We don’t need a number one receiver…says Beanie Baby

[Mad Max]

Bills General Manager Brandon Beane does NOT believe Buffalo needs a true No. 1 wide receiver.

Everyone else: pic.twitter.com/UYDBR1shnm

— Moody (@EricNMoody) April 18, 2024

Bills GM Brandon Beane doesn’t think Buffalo needs a “true WR1” this season…

Is this smoke & mirrors? 🤔
pic.twitter.com/992prMPoEm

— SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) April 18, 2024

- - - Updated - - -

Let the games begin.

[YardRat]

He's right.

[Mad Max]

He's right.

He’s lying. Smokescreen 101.

[YardRat]

He’s lying. Smokescreen 101.

Lying about what? He didn't say they weren't interested in acquiring a talented receiver.

[Mad Max]

Lying about what? He didn't say they weren't interested in acquiring a talented receiver.

Lying about him thinking we don’t need a number one.

As as been witnessed you technically don’t have to have one but it sure makes life easier.

He’s leaving doubt out there, aka smokescreening about his upcoming draft strategy.

[Novacane]

KC has won the last two SB without one.

[kgun12]

KC has won the last two SB without one.

AThis! nd the Bills had a pretty good run the last half of the season without one.

[Woodman]

Can you win a Super Bowl without a great #1 WR?

[cookie G]

Actually, at one point in the PC, he said that you'd prefer to have 2 no 1 WRs, if you can.

All I know is that for his 1st 2 years, Josh was fair to middlin', with flashes of brilliance. He had John Brown and Beasely in 2019, but still only threw for 3000 yards, and had an offense that was 23rd in scoring. With most of the starters (skill positions), plus Diggs, the offense passed for 1000 yards more and went to 2nd in the league in scoring.

And it remained that high for the next 4 years.

I don't feel real good about saying "Josh has progressed so much that we can throw anyone out there".

This year's WR crop is very very talented and very deep, but that depth is not infinite. This isn't the year to draft, say, another pass rusher at 28 and wait until the bottom of the 2nd to draft one. All those teams supposedly drafting QB's in the 1st, teams drafting before us...will probably look at the WR pool in the 2nd. Same with those teams drafting before us who are taking other positions in the 2nd.

Much of that talent will be plucked away by the time we draft at 60.

They are in a very good position to get talent at 28, talent that they really don't have on the roster.

Beane has talked for years about finding the big play threat. Now is his chance to get it.

[jamze132]

I’m all for staying at 28 and taking the best WR available. Should still be able to get a very good one!

[Mad Max]

KC has won the last two SB without one.

Having a first ballot HOF TE as their top pass catcher by targets, yards and yards per game negates their need for one.

[Historian]

Lets be honest.

The last time the Bills had a legit #1 receiver, it was Eric Moulds.

We are way overdue.

KC won two SBS because of their quarterback's ability to vamp on the run, plus they have the best TE in football.

Josh is a traditional pocket passer who needs a deep threat.

[GreedoII]

They don't want a guy crying for the ball every dang down. Simple as that. They are drafting a WR unless a blue-chipper falls to them in another position and they pick them. Its that simple

[YardRat]

Actually, at one point in the PC, he said that you'd prefer to have 2 no 1 WRs, if you can.

Which I interpret as having enough talent at several positions that the "#1 WR" is going to be different guys, at different times. Kincaid could be "#1" one week...Shakir for a half...Cook for a drive...depending on what the defense is giving you.

All I know is that for his 1st 2 years, Josh was fair to middlin', with flashes of brilliance. He had John Brown and Beasely in 2019, but still only threw for 3000 yards, and had an offense that was 23rd in scoring. With most of the starters (skill positions), plus Diggs, the offense passed for 1000 yards more and went to 2nd in the league in scoring.

And it remained that high for the next 4 years.

I think some people find some encouragement in how the offense performed the last half of last season when Diggs was "absent".

I don't feel real good about saying "Josh has progressed so much that we can throw anyone out there".

Yeah me either, because he hasn't. He's stagnated the last couple (few?) years, actually. Looking through rose-colored glasses maybe in hindsight we can claim Diggs actually stunted Allen's growth to a certain extent because of his insistence on being the "#1" and the QB will finally show some more growth.

This year's WR crop is very very talented and very deep, but that depth is not infinite. This isn't the year to draft, say, another pass rusher at 28 and wait until the bottom of the 2nd to draft one. All those teams supposedly drafting QB's in the 1st, teams drafting before us...will probably look at the WR pool in the 2nd. Same with those teams drafting before us who are taking other positions in the 2nd.

Much of that talent will be plucked away by the time we draft at 60.

They are in a very good position to get talent at 28, talent that they really don't have on the roster.

Beane has talked for years about finding the big play threat. Now is his chance to get it.

I don't think anybody is claiming we couldn't use a talented receiver in the draft or we shouldn't use our first on one, IMO it's more "we don't need a guy to build the passing game around at wide receiver because we already have the QB to do that".

[Forward_Lateral]

You don’t need one if you have an all world TE

[kscdogbillsfan1221]

Lets be honest.

The last time the Bills had a legit #1 receiver, it was Eric Moulds.

We are way overdue.

KC won two SBS because of their quarterback's ability to vamp on the run, plus they have the best TE in football.

Josh is a traditional pocket passer who needs a deep threat.

You didn’t count diggs as a true number 1?

[notacon]

Beane is being pretty honest. He does not have a record of egregious lying when talking to the press.

That still does not tell us what he is going to do come draft day. I suspect he does not know 100% either.

He's a smart GM who will have (along with his whole talent team) done their homework and be ready for anything as the draft commences.

[TacklingDummy]

You didn’t count diggs as a true number 1?

Good but no Jefferson, Chase, Adams, Kupp, Hill, Metcalf, Evans, Hopkins, Lamb, Brown, St. Brown, Puka, Aiyuk, Olave and some others.

[Historian]

You didn’t count diggs as a true number 1?

No I can honestly say I did not, and that's not to undermine all of his abilities, honestly.
IMO, he was average size, better than average speed. When I think of true number 1s, I think of guys like..... DK Metcalf, Eric Moulds, TO as a Niner, Irvin, guys like that.

As a matter of fact, I went through every draft since the merger and ranked where I thought the Bills receivers are:

Some "true #1s" in Bills history, IMHO:

Eric Moulds

Frank Lewis

Andre Reed

Jerry Butler

Haven Moses

Bills True #2s:

Bob Chandler

Marlin Briscoe

Stefon Diggs

Chris Burkett

James Lofton (a true #1 as a Packer)

TO (#1 as a 49er)

Quinn Early

Byron Franklin

Lee Evans

Peerless Price

Stevie Johnson

Sammie Watkins

Bills "True 3rds" IMO:

Mark Mosely

Robert Woods

Josh Reed

Ron Jesse

Lou Piccone

Steve Tasker

John Holland

Don Beebe

Russell Copeland

Justin Armour

Robert Holt

Marquise Goodwin

Zay Jones

Ray Ray McCloud

Roscoe Parrish

Gabe Davis

Kalil Shakir

Cole Beasley

Al Edwards

Billy Brooks

JD Hill

Absolute Garbage

Bernard Ford

Julius Dawkins

Mitchell Brookins

Kamil Loud

Avion Black

Walter Broughton

Brad Lamb

Drew Hadad

Sam Aiken

Eric Richardson

Perry Tuttle

Jimmy Teal

Reggie Bynam

Justin Shorter

Chris Walsh

Kwame Cavil

John Kimborough

James Hardy

Marcus Easley

TJ Graham

Danny Fulton

[ghz in pittsburgh]

Amen to historian. Diggs is not a #1 receivers. Beane himself used words carefully that Diggs filled the #1 wr role when he got to Buffalo, not that he is the true #1 receiver in Buffalo. An argument can made that Davis in the last 2 years is used more like a #1 receiver, out snapped Diggs , running more boundary routes. More of the “using your size” kind of targets. Both Samuel and Shakir are projected to be in Diggs role.