Welcome to this week’s Bills Mailbag. The PGA Championship at Oak Hill County Club has been a big draw this week for the Bills, as quarterback Josh Allen, head coach Sean McDermott, General Manager Brandon Beane, edge rusher Von Miller and several other members of the team have spent plenty of time in Rochester.
They will return to work next week, with the beginning of “organized team activities,” or to use normal language, “practice.” Until then, let’s get to your questions …
Sam Ruggiero asks: Just wondering two things about the Bills future with Matt Araiza. Is he still under contract with the Bills and would the Bills sign him in competition with the incumbent Sam Martin? It would push both players and possibly make for an interesting and potentially lucrative trade later in training camp for a “punter-starved” team! Would it be a sore subject to fans if they signed him? Your impressions?
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Pat Kenney asks: Now that he has been cleared of any charges, do you see any teams, especially the Bills, who might take a shot on Matt Araiza?
Jay: To start with Sam’s question, Araiza is not under contract with the Bills. He was released last season and at that point needed to clear waivers, which he did. Once that happened, he became an unrestricted free agent eligible to sign with any of the league’s 32 teams. So far, none of them has taken that step.
It should be noted here that it was announced in December that Araiza would not face criminal charges. He has recently been in the news again because Yahoo! Sports and other outlets reported on a meeting between prosecutors and the alleged victim, held in December, in which it was explained to her why criminal charges would not be filed. Part of the reasoning was prosecutors determined Araiza left the October 2021 party before the alleged gang rape occurred. San Diego State announced Thursday that it found no wrongdoing by Araiza in its internal investigation.
Araiza still faces a civil suit in California. That could be part of the reason why teams have not given him another chance in the NFL. Araiza's agent has said he sent the audio recording of the meeting between prosecutors and the woman to at least 20 teams.
As for the Bills, it’s probably best for both sides to move on. Sam Martin did just fine last season, and the Bills signed him to an extension. It makes no sense to peel off the scab and have to answer questions about Araiza – a punter drafted in the sixth round – all over again. I’m guessing fan reaction would be split if Araiza were signed. There are some who would welcome him getting another chance, and others who feel like there is no need to go down that road again.
John Jarzynski asks: Who is under more pressure this season: Sean McDermott or Brandon Beane?
Jay: Sometimes, the easiest questions are the hardest ones. That’s true here. After much deliberation, I’m going with McDermott. We know the Bills have a roster that can challenge for a championship. That’s been true for a while now. The last two postseason exits, however, have led to some big questions about the coaching philosophy. The “13 seconds” debacle was the most glaring example.
Another thing to consider here: Once the season begins, the spotlight naturally falls more on McDermott than Beane, who does not do many in-season interviews. That leads to more of the focus being on the coaching staff and players. That’s not to excuse Beane from any criticism. With the Bills now paying Josh Allen big money at quarterback, Beane needs to draft well to find contributors on cost-controlled contracts. The 2022 class needs to take a big step forward in 2023, and it would be nice to see this year’s group be more involved. To the answer the original question, though, if the Bills fall short during the playoffs again, right or wrong, McDermott is going to feel that pressure.
John G. asks: Leslie Frazier is again participating in the NFL Coach Accelerator program this weekend, as he did last year. If his ultimate goal is to get another head coaching job, it’s hard to understand how stepping away from his defensive coordinator position this year could not hurt his chances. With all the uncertainty around his leaving, this adds another layer to the puzzle. Your thoughts?
Jay: You’re right, John, that it’s hard to see how stepping away from the game for a year would benefit Frazier in his quest to again be a head coach. With that in mind, it feels as if Frazier’s decision to do so maybe wasn’t his idea in the first place. That’s just speculation on my part, because Frazier has curiously not offered up his side of the story. Perhaps one day that will change, but until it does, all we can do is speculate. As it did when the announcement was made, it still feels to me as if Frazier has coached his last game with the Bills.
Josh asks: I had read that John Brown and Cole Beasley were brought back to the team last year at the request of Josh Allen. Did he make that request? If so, since he is the franchise guy, do you expect either to be back this season, even if it were on the practice squad?
Jay: I’d lean toward no on both of them at this point. Beasley has said if he’s not with a team by training camp, he would retire. The Bills have had all offseason to re-sign either player, and have not done so. Perhaps most telling is the team’s approach to free agency and the draft. Dalton Kincaid figures to work out of the slot a good deal as a rookie, which is where Beasley operates. Additionally, the team signed Deonte Harty and Trent Sherfield, both of whom should make the 53-man roster. Second-year veteran Khalil Shakir is also going to get a chance to have an expanded role, so there simply might not be room for Brown and/or Beasley on the active roster. Given where they are in their respective careers, they might not be interested in a spot on the practice squad, although that could change if the Bills were to suffer an injury at the position during training camp.
Dan De Federicis asks: At the end of the 2021 season, it simply felt it was time for the Bills and Cole Beasley to part ways. The fact remains, however, that he was a first-down machine for the Bills – and an absolute warrior. If I recall correctly, he once continued and finished a Bills game with a broken leg. While I was unhappy with the collective receiver underperformances that prompted the Bills to bring him out of retirement last season, I nonetheless was pleased to see he could perhaps end his Bills stint without hard feelings. Considering how important it is for the Bills to have young players excel at the slot receiver position, is there any oxygen in the room (from both sides) for Beasley to come back and take a spot on the practice squad as both depth and a player-coach? Can you imagine a better player to teach the young slot receivers how to get open?
Jay: At least publicly, it seems as if there was a reconciliation between Beasley and the Bills last year. He valued the opportunity to rewrite his ending with the team, and while his statistical output was not overwhelming, he did make a few big plays that contributed to some wins. It does not seem like there is hard feelings on either side, but as mentioned above, Beasley said he’ll retire if he’s not on a roster by training camp. A spot on a practice squad, especially with little hope of making the active roster, does not seem like something he’d have much interest in. In my opinion, it’s too close to the end of his playing career to know whether a coaching job is something that would interest him.
Ed Helinski asks: It’s pretty evident that Brandon Beane enjoys tinkering with the Bills’ roster prior to training camp, and this year is no different. In your estimation, which free agent signings to this point have impressed and which ones fall into the category of head-scratchers?
Jay: In general, I’ve liked Beane’s approach to free agency this offseason. While it has lacked the big-splash move of last offseason, it’s been a logical, targeted approach to filling holes. Getting former Rams safety Taylor Rapp, especially at the price he did (one year, $1.77 million), was my favorite move of free agency. There weren’t many head-scratchers. Frankly, the move I was most surprised by was Jordan Poyer returning on a two-year contract. I fully expected Poyer to find a better deal than he did on the open market. Beyond that, Beane did make a fairly decent investment in Deonte Harty, a diminutive receiver who fought through an injury-plagued 2022 season. Harty will have to prove he can stay on the field. One other element of free agency that has been at least a minor head-scratcher is the sheer number of one-year contracts Beane has given out. That gives him a lot of work to do in the 2024 offseason.
Thank you for all the questions this week. As a reminder, they can be submitted via email to jskurski@buffnews.com or via Twitter to @JaySkurski.
