Restricted Free Agents

by Ron From NM on Dec 31, 2008 6:09 PM EST Comment 34 comments

Chris Brown over at buffalobills.com put up a story about the Bills' RFAs. Here's the list:

Ellison, DiG, Jenkins, Wilson (no, not Ralph), Hamdan, Fox

My understanding of RFAs is that the Bills can either do nothing or offer tender 1 of 3 levels of offers. The highest tender would require another team give up (I think) a 1st and 3rd rounder and (I think) the lowest that the other team to give up a 3rd rounder. Buffalo can tender any of those guys at the lowest level and guarantee no other team would touch them because not one of those guys is worth a 3rd rounder. The thing is, I think Buffalo could choose not to offer most of them any kind of tender and not have to worry about another team taking them. DiG and possibly Jenkins might be able to crack a roster somewhere in the league. So, should Buffalo tender any of these guys?

Poll

With their BOLD new approach, OBD should

Tender DiG and Jenkins at the lowest level.

5 votes

Tender Dig, Jenkins and Ellison at the lowest level.

11 votes

Tender Dig, Jenkins and Hamdan at the lowest level.

2 votes

Tender Dig, Jenkins, Hamdan and Ellison at the lowest level.

12 votes

Tender at least one of those guys at the 2nd highest level.

6 votes

Tender none of those guys. If they get raided by another team it's not exactly a big loss.

10 votes

46 votes | Poll has closed

This FanPost was written by a registered user of Buffalo Rumblings. Its views do not necessarily reflect the views of Rumblings' editorial staff, but are just as valued as our own.

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I voted for tendering none of them

I think they’re all easily replaced if anyone is inclined to sign them away from Buffalo…and I don’t know that anyone will be so inclined.

by Ron From NM on Dec 31, 2008 6:13 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Why isn’t there an option to tender Ellison and DiGiorgio? That’s the one I would have voted.

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by Brian Galliford on Dec 31, 2008 6:17 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Because I don't think Ellison would get an offer from another team

Other teams have their Ellisons, just by other names.

by Ron From NM on Dec 31, 2008 6:38 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I can’t fathom why Ellison wouldn’t but John DiGiorgio would…

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by Brian Galliford on Dec 31, 2008 7:57 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

DiG has played MLB and OLB

Ellison isn’t even big enough to play OLB.

by Ron From NM on Dec 31, 2008 10:10 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I highly doubt that that would be a factor.

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by Brian Galliford on Jan 1, 2009 9:12 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, Ellison and DiGiorgio weigh the exact same at 229 pounds. I don’t see how size is a factor.

by kaisertown on Jan 1, 2009 1:05 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I see Ellison as "listed" at 229.........

but watching him in the game…he looks like he’s no bigger than Josh Reed

12/19/08 - Thank you KLJ for coming into my life.

by norcaliangelsfan on Jan 1, 2009 4:49 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Well Reed is about 5 feet and 9.5 inches tall and is listed at 210 pounds.

Ellison is a touch over 6 feet tall and listed 19 pounds heavier than Reed.

They should look like they have similiar builds. Ellison and DiGi are almost identical in size.

by kaisertown on Jan 1, 2009 6:00 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I also went with none of them. Same reasoning – all the other teams have guys just like them on their roster that already know their scheme/playbook and the team is already familiar with them.

by thefourwinds on Jan 1, 2009 3:34 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

thats why i chose dig jenkins and ellison

by billsstein on Dec 31, 2008 6:23 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

same here at the lowest level, all would get about the same contract normally from the Bills

And those three are the most useful of our RFAs. If someone is so desperate for them, they can hand over the picks that equate to where we drafted them orignally. Wouldn’t hurt to get more that way, and if they stay still no loss on our part.

Now if only this gopher could play DE, we would be doing better, I mean, who couldn't play better than the corpse brothers Kelsay and Denney?

by WABillsfan on Dec 31, 2008 6:37 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

If any of them get tendered and then signed by someone else....

…..I think Buffalo gets a 3rd rounder. Didn’t Buffalo tender Hargrove in the faint hope that some team would be dumb enough to fork over a 3rd rounder for him?

by Ron From NM on Dec 31, 2008 6:40 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Hargrove got drafted in the third round and that is why Buffalo would have been compensated that way. The Bills used the lowest possible tender on him.

by kaisertown on Dec 31, 2008 6:50 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Lowest tender level means you get in compensation the same pick round as you drafted that person

So if someone is a UDFA, and you tab them, you get a 7th at lowest tender, no freebies in RFA. But anyone else higher and it becomes an interesting game. Say you have a 2nd Rounder, you tab him at the lowest, you get a 2nd back, tab him at the next level and it is a 1st rounder, tab him at the highest and its a 1st and 3rd if I remember the levels correctly, going to need to dig around the NFLPA site now…

Now if only this gopher could play DE, we would be doing better, I mean, who couldn't play better than the corpse brothers Kelsay and Denney?

by WABillsfan on Jan 1, 2009 7:04 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

There are four ways to tender a RFA.

The first is like you mention which is a 1st and 3rd rounder and would be over 2.5 mil.

you can also offer about 2 mil which would bring back a first rounder if somebody else signs them.

The third way is a 2nd round pick which costs you about 1.5 mil.

The lowest tender is about a mil and you get back a pick where you drafted the player. If you tendered Ellison with the lowest tender and someone else signed him, Buffalo would get the teams 6th round pick in return.

You can obviously just tender Dustin Fox with the lowest deal because nobody would want him and he was drafted in the third round. I think Jenkins, Wilson and Hamdan are very safe with the lowest tender too. Ellison and Digi are tougher. I would probably tender them both at 1.5 mil just to make sure that nobody scoops them up, but Buffalo will know better than I do if they have to pay that extra 500K.

by kaisertown on Dec 31, 2008 6:49 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Thanks for the clarification

Was Dustin Fox drafted at all? I thought the Bills called him when DBs started going down several years ago and have done it since then as well. Anyone could have signed him but no one did. Why tender him at all if that is the case?

I have a hard time seeing teams signing away guys like Ellison or Hamdan even if there’s no draft choice involved. Most teams have LBs who either are starting and shouldn’t be or reserves who aren’t ready to be starters. Since they’re familiar with their guys why bring a guy like Ellison there? (Yes, I used there, their and they’re all in the same sentence and all correctly….)

by Ron From NM on Dec 31, 2008 7:23 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Dustin Fox was drafted by Minnesota in the third round in 2005. He broke his wrist during training camp, spent the year on IR and then oddly didn’t make the team in 2006 and spent the season going back and forth between the PS and the 53 man of the Eagles before the Bills signed him prior to the 2007 season. Your right, the team doesn’t need to tender him at all because nobody would even bring him into camp and the Bills could get him cheap after all the RFA stuff happens. You are also probably right that nobody would give Ellison or Digi an offer that would lead to them turning down a million dollar tender. The Bills will probably use the minimum tender on any RFAs that they want to keep.

by kaisertown on Dec 31, 2008 7:35 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

what happens

if hes an undrafted player and we give him the lowest tender?

by billsstein on Jan 1, 2009 1:23 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

i would imagine its probably a 7th round pick........

but thats a good question

12/19/08 - Thank you KLJ for coming into my life.

by norcaliangelsfan on Jan 1, 2009 3:16 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

The Bills get nothing....

thanks Madden. :-)

by MattRichWarren on Jan 1, 2009 10:04 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah the Bills would get no compensation if they choose not to match a contract that one of the undrafted players signs.

It will be interesting to see what they do with DiGiorgio because a 1.5 mil tender to keep him safe is a pretty big number, but it wouldn’t be shocking to see some team come in with a nice little 3 year 4 mil contract offer and try to sweep him away. The Bills could obviously match that offer sheet, but it would probably be smart to get him to sign a multi year contract (maybe 2-3 years at around a mil a piece) and keep him safe.

by kaisertown on Jan 1, 2009 1:10 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I say tender Digi and who cares about the rest.....

If you wanna try to resign some of them then okay…….i wont lose any sleep over it.

12/19/08 - Thank you KLJ for coming into my life.

by norcaliangelsfan on Jan 1, 2009 12:53 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

I wouldn't feel bad if they sign DiG to a modest multiyear contract

He can be the first guy off the bench to any of the 3 LB spots for spot duty.

by Ron From NM on Jan 1, 2009 12:58 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

exactly and a very good special teamer as well.....

The guy is just a gamer

12/19/08 - Thank you KLJ for coming into my life.

by norcaliangelsfan on Jan 1, 2009 1:03 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

JD – needs to go…he has no defensive value what so ever and depth is a huge need for the bills. They can easily find a veteran MLB to back-up Poz as well as add ST value. We also have A. Bowen coming back from injury that can provide depth and ST. He may only be a 1yr pro with no game experience, but he’s had a year in the system to learn and watch.
Ellison – though I don’t like him and he is definately not a starting quality LB, he provides great depth and deserves to be offered a medium tender to stay in Buffalo. He’ll be a great back-up to J. Laurinaitis or B. Cushing (my hopes of course) for teaching and ST purposes.
Jenkins – definately replaceable…he provides no offensive experience but is a tremendous STer. Unfortunately this coaching staff needs to find players that can provide both which is why they should look for a FA veteran that can do both.
Wilson – the Bills Brass should keep Wilson. He’s made a great change from WR to FS and provides a Captain’s presence on and off the field. We saw 2yrs ago in the Dallas game that he is capable of filling in as a short term starter and showed us this year that he’s a Captain on our ST’s. Medium to high tender is deserved.
Hamdam – I’m up in the air on him because we’ve never really seen what he can do on the field. He is a great friend of Trent’s and is a very smart player. I say we offer him a low tender but still look for a veteran back-up to play #2.
Fox – for training camp purposes I say we should keep him, especially because Greer is possibly going to be gone once FA starts. He is OK as a fill in on defense and ST but still feel through FA we can find a more suitable replacement.

by Teaters33 on Jan 1, 2009 10:59 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

I'm not following you

You’d rather keep Ellison than DiG? DiG can fill in at (he shouldn’t be the long term starter) any of the LB slots. Ellison isn’t capable of manning even the WLB slot for any length of time. Also, why would you offer a medium tender to a guy who isn’t likely to draw interest even if he’s not tendered at all?

You’d give Wilson millions of dollars in the form of a medium or high tender??? I like the guy’s effort and willingness to transition from offense to defense to make the team but he’s not a starting quality safety. If you think he has so much value as a dedicated special teamer why not sign him to a contract that pays millions (4 or less) over the next 4-5 years instead of millions (of cap room) right now?

I can’t imagine anyone having any interest in Fox. He’s not a good DB, just a guy who was availalbe when the injury bug hit. Oh, and he filled Buffalo’s need to have as many Ohio State guys as possible in the defensive backfield at any given moment.

by Ron From NM on Jan 1, 2009 11:09 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs