Here's the Bills news of note for Jan. 23rd.
1 - Kubiak credits McDermott with Dennison hireOne of head coach Sean McDermott's hires that has received widespread praise around the league is at one of the most important positions on the staff. It's new offensive coordinator Rick Dennison.
Dennison comes to the Bills after spending a majority of his coaching career with the Denver Broncos. Gary Kubiak, the man Dennison worked closest with on the offensive side of the ball, had nothing but praise for his former assistant.
"Buffalo is getting a championship coach. Rico's (Dennison's) success in this league speaks for itself," Kubiak said in a statement. "He's a great teacher, coach and man who will bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to a fine organization in Buffalo. Sean (McDermott) has put together a great group of people to lead the Bills for years to come. Go get em, Rico!"
Not only did Dennison and Kubiak coach together with both the Broncos and the Houston Texans, but they also played together with the Broncos from 1983-1990.
Dennison's tenure in Denver ended when Kubiak was forced to retire from coaching due to health concerns earlier this month. Kubiak compiled an 82-75 head coaching record, including winning Super Bowl 50 with Dennison as his offensive coordinator.
2 - Virtues of Waufle extolled by William HayesAs Sean McDermott completes his coaching staff with the Bills, one of his most popular hires continues to be that of defensive line coach Mike Waufle.
William Hayes, who played with the Rams for five seasons under Waufle, discussed his admiration for his former coach on The John Murphy Show on Friday.
"You all have a firecracker coming in there," Hayes said. "He's an amazing coach. Great teacher and the thing that goes unnoticed about him is that he's a motivator. He's going to put some fire under that defensive line that has a very talented group of guys. He's going to be able to light a spark on them and tell them to go. That's the biggest quality that he has."
Hayes has a million reasons to be grateful for his time spent with Waufle. After posting only eight sacks during his first four seasons in the NFL with the Titans, Hayes had 26 sacks over the last five years with the Rams. Prior to the start of the 2016 season, he signed a three-year, $21 million contract extension with Los Angeles.
Waufle has brought an intense coaching style to the NFL that he attributes to his time serving in the Marines, but Hayes said that the 62-year-old has a side to him that players don't see too often from their coaches.
"He loves his players, that's the thing that I appreciate the most," Hayes said. "I don't think a day went by where he didn't tell me that he loved me."
3 - Kiper: Bills could go OT or CB early in draftMel Kiper Jr. made waves with his first mock draft last week—especially in Buffalo.
The ESPN analyst had the Bills taking former Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson with the 10th pick in the upcoming draft, but expanded on other positions Buffalo could go with.
During a conference call with reporters at the end of last week, Kiper said that while Watson to the Bills makes the most sense in his opinion, it isn't a lock that he ends up in a Bills uniform.
"Garett Bolles, the offensive tackle at Utah or Ryan Ramczyk, the offensive tackle at Wisconsin would help out the offensive line," Kiper told reporters. "There's going to be plenty of cornerbacks available in this draft that can help. This is a strong draft at a variety of positions. It's a strong defensive draft. Twenty-one of the 32 players in the first round are defensive players. There is a lot of depth at a variety of spots in this draft."
Bolles declared for the draft as a junior after playing only one season at Utah. He was named a first team All-Pac-12 selection after spending his first two college years at Snow College. Bolles will be 25 at the start of the 2017 season, after serving as a missionary before entering college.
Ramczyk also has only one year of experience at a Division I school, transferring to Wisconsin after spending two years at Wisconsin- Stevens Point. He was named First Team All-Big Ten at the end of the 2016 season.
Right tackle Jordan Mills is a free agent, and the future of Seantrel Henderson is uncertain.
Kiper added that he thought with the Bills having a new head coach, adding a new quarterback is a scenario that could make the most sense.
Watson led Clemson to the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship against Alabama.
