Buffalo Plus Podcast: What SHOULD the BILLS do at WIDE RECEIVER in Free Agency? COULD Gabe Davis RETURN? & Storytime

Date: March 5, 2024
Hosts: Mike Catalana, Jenna Cottrell, Dan Fetes
Main Topics: Buffalo Bills' Wide Receiver plans in free agency, Gabe Davis' future, storytime and behind-the-scenes NFL combine discussion.

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the Buffalo Bills’ offseason strategy at the wide receiver position, analyzes the impact of recent league moves (notably Mike Evans re-signing with Tampa Bay), and debates the possibility of Gabe Davis returning to Buffalo. There's also a mix of fun anecdotes and stories from the hosts' personal lives and their time at the NFL Combine.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Mike Evans Stays in Tampa Bay: Implications for the Bills

• [01:38] Mike Evans’ re-signing with the Bucs removes a big name from free agency, with no direct impact for Buffalo as he was never a realistic target.
• “My first takeaway is he’s not going to the Kansas City Chiefs.” – Dan Fetes [02:04]
• The hosts agree Evans was never really on Buffalo’s radar, especially with Diggs still on roster; he would have been the “perfect” trade target at last year’s deadline, not this year.
• On Evans’ value: “He just does it every year... And he got a thousand with Baker, and Baker’s one of the better quarterbacks he played with. Not Brady.” – Mike Catalana [02:39]
• Sarcastic speculation about fans wanting the Bills to sign “everyone” (Evans, Derek Henry), but reality is the Bills want to get younger at WR.

2. Who’s a Fit for Buffalo at WR in Free Agency?

• [05:57] Realistic targets are limited. Calvin Ridley and Michael Pittman expected to price themselves out.
  • “I think they need more speed and explosiveness… I think they want to get younger at the wide receiver position.” – Dan [05:04]
• Curtis Samuel (familiar with OC Brady) and Noah Brown are floated as possible “value” options, but only as 3rd/4th receivers, not true WR2s.
• Darnell Mooney's "odd range" is noted, but hosts doubt there’s a real WR2 solution in this free-agency class.
  • “Are you signing a guy to be your second wide receiver?... You have to be pretty hopeful you are going to get a guy that you believe is at least a 2 and can eventually be a 1.” – Mike [07:25]

3. All Eyes on the Draft

• The consensus among hosts is that the Bills’ next important WR is coming via the draft, not free agency.
• “The second wide receiver on this team is coming in in the draft.” – Mike [09:11]
• [19:10-19:35] Hosts expect (at minimum) two WRs to be drafted among Buffalo’s ten picks, maybe even three.
  • “I’d like it to be three.” – Dan [19:28]
• Emphasis on the depth and talent at WR in the 2024 draft and beyond.

4. Could Gabe Davis Return to Buffalo?

• [10:31] – [15:06] Spirited debate: Is the “door closed” on a Gabe Davis reunion?
  • “I think the door is closed, closed, closed... Gabe needs a fresh start. The Bills need a fresh start from Gabe.” – Dan [11:54]
  • Jenna counters Gabe would be “silly” to close the door, especially if the market isn’t there.
  • Discussion around optics of Davis returning, especially with another high draft pick at WR – “You’re coming back and playing now, you’re not even Robin, you’re Alfred.” – Dan [16:30]
  • “I think just because [Gabe] thinks he’s that guy... you’ve lost that chance. Like, you’re not going to be that guy.” – Dan [12:36]
• Money and opportunity are huge factors; Davis likely finds a one-year deal elsewhere.

5. Other Names & The “Glue Guy” Discussion

• Trent Sherfield could be back in a WR5 role.
• Marquise “Hollywood” Brown and Kendrick Bourne as possible speed/cheap options, but neither move the needle as a top target. [17:07, 18:02]
  • “Maybe you take a flyer on a guy like [Bourne] just to see...” – Jenna [17:37]
• References to Justin Shorter and KJ Hamler (young depth pieces).

6. Safety Position Chatter & Nahim Hines Release

• [24:01-27:30] Quick discussion on Nahim Hines being cut to save cap space—potential for a re-sign but not a surprise.
  • “Anytime Brandon Bean brings in a player, they all make one great return.” – Mike [24:31]
• [27:30-29:07] Jordan Poyer’s future is teased as a “coin flip” scenario; debate about whether the Bills can move on from both Poyer and Hyde together.

Notable Quotes and Moments

• Dan on Buffalo’s WR free agency market:
  “I just don’t think that there’s a number two in the free agent market that you’re willing to pay.” [09:32]

• Dan, on Gabe Davis’s return:
  “So you’re going to come back in and play now. You’re not even Robin, you’re Alfred.” [16:30]
  Prompting a running joke: “Alfred was a glue guy.”

• Mike, on Bean’s approach:
  “It would be a massive, massive mistake by Brandon Bean not to take a wide receiver in the top two rounds.” [16:10]

• Jenna, on the draft strategy:
  “What does Bean always talk about? Drafting before it’s a need. But when you look at wide receiver and age being a factor, you want to have someone that’s ready.” [20:35]

• Cap talk humor:
  “Cutting Naim Hines, $4.6 million. Poof. Just gone.” – Dan [26:55]
  “That’s how time works.” – Mike (about aging safeties, tongue-in-cheek) [31:13]

Fun Storytime & Combine Recap

[32:01 – End]

• Debates over the best steakhouse in Indianapolis (“St. Elmo’s or Harry & Izzy’s?”).
• Scooter mishap stories and falling off: Dan recounts his tumble, prompting lots of ribbing.
• Jenna’s “celebrity in the neighborhood” moment:
  “A guy flips us off… realizes it’s me from Channel 3 and then apologizes.”
• Glimpses of “off-camera” camaraderie and some inside-joke references about working together.

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Topic | Timestamp | |------------------------------------------------------|---------------| | Mike Evans stays in Tampa – no Bills impact | 01:38–05:49 | | WR free agency options for Buffalo | 05:57–10:27 | | The draft is the answer at WR | 09:11–20:57 | | Could Gabe Davis actually return to Buffalo? | 10:31–16:30 | | Marquise Brown, Kendrick Bourne, other WR options | 17:07–18:55 | | How many WRs will the Bills draft? | 19:10–20:57 | | Safety talk, Nahim Hines cut, cap mechanics | 24:01–29:07 | | Poyer/Hyde future and the safety room | 27:30–31:45 | | NFL Combine stories & offbeat segment | 32:01–43:13 |

Tone & Chemistry

The hosts’ banter is lighthearted but laced with sharp football insights, blending inside jokes (“Alfred was a glue guy”) with clear, practical roster analysis. They’re frank about the team’s needs, realistic about market constraints, and unafraid to poke fun at themselves and each other.

Summary Takeaways

• Bills probably won’t address WR2 in free agency: Premium names are too expensive; available players are WR3/4 types.
• Draft is the key: Expect at least two new WRs, one likely with a premium pick.
• Gabe Davis era appears over: Mutual need for a fresh start, unlikely he returns barring a very weak market.
• More roster churn coming: Hines cut, Poyer’s future up in the air; safety alongside WR is a position to watch.
• Lots of personality and insider perspective: Both in X’s and O’s, and in “storytime.”

For more insight and fun, catch full episodes and bonus interviews at Buffalo Plus on YouTube and their Link Tree.