.

[Dan Fates]

Okay.

[Jenna Cottrell]

I say 65%. He trades back 35%. He trades up. They're at 30 already. It doesn't take much. If you were at 18. You know, it's funny, you don't see that as often. You don't see a team drop from 18 to 22 or 23. It's because he's going to go to the second round.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Which is different contract. So you're only moving back a few picks. Unfortunately for you, watching at home, that means Thursday was a waste.

[Mike Catalana]

So crappy.

[Jenna Cottrell]

And then. But then you look at and you go, you've got three. And if you add a pick. In my mock draft, they had a third rounder, so you have four on that day. But I would think that depending on what's there. Now, again, I don't know if you know this, but we're not in the room, but we're in the building. But they may have one of these corners that they really want to target and they would take in the first round. But it might be a D tackle. It might be an edge player. I still think those are the three spots. And it was interesting. He bean was asked about wide receivers, and I can't remember who asked it, but they said about like, everybody eats, Right. Does that. I think it was John Scott does everybody eats? And then it was like, well, what about like going for a. A wide receiver? And he's like, we're not passing up on good players because we say everybody eats.

[Mike Catalana]

You know, because Josh Allen has a. Has a hat made.

[Jenna Cottrell]

He did. He was wearing it. You'll see that in a minute.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah.

[Jenna Cottrell]

That said that. So could it be a wide receiver? Yeah, I guess I don't expect that.

[Mike Catalana]

I don't expect that either. Now, this is where you have to take like what I would like to see and what I expect the Bills to do. I would be totally fine if they took a wide receiver. That being said, I don't expect that to be the case. I completely agree with you. I think it'll either be the tackle, an edge rusher or a corner. That is what I have my mind at. I think if they trade, if they stay where they're at, where they trade up, I could see it being a D tackle. I say that I. I think it'll be a D tackle early on. My estimation is that it would be a D lineman, at least with the first pick. But again, there's a lot of depth at that position being said. So does that mean you can feel comfortable moving back or you want to go and address your cornerback need first? Because there is depth of the position, it changes up.

[Dan Fates]

But.

[Mike Catalana]

And Beano also talked about this. There's so much variance in where guys are graded.

[Jenna Cottrell]

It's.

[Mike Catalana]

And he talked about how this year that does feel like a little bit more extreme than in years past, which I thought was something to note because obviously he's been drafting for a while now at this point. But it does feel like. And Daniel Jeremiah said this. There's. There's not stars in this draft, but there's starters and you have to go out and find them. So I think that there. There's that layer as well.

[Jenna Cottrell]

But yeah, I'm going to just say this right now. We were stunned that he was still on the board when we were picking. We had a first round grade on him.

[Mike Catalana]

I love that line.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah. They will all say that.

[Mike Catalana]

They. They'll say that about Keon even though they passed on him twice.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yes.

[Mike Catalana]

That's also why I would like for them to get a receiver early.

[Jenna Cottrell]

I think that, hey, I'm not dis. I take a wide receiver. I still think with 30 points a game, they like to say that. And all that they did was great.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah.

[Jenna Cottrell]

There is an element to the offense in the passing game that is still missing.

[Mike Catalana]

I agree.

[Jenna Cottrell]

And the guy who filled it a little bit last year is gone.

[Dan Fates]

I.

[Jenna Cottrell]

And that would be one Mr. Mac Hollins.

[Mike Catalana]

I agree. And everybody eats. Is not just for the. The wide receivers, obviously, but we can go into James Cook a little bit.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah. One quick thing. I'm hoping Bean has a big week. I hope everything works out. I don't want to hear how young Keon is anymore.

[Dan Fates]

Oh, yeah. Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

That to me is always like an alarm bell going off my head if they're like, oh, a player is young. It's like you can be young and still really good and really mature and really talented and play well. Yeah, sometimes.

[Jenna Cottrell]

True.

[Dan Fates]

Well, no.

[Mike Catalana]

Someone wise once told me there are reasons and there are excuses.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

Being young sometimes can be a reason. It can also be an excuse.

[Jenna Cottrell]

And the NFL doesn't wait. No. And it may be that case. But hey, listen, they need production. It's Josh freaking Allen going into his eighth year, which is also crazy. If the guy's not ready, somebody's going to play and he's a second round pick. I'm not saying Keon doesn't come back and isn't ready. He could come back much better.

[Mike Catalana]

He absolutely Could.

[Jenna Cottrell]

So for the Bills, he could be.

[Mike Catalana]

Totally fine in his career, all that stuff. But what we saw in year one left more to be desired. Now, that doesn't mean that he's hit his ceiling, but. Or anything like that. But you would have liked. My thing is more the attitude. I want him to come back with the attitude of, like, I didn't play as well as I wanted to my. My first season, and I need to be better. That is what I want to see out of Keon.

[Jenna Cottrell]

And I know we're going to go to Josh quick here, but I just want to ask this. Do you think sometimes there are guys, especially when you're younger, you don't like to publicly admit what you can't do?

[Dan Fates]

It's.

[Jenna Cottrell]

It's more of like, I need the confidence. Meaning, like, I want to hear a guy, maybe privately he's going to do this. Privately, he's like, I got to be a better route runner. I got to come back from this better. I got to be. Build more trust with Josh. But publicly, he doesn't want to be giving that up. I mean, you do need an immense amount of confidence to play this game in the NFL.

[Mike Catalana]

I agree.

[Jenna Cottrell]

I think sometimes when you're young, you, You. You got. You force a little, I'll say, bravado.

[Mike Catalana]

Bravado is literally the exact word that popped into my mind.

[Jenna Cottrell]

So you force that. Maybe that's just all it is. But I do think at got to recognize.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Because Josh Allen needs you.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Or he's going to throw it to somebody else.

[Mike Catalana]

Well, see, and that's that. I hear what you're saying. I don't know what it's like to be in the mind of a elite professional athlete.

[Jenna Cottrell]

I can explain it to you.

[Mike Catalana]

I was just say. But I do want my guys to be accountable.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

And I would prefer if you were accountable in all settings, because that's what I would expect of myself. Now, again, I've never been put into that light before, but I think for Keon and for a lot of these younger guys, I always would like it. Because here's the thing. You always see Josh fall on the sword. You see Josh fall on the sword even when he doesn't need to. I should have been better. I. That needed to be a better throw. I was too careless with the football. I didn't do enough. I did this. I did this. And so I want other guys to also say, you know what? I wasn't good enough. I should have practiced more. And you're right. Maybe that's they know. And because they know that, they want to kind of shield themselves a little bit. But we'll see.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Too much. What is it to those who it's given? Too much is given, much is expected.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Usually that's either from some great philosopher or from the Bible. I don't know, but somebody's going to be in the chat saying this, but you are high draft picks of the Buffalo Bills, and that heavy is the.

[Mike Catalana]

Head that wears the crown. How about that?

[Jenna Cottrell]

I don't know if either of them have the crown yet. Josh has the crown.

[Mike Catalana]

Well, no, Josh has the crown, but I'm saying if you are a high draft pick. In my head, their top two draft.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Picks the last two years.

[Mike Catalana]

You're right. Maybe not the crown, but I'm saying that that metaphor or whatever works well for.

[Jenna Cottrell]

I'm gonna end with this. Josh Allen needs more from them, and they've both been semi called out by the coach and the general manager. Kincaid to get stronger.

[Dan Fates]

Yes.

[Jenna Cottrell]

To come back better. And Keon to fight through things a little bit more going forward. But, hey, but they're still young.

[Mike Catalana]

Reasons and excuses. Time will tell.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yes.

[Mike Catalana]

Time will always tell.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yes.

[Mike Catalana]

Okay, Josh, let's talk. Well, do we want to talk about.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Oh, yeah.

[Dan Fates]

Cook.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

James Cook.

[Dan Fates]

Okay.

[Mike Catalana]

James Cook is not at OTAs right now. OTAs are voluntary.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

Later on, there is a mandatory minicamp situation.

[Jenna Cottrell]

That's not June, right?

[Mike Catalana]

Yeah, it's June. So what do you make of that?

[Jenna Cottrell]

Doesn't surprise me.

[Mike Catalana]

Me either.

[Jenna Cottrell]

You know what? I'd have to go back and look at how often I would think James Cook would have been at them. I never remember being a thing.

[Mike Catalana]

Well, that's the thing. It's not a thing until it is.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah. I'll say this. I understand why he wants more out of his contract. Right. I do. And I. I just don't think you have much leverage in April.

[Mike Catalana]

That's totally fair.

[Jenna Cottrell]

There's still free agents out there. There's trades to be made. Oh, and by the way, you got a draft filled with running backs. I'm not saying the Bills want to get past him. I think the Bills would expect him. He will play this year. By the way, you're not sitting out? No, I. I just don't think. Now, Bean said, hey, he's not here. Doesn't mean he's not here next week. Like. And he. He said he loves James. He says he said it in every setting.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah.

[Jenna Cottrell]

That he loves him.

[Mike Catalana]

He still loves him. That's good.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah. But, like, I just If I was in that spot, I would not be using my leverage in April, before the draft, while there's still roster spots to be filled. I might use it later. I might show up and then later do it. But that's. If he believes this is what's going to help him get something, then he's got to do what he's got to do.

[Mike Catalana]

What do we always say? Watch what they do. Not always what they say. They draft a running back. That to me would be like, oh, that's interesting.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Or there's a veteran out there because other teams are going to draft a running back and then there may be veterans that are available.

[Mike Catalana]

Is also true.

[Jenna Cottrell]

So. And I'm not. I'm not trying to take this to the next step. No. But it's following that pattern where you don't show up at that. But again, when I talk about leverage, they ain't playing a game for a long time still, so I wish they would. I don't think you're really. I don't think you're. You know, we're almost exactly at the halfway point between the end of the season and the beginning of training camp.

[Mike Catalana]

Really?

[Jenna Cottrell]

Almost the exact same amount of days from when they lost to the Chiefs to now that it is from now to the beginning of the. It feels like it's like 82 days, something.

[Mike Catalana]

This first half, I feel like, always takes the longest.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

And then after the draft, it's like the schedule release, and then there's some OTA stuff, and then mandatory, and you.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Get married in the middle.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

That's crazy. Still so much to do. Makes me want to throw up.

[Dan Fates]

Okay.

[Jenna Cottrell]

And Josh gets married, too.

[Mike Catalana]

Yeah, I know. I don't think he has to plan his own wedding, though.

[Jenna Cottrell]

No, no, it's good. Good to see him today.

[Mike Catalana]

He was funny, too. He talked.

[Dan Fates]

He.

[Mike Catalana]

He hasn't been on social media much, and he didn't even realize the Bills signed Trey White.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Okay. I don't believe you.

[Mike Catalana]

Don't believe that. I thought it was funny.

[Jenna Cottrell]

It was funny because he was like. He walked in, he's like. Said, trey White. You mean nobody texted him and said, we signed Trey? Yeah, it's Trey freaking White.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

That's fair.

[Jenna Cottrell]

So I think he was playing.

[Mike Catalana]

I was just so gullible there.

[Jenna Cottrell]

I think it was his way.

[Mike Catalana]

So funny.

[Jenna Cottrell]

I think it is his way of bringing up that he's personally just said, I'm getting off social media.

[Mike Catalana]

You know what? That is so true.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

I could see Josh.

[Dan Fates]

Yes. Yes.

[Mike Catalana]

Which, by the way, I don't believe that you might not interact as much.

[Jenna Cottrell]

But I just think he's in that little bit of that world, that Hollywood world, too, because she is. And she's successful. I think it appears that she's been awesome.

[Mike Catalana]

I want to see that movie.

[Jenna Cottrell]

And. Yeah. And Josh gave it a good review. Go watching. Yeah, go watch it. That was his. His take.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah.

[Jenna Cottrell]

So I think sometimes you. You can see a lot of stuff. It is funny. When he's her boyfriend or her fiance, not his.

[Dan Fates]

Yes.

[Jenna Cottrell]

You know what I mean?

[Dan Fates]

Yeah.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Because in that world, like, it was like, it's not maybe quite at that level. It's pretty close. When Tom Brady was in these fashion.

[Mike Catalana]

Magazines as, like, Giselle's husband.

[Dan Fates]

Yes.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Is kind of funny.

[Mike Catalana]

That's. No, that is hilarious.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yes.

[Mike Catalana]

Well, it's.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah.

[Jenna Cottrell]

And he's had more work done than her.

[Mike Catalana]

You're talking about Tom Brady. I was gonna say. I was like. Not Josh.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Not Josh. No.

[Mike Catalana]

I would be shocked. All right. He did say. Well, why don't we talk a little bit about. Well, he did say first that he has reflected on the chief's loss.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

Was a lot of, would have, could have, shoulda. Which makes sense because obviously the way the season ended, he talked about how he's, you know, in off season mode. He's been working on some mechanical stuff. And he also said this, and I think Bill's fans will love to hear this about this past spring.

[Josh Allen]

It's the best I've felt physically after a season. Really didn't have any ailments. I didn't take too many hits this last year as the least sacked quarterback in the league. And that's thanks to the type of scheme that we're running and how well our offensive line played. So the body felt good. Yeah. I mean, I took some time off to let my body rest a little bit, but not as much as I need in the last few years.

[Mike Catalana]

Yeah, I mean, I think that's encouraging.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Oh, that's big.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah.

[Jenna Cottrell]

No player wants to have to go into the off season. Look, he's got a lot going on. Josh always keeps himself in good shape. I don't think he's. I don't think he's workout warrior.

[Mike Catalana]

I think he. Yeah, I. I don't think he's.

[Jenna Cottrell]

He's not Luka Doncic. That's no. Where you don't do.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah.

[Jenna Cottrell]

I was gonna say even during the year, donut curls, but I don't think. Yes. He's not Von Miller either.

[Mike Catalana]

No.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Right. So I think he's He's. I. He's never, like, he comes in, he goes, wow, Josh got fat. Like, you're never. But I think he keeps himself in shape.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

I don't. I feel like some of those guys are so strict about their. And this is just how I feel. They're so strict about their diet, so they're like, my God, you're jacked. Like, like, because the diet is such a big portion. Portion of it. I think Josh has always been like a. I'm gonna eat how I like to eat. Not unhealthy, but like. Yeah, he's never been like, no DK Metcalf.

[Jenna Cottrell]

I know. But I will say this, I will say that I hope he takes a break from throwing in the off season, long breaks, because we joke about it, but, like, you go to practice, like, he throws every day.

[Mike Catalana]

Every day.

[Jenna Cottrell]

I. I'm trying to think of the days we've been there. Unless he's injured.

[Mike Catalana]

You know, like, he throws almost every. Every day, multiple times.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah. So that's a lot. A lot of passing.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah.

[Jenna Cottrell]

You know, you've just not seen it. So I think they take some breaks. Still jacked up, Josh, that would be so funny. I know.

[Mike Catalana]

All right. Anything else?

[Jenna Cottrell]

No. Live here, Wednesday night, 7 o', clock. Dan, Jenna, myself, the three of us, to get you ready for the draft, take your questions, all that, and then on Thursday night and Friday night, the main part, the first three rounds of the draft, we're going to come on live. We'll send out something on social or on the channel, but keep in mind it'll be within a decent amount of time before the Bills go on the clock. So we'll be able to be with you, recap what's going on. You can even, you know, I'm sure you can. We'll be keeping you up to date on what happens in the draft, taking your questions and all leading right up to when they draft. If they draft on Thursday.

[Mike Catalana]

Don't even. Don't even.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Or if they get ready to trade up. Like, we'll be on early enough, so we'll let you know the times. But we want to be there interactive, both on Thursday and then when they're making at least two picks, I think on Friday.

[Mike Catalana]

I just, I want them to pick someone on day one.

[Jenna Cottrell]

So do I. You know, I would like. I would like to say that. So. But I'd also would not mind seeing a move that gets them a third.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah, I get it.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Because then they would have. Well, you would have. If you did move back, you would have four picks in the top. In my. The what? The deal that I had was in the top 88.

[Dan Fates]

Oh, I mean, yeah.

[Jenna Cottrell]

So there's some quality players there. So we'll see. Yeah, we'll see what they do. All right.

[Mike Catalana]

Be sure to join us. For Mike Catalana and Dan Fates, who's not here, I'm Jenna Cottrell. Please be sure to, like, comment, subscribe and share. We always appreciate it. We will catch you next time, which is tomorrow on the Buffalo Plus YouTube channel. Thank you so much for watching. Yeah, we'll see you tomorrow for iconners and fairs. So close.

[Shopify Advertiser]

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?

[Dan Fates]

Person?

[Shopify Advertiser]

We've got you covered. How about card readers you can rely on anywhere you sell.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Thanks.

[Shopify Advertiser]

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.