clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Buffalo Bills News, 2/13: Looking For A Young Tight End

What will Brad Smith's role with the Buffalo Bills be moving forward? We ponder that question atop today's list of Bills links.

Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Spor
Matt Warren is Associate Director of NFL coverage for SB Nation and previously covered the Bills for Buffalo Rumblings for more than a decade.

Buffalo Bills Free Agent Targets Part III: Tight End | Bills Mafia -- #BillsMafia

Martellus Bennett, Delanie Walker, Anthony Fasano, Fred Davis, Jared Cook, Dustin Keller and Brandon Myers make the list. This article drops the same day as Buddy Nix saying he wanted a "young" tight end to play alongside Scott Chandler. Only two on this list are younger then Chandler (27) - Bennett of the Giants (26) and Cook of the Titans (25). As author Robert Quinn points out, Cook is probably the most intriguing physical prospect of the group. He's never been asked to block, but he is the matchup problem offenses are looking for. Paired with 25-year-old blocking tight end Lee Smith, Cook would be a nice complement.

Do Brad Smith and the wildcat have a future in Buffalo? - Press Coverage | The Buffalo News

"Marrone did, however, use the wildcat -- or 'stallion,' as he sometimes called it - on occasion as Syracuse's head coach."

Smith's role on Doug Marrone's team is not yet defined, but with Leodis McKelvin a free agent, it's not out of the realm of possibility that Smith sticks as a return specialist despite Bills fans clamoring for the cap space. He can be a fill-in wide receiver or emergency quarterback in addition to running the Wildcat, and that hasn't changed. Plus, he's a good special teams player. Marrone might not view Smith as highly as Gailey did, but that doesn't mean he doesn't see the value of a jack-of-all-trades player on his roster. With Marrone drafting a quarterback to develop, I wouldn't expect Nathaniel Hackett spending any time with Smith in a quarterback's practice jersey this off-season, though.

More clicks

Inside The Bills | Projected franchise & transition tags
"OL: Franchise: $9.660, S: Franchise: $6.798"

What Mike Pettine thinks of LaRon Landry, Yeremiah Bell, Eric Smith - Press Coverage | The Buffalo News
"I reviewed Pettine's 2012 news conferences to search for comments about his former safeties a day after the Bills released captain George Wilson."

Reviewing recent history of No. 8 pick - AFC East Blog - ESPN
"The No. 8 overall pick hasn't been fruitful overall in the past five years. None of these players have developed into franchise-caliber stars, although Tannehill from the 2012 draft appears to have the most potential of the group. "

Is Ryan Nassib the Best Fit for the Buffalo Bills? | Bleacher Report
"While he isn't the big-name prospect some fans may have been hoping for, Nassib has all the tools necessary to excel in the NFL, and Buffalo just may be the perfect place for him to achieve immediate success."

Editor's Note: When commenting, community members have asked that you put the topic or link you're discussing in the subject line of your comment to help people follow your train of thought. Have at it in the comments section. - MRW