Could the Bills Model Fit the Texans?
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Really hard to want Jerod Mayo or McDaniels or Flores after that beatdown of the Patriots and by extension the Patriots Way minus Tom Brady… Brian Daboll though… Looking pretty tasty at the moment… Has to have moved up a lot of people's coaching radars. Get him or don't, there's a lot to like about the Bills organization this year. Timing is key in the NFL and the Bills have really capitalized on their Super Bowl window as much as possible. As you guys could have assumed, it starts with Josh Allen. The Bills are on year 4 of 5 of Josh Allen's rookie contract. And that s**t, ladies and gentlemen, just isn't fair. He's a top five quarterback in this league and the team is completely built around him. Even next year in 2022, Josh Allen's contract allows the Bill to spend lavishly on the positions of their choice, just as they have this year. So what they have they done with those savings? If you've watched football for a while you may've already guessed. Trench warfare. All those talking points from smart football analysts you hear all the time: build the trenches, don't overpay on a couple players, do as much as you can while your QB is cheap The Bills did all that. The Bills spent more than most teams on their offensive and defensive lines. To get into detail about their linemen strategy would require its own post but the pattern is this: They took care to secure their key offensive linemen early so they didn't have to hand out record breaking contracts. Left tackle Dion Dawkins is their highest paid player this year at $11 million. With all this cap space, the Bills didn't go around signing superstars. Instead, they brought in a ton of high motor linemen. Compare their d-line roster construction (Bills pay the second most in 2021) with the Chiefs (pays the most in 2021). Bills 2021 D-Line (Second most paid) Chiefs 2021 D-Line (Most paid) As you can see, the Chiefs spend all their money between Chris Jones and Frank Clark yet don't have the most notable defense. The Bills on the other hand employ more defensive players. The Bills defense are liable to wreck every offensive play not because of superstar talent but a wonderful rotation of young players and vets who jump in and out at full throttle. Add in superb coaching + culture and a truly talented young QB… the Bills are built to take it all this year. They can do it all over again next year too, perhaps not to the same extent. The Bills were aggressive in acquiring Stefon Diggs, but why? They gave up a first in 2020 for him (who became Justin Jefferson) AND a fifth, sixth, and '21 fourth. Simply put, the Bills saw an elite level talent on a really cheap contract renewal. They could have extraordinary talent for not too much $$$ which fits perfectly into their roster building philosophy– so they gave up a ton of picks. Very different than what the Texans did with Tunsil — trading the farm AND having to sign him to a top 3 contract. In 2023, they'll pay Josh Allen franchise QB money so they'll face more of an uphill battle as far as roster construction. Since drafting him, though, they've done a phenomenal job with their decision making and have wasted no time. So!!… What will we do while Mills is cheap? tl;dr : Bills GM is no stranger to auction draft, built a roster out of cheap, high potential linemen, avoided superstar contracts, and set the Bills up for a Super Bowl in Josh Allen's rookie contract window. submitted by /u/Shenji458 |
