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Royal spoke with PFW and discussed what impressed him about the Bills, his goal of becoming a more complete tight end and bonding with his new teammates.
PFW: Tell me about how you came to Buffalo this offseason. Were you intent on hitting the open market?
Royal: When everything was going on with the CBA and all that stuff, I pretty much came to the conclusion that I wanted to test the market and see what everybody was saying, and Buffalo was one of the teams that showed a lot of interest in me. So, once I came on a visit and saw the way the coaching staff and everybody treated me with open arms, and the style the offense they’re running, I definitely wanted to be a part of it. I just thought it would be a great fit for me.
PFW: Was the financial part of it the main part? Tell me what appealed to you most about the Bills.
Royal: At the time, I didn’t know anything about the financial part, it was one of those things that happened during the course of the visit. Just the opportunity of going somewhere else, getting a fresh start, being somewhere you’re definitely wanted. Of course, I was wanted in Washington, but obviously I came here with a couple of coaches I knew from LSU, and just coming here and seeing the whole offensive scheme and the way they wanted to put me in the scheme, I thought it would be a great fit for me. You know, the financial part, it definitely helps at the same token, but I just want to get to the point where I can be one of the elite tight ends in the league and just get myself out there, and I think this will be a great place to get that opportunity.
PFW: Obviously, there was a glut of tight ends in Washington with a lot of players competing for playing time. Will Buffalo give you an opportunity to see the field more?
Royal: The thing about it was, just the offensive scheme, the way things were set up, didn’t quite give me a chance to use my full potential. Obviously, they’ve got great coaches down there; I think it’s going to be a heckuva offense. Just the overall package of what I’ve seen here, I think will be great.
PFW: So, Washington had more specific roles for each of the tight ends?
Royal: Exactly. Chris Cooley was mainly the receiving tight end in the offense, and I was the guy that slugged people and beat them up a little. You know, in this offense I think they’ll give me the opportunity to do both.
PFW: What kind of expanded role have the Buffalo coaches talked to you about?
Royal: I think it’s similar in some instances. Of course, football can’t change much; it just depends on which way you intend on going with it. I think we’ll use a lot of two tight ends and sometimes three. It’s just a great mix of things. I think it’ll be a great fit for me.
PFW: Tell me about how you came to Buffalo this offseason. Were you intent on hitting the open market?
Royal: When everything was going on with the CBA and all that stuff, I pretty much came to the conclusion that I wanted to test the market and see what everybody was saying, and Buffalo was one of the teams that showed a lot of interest in me. So, once I came on a visit and saw the way the coaching staff and everybody treated me with open arms, and the style the offense they’re running, I definitely wanted to be a part of it. I just thought it would be a great fit for me.
PFW: Was the financial part of it the main part? Tell me what appealed to you most about the Bills.
Royal: At the time, I didn’t know anything about the financial part, it was one of those things that happened during the course of the visit. Just the opportunity of going somewhere else, getting a fresh start, being somewhere you’re definitely wanted. Of course, I was wanted in Washington, but obviously I came here with a couple of coaches I knew from LSU, and just coming here and seeing the whole offensive scheme and the way they wanted to put me in the scheme, I thought it would be a great fit for me. You know, the financial part, it definitely helps at the same token, but I just want to get to the point where I can be one of the elite tight ends in the league and just get myself out there, and I think this will be a great place to get that opportunity.
PFW: Obviously, there was a glut of tight ends in Washington with a lot of players competing for playing time. Will Buffalo give you an opportunity to see the field more?
Royal: The thing about it was, just the offensive scheme, the way things were set up, didn’t quite give me a chance to use my full potential. Obviously, they’ve got great coaches down there; I think it’s going to be a heckuva offense. Just the overall package of what I’ve seen here, I think will be great.
PFW: So, Washington had more specific roles for each of the tight ends?
Royal: Exactly. Chris Cooley was mainly the receiving tight end in the offense, and I was the guy that slugged people and beat them up a little. You know, in this offense I think they’ll give me the opportunity to do both.
PFW: What kind of expanded role have the Buffalo coaches talked to you about?
Royal: I think it’s similar in some instances. Of course, football can’t change much; it just depends on which way you intend on going with it. I think we’ll use a lot of two tight ends and sometimes three. It’s just a great mix of things. I think it’ll be a great fit for me.
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