1. Tough decisions coming at the wide receiver position as free agency approaches
Doug Whaley is going to have some tough decisions to make at the wide receiver position in the weeks to come.
Buffalo only has four wide receivers on the roster that aren't free agents, and two of them—Kolby Listenbee and Marcus Easley—missed all of 2016 with injuries.
For those reasons, Pro Football Focus chose DeSean Jackson as the one free agent the Bills should make a run at this offseason.
"Beyond Sammy Watkins, the Bills have gotten inconsistent production from their wide receivers, and Washington's Jackson provides another presence on the outside capable of getting behind the defense," PFF wrote. "Jackson led the league with 579 yards on deep passes while ranking second with 16 deep receptions. Perhaps Jackson is even more important for the Bills if Tyrod Taylor returns as their starting quarterback, as he throws one of the better deep balls in the league. Regardless of signal-caller, Jackson has enough juice to stretch the field and create big plays after the catch."
Jackson spent the last three seasons in Washington after playing for the Eagles from 2008-2013. He was ranked as the 36th best receiver by PFF in 2016, and went over 1,000 yards for the fifth time in his career in 2016.
Jackson's deep play explosiveness could really boost Buffalo's offense, as the Bills had only 35 catches of 20-plus yards in 2016, the second-fewest in the league.
Another positive to Jackson is his familiarity with LeSean McCoy. The two spent five seasons together in Philadelphia, key factors to the Eagles having some of their best offensive seasons in franchise history.
Brandon Tate, Justin Hunter, Robert Woods and Marquise Goodwin accounted for 1,350 yards and eight of the team's 17 receiving touchdowns in 2016, but will all become unrestricted free agents on March 9th.
2. Marv Levy writes a book about his other favorite team
The best coach in Bills history wrote about his other favorite team.
Marv Levy, a lifelong Chicago Cubs fan, authored a children's book about the team breaking its 108-year title drought by bringing home the World Series last October. He sat down with Sal Maiorana of the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle to detail his long love affair with the team.
The 91-year-old is a native of the Windy City and has been at Wrigley Field for many Cubs moments, including Game 7 of the 1945 World Series. All of those memories served as Levy's inspiration for writing the book.
"It's a kid's history of the Cubs with the underlying theme being to never give up," Levy said. "They came close (before 2016), but they never gave up."
The Cubs honored Levy prior to Game 3 of the 2016 Series, which was drastically different from Levy's last trip to see the Cubs playing for the championship.
"The last time the Cubs were in the World Series, World War II had just ended and I was home on furlough," Levy said. "I listened to Game 6 on the radio, the Cubs won it, and a friend of mine and I rushed down to get tickets to Game 7. The line was out of sight, but everybody in (military) uniform was moved to the front, including me, so we got tickets. Well, as you know the Cubs lost and everyone leaving the stadium was saying 'Wait 'til next year.' That's what they did for the next 71 years."
The book, titled Go Cubs Go!, was released in January and details an elderly bear telling his two young grandchildren the story of the Cubs history. Levy said that Bruno the Bear is based on his own personal journey as a fan, giving many details on the trials, tribulations and good teams and players along the way.
Levy coached the Bills from 1986-1997, compiling the most wins in franchise history while winning six AFC East division crowns and four AFC championships along the way. Levy also served as Buffalo's general manager in 2006 and 2007.
3. Analysts predict offense in latest mock drafts
As the NFL Scouting Combine draws closer, many national media outlets are continuing to analyze who the Bills may select with the 10th pick in the draft.
While most mock drafts have gone back and forth on the Bills taking Clemson quarterback DeShaun Watson or a wide receiver, Cover 32 and Yahoo! Sports’ Robert Molnar has Buffalo going with a different direction.
Molnar says that he can see the Bills trading down or reaching for former Texas Tech QB Pat Mahomes.
"Projected by some as a second round player, many are now saying that Mahomes could be taken in the first round due to the amount of love he is getting from some executives," Molnar wrote." Not the traditional type of quarterback that many look for, Mahomes is a gunslinger in every sense of the word. Possessing a true canon for an arm, Mahomes can work both inside and outside the pocket while also capable at throwing a multitude of passes all over the field."
Mahomes left Texas Tech after his junior season, already shattering school records with 41 touchdowns and over 5,000 yards in 2016. He tied the NCAA record for single-game passing yards with 734 against Oklahoma last year.
"While he will need to learn the much more complicated NFL playbook upon his arrival, Mahomes has all the skills that I look for in a quarterback," Molnar wrote. "With the team needing a stopgap no matter what decision they make outside of retaining Tyrod Taylor, adding Patrick Mahomes strikes me as the best option for this team. Playing him behind one of the free agent veterans next season, Mahomes would have the time to develop and could be a starter for this team by his second year in the league."
