CURTIS HENRY
Sports Editor
New Bills’ general manager Brandon Beane is quickly becoming the girlfriend that throws out everything that your ex-girlfriend ever bought you. The Bills are his team now, and it has become increasingly obvious that he is trying to rid the organization of all of the failed experiments of the Doug Whaley/Rex Ryan era.
The big moves began with shipping out Sammy Watkins and Ronald Darby at the beginning of last month. The trades continued when Reggie Ragland was shopped to Kansas City and Kevon Seymour was shipped to Carolina last week.
One thing is certain about the Bills’ future under the Beane regime: it is not about 2017.
The gameplan is not to win in 2017, it is to win in 2018 and beyond. While the roster has maintained cornerstone pieces like LeSean McCoy, Marcell Dareus and the offensive line, the massive influx of young talent on this team shows that the team is ready to start over. A full rebuild could be launched next offseason in the event that the team decides to move on from quarterback Tyrod Taylor.
While the team had no jaw-dropping cuts in the process of trimming the roster from 90 to 53 players over the weekend, the biggest head-scratcher from the weekend was the release of backup running back Jonathan Williams.
Williams was waived on Saturday, despite a strong showing throughout the preseason and the common belief that he would enter the season as LeSean McCoy’s primary backup. Williams’ showed out in Buffalo’s final exhibition on Thursday, carrying 10 times for 53 yards. He scored on a 21-yard run and looked to be in good shape for the regular season.
The move bumps Mike Tolbert up the depth chart and may leave some Bills fans feeling a little less secure in the event of a LeSean McCoy injury. The move also hoists Joe Banyard up the depth chart, as Banyard and fellow journeyman Taiwan Jones each were able to survive the weekend’s massive roster cuts.
Williams was one of three big-name backup running backs to get axed from a roster this weekend. The others were former-Bear Jeremy Langford and former-Redskin Matt Jones.
Both Langford and Jones have had an impact on the field as recent as the 2016 season, so seeing either of them land on a roster prior to Week 1 wouldn’t be a surprise. In the event that the Bills search for a high-profile backup for LeSean McCoy, both backs seem to make sense in offensive coordinator Rick Dennison’s one-cut run offense.
The Bills will likely continue making moves to tinker the roster ahead of Sunday’s opener against the Jets, but one thing is clear: this is Brandon Beane’s team now.
Beane has been vocal about his lifelong habit of betting on himself, and taking on the Bills’ playoff drought may be his longest odds ever. The Beane era will begin Sunday at 1 p.m. with Buffalo’s home opener against New York. The plan is about to finally be in motion, and we’re going to begin to see how good Beane really is.