ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) -If signing T.O. bought the Buffalo Bills some much-needed sizzle this offseason, general manager Russ Brandon realizes he’ll have to provide far more substance for his team to become a bona fide contender.
The next step is adding an impact player – or three – in the NFL draft this weekend.
Pick a position aside from receiver now that Terrell Owens is on the roster, and find a hole. The Bills, who haven’t made the playoffs in nine years and are coming off three straight 7-9 finishes, still have many needs to address if they expect to make a dent in the ultra-competitive AFC East.
Buffalo could use a defensive lineman to either complement pass-rushing specialist Aaron Schobel, or play alongside tackle Marcus Stroud. There’s a big hole at tight end after aging starter Robert Royal was released in February. Or how about an outside linebacker or safety?
from the two-time Pro Bowl selection.
“It’s a critical year,” said Brandon, who also serves as Bills chief operating officer. “As I told everyone at the conclusion of last year, 7-9 is not good enough, and we need to get back to where our fans expect us to be, and that’s playing football in deep January. Obviously, the draft is an important layer to making this football team better.”
The Bills are in a position to add talent and depth this weekend. Starting with the No. 11 selection, Buffalo has three of the top 42 picks, including the 28th, which the team acquired from Philadelphia in trading Peters.
Overall, Buffalo has nine picks in the two-day draft. And there’s a chance the Bills could add more. Speedy but undersized receiver Roscoe Parrish could be deemed expendable with Owens now on board.
“You’d always like to have more picks, absolutely,” Brandon said recently. “But from our standpoint, we’re comfortable with the seven.”
Then again, that was before the Bills traded Peters and added two more picks this year, including a fourth-rounder, and another next year.
The trouble is, the Bills’ draft track record has been inconsistent, a reason why Buffalo has had only one winning season this decade and is tied with Detroit for the NFL’s longest active playoff drought. Neither team has made the playoffs since the 1999 season.
ight years the Bills will draft 13th or better. It’ll also mark the third time since 2004 that they’ll have two first-round picks.
And yet, the Bills haven’t exactly received the most bang out of those selections, which have included a few hits – receiver Lee Evans (selected 13th overall in 2004) – and many more misses, with Mike Williams (No. 4 in 2002) regarded as the team’s biggest bust.
Don’t forget that the Bills traded back into the first round to draft quarterback J.P. Losman in 2004 and defensive tackle John McCargo in ’06. Losman proved inconsistent as a starter and was not re-signed this offseason. McCargo is still on Buffalo’s roster, but only after the player failed a physical last season, negating a trade to Indianapolis.
Without making a commitment, Brandon agreed with the notion the Bills could use a defensive end. Chief scout Tom Modrak also noted this is a good draft if a team’s in the market for an offensive tackle.
“Is it a good year? Yeah, we’ll make it a good year. That doesn’t mean we’ll reach,” Modrak said. “But if we go down that direction, hopefully we’ll get a solid player who’ll eventually get on the field.”
The offensive line is already unsettled after the team released high-priced left guard Derrick Dockery and did not re-sign its two centers, Duke Preston and Melvin Fowler. Plus the trade of Peters to Philly.
and is scheduled to take over at center. Right tackle Langston Walker is a candidate to take over on the left side.
Owens’ addition gives the Bills a solid trio of receivers, rounded out by Evans and Josh Reed.
Player moves aside, this has been an unsettling offseason for the Bills. Running back Marshawn Lynch, defensive back Donte Whitner and safety Ko Simpson each had run-ins with police. Lynch, most notably, has been suspended by the NFL for the first three games of next season for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.
As a result, the issue of player character was a major topic of discussion during Buffalo’s draft luncheon.
“We think it’s important,” Modrak said. “We’ve always attended to it. I understand what’s recently gone on, but that doesn’t mean we’ve looked past it any less.”
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