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Next Pledge is a 12 month fixed time trucker tariff with variable rates lower than off chance price cap for standard variable tariffs. Direct debit required. Teas and seas apply. Joe Brady and Brandon Bean both spoke at the NFL owners' meetings and offered plenty of updates that we're going to break down today on Locked On Bills. You are Locked On Bills, your daily Buffalo Bills podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Joe Marino, on today's episode, we are reflecting on what both Joe Brady and Brandon Bean said at the NFL owners' meetings and they discussed the new additions to both the offense and defense. We have updates on the offensive line preserving Josh Allen, but I want to start with the most notable piece of information, which is the decision to pick up the fifth year option on Dalton Kincaid's contract. And to me, it was an absolute no brainer. Dalton Kincaid's fifth year option in 2027 will cost the bills $8.1 million. That is an easy, easy, easy yes. And so when you consider the year he has coming in 2026 and then the fifth year option in 2027, the bills are on the hook for $10.74 million fully guaranteed for Dalton Kincaid over the next two seasons. That is an easy, easy, easy yes. Look at where these tight end contracts are going. Charlie Kolar, a decent number three tight end in the NFL. Ben on the Baltimore Ravens, playing behind Mark Andrews and Isaiah Legley. In four seasons with Baltimore had 30 total catches, 409 yards and four touchdowns. Played 40% of the snaps in 2025 was under 30% of the snaps his first three years. Just signed a deal with the Chargers that pays him $8.1 million a season. Daniel Bellinger just signed a contract that pays him $7 million a year with the Titans. And in his first four NFL seasons, never had more than 30 catches or 300 yards in any of those seasons. $8.1 million for Dalton Kincaid in 2027? Absolutely. There's given taken the Dalton Kincaid conversation. It's obvious the skill that he has and the impact that he can make. You've heard me say it before, I'm going to say it again. Last year, among the 29 tight ends with at least 49 targets, Dalton Kincaid was number one in yards per catch at 14.6. Number one in average depth of target at 9.5. Number one in yards per outrun at 2.79. Number one in yards after the catch per reception at 6.7. And number one in passer rating when targeted at 149.2. It's not a question of skill and impact. It's a question of availability. And so that's the part of the conversation that sours the whole thing is he's now battled this need deal for a couple of seasons and it needs to go away. It needs to be a non conversation. And obviously what happens over the next two years will dictate whether or not we're talking about him becoming one of the highest paid tight ends in the NFL. And I hope that's where we land. But he's got to prove that he can be durable and produce like we've seen in flashes. And so I'm excited to continue with Dalton Kincaid. I'll be even more excited if we're no longer saying, oh yeah, but the injuries, that part's got to go away. Let's move on. Brandon Bean talked about the addition of DJ Moore and had of course a lot of complimentary things to say about the player and the skill set and what they think he can be. But from the Brandon Bean side of that commentary, I thought it was interesting that he said that they're still open to a first round wide receiver. And of course Brandon Bean should not say anything about not being open to certain things in the NFL draft. But I hope he's serious. And I have said it before, I'll say it again, I am not actively rooting for the bills to draft the receiver in the first round. There are receivers that if they are on the board, I think it's an easy decision. But I don't think the bills are in a situation where they have to pick one at 26. But I like hearing that it's on the table because I think that's where this wide receiver room has fallen apart. It has been years of not investing meaningful draft capital into it and then not having cost-controlled talent being forced to pay middling receivers, being forced to trade for band-aids and it's put the bills in a tough spot. And so I do like hearing that it's still on the table. Now when Joe Brady was talking about DJ Moore, I enjoyed how he talked about how Khalil Shakir and Dalton Kincaid will benefit from DJ Moore's arrival. And talked about Shakir and Kincaid as middle of the field type targets. And when you have a presence on the outside like a DJ Moore that can win one-on-ones, that can win down the field, that can win with the ball in his hands, he says, that's going to free those guys up and it's going to free up the run game and it's going to free up Josh. And so I am excited for this offense moving forward to have more of a concentrated effort on who they're getting the ball to. I like the idea of everybody eats, don't get me wrong. But you got to be about your preferred guys. And Kincaid, Moore, Shakir, Cook, those guys got to be touching the ball the most. And then there's everybody else. And DJ Moore's arrival, I think, helps get everybody into the right spot. Joe Brady was asked about Keon Coleman. He said, just take care of the off the field and he'll be fine. He said, he's on our team. I've never said anything negative. I'm the first one to say that I wanted him. He won't be pushed to the side. Our goal is for him to become the player we drafted him to be. I certainly hope it comes together. And I think the challenging part of the Keon Coleman conversation is that last off season, presumably he did all the right stuff, worked hard, had a great camp, had a great first game against the Baltimore Ravens and then everything fell apart. When will it be okay for us to believe that Keon Coleman is who he's supposed to be and will consistently be it? Because he had us all fooled for a while throughout the off season and, of course, week one against Baltimore and then he fell off. So he's got a lot of trust to earn. I think not only, of course, from the quarterback and teammates, the coaching staff, the front office, but from the fans as well. Somebody with a lot to prove. Joe Brady was asked about point return. I thought this was interesting. He didn't appear to be interested in a returner only. Talked about being able to play multiple positions and said, if you're going to be a returner only, you better be really dynamic. And he said for now, Kylil Shakira is still in the mix. Ideally it wouldn't be him. But it sounded like this is not a team in Buffalo that is thinking about rostering a returner only. And he even mentioned Brandon Covington as somebody who's done that and pretty much said he's not dynamic enough to be a rostered returner only. And so I'm interested to see where this goes. I think if the Bills had to play a game right now, it's probably Kylil Shakira. We'll see where it ultimately lands. All right, coming up next, Brandon Bean was asked about the linebacker position. And I thought Joe Brady had some interesting comments about defensive tackles and Josh Allen and his future in preserving him and how often he's going to run. So we'll break those comments down here next. Folks, be sure to stick with me. What if sports were traded like markets? Now, you could put your sports IQ to work in real time with Robin Hood prediction markets. It's not you against the house. It's you participating in a live market. 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At Burger King, kids eat free between the 27th of March and 20th of April, only on the BK app. So you can enjoy a moment's peace this school holiday. Just don't forget them. Get one freaking junior meal with one selected adult burger meal only available on the BK app at selected restaurants. Can't be used with other promotions. Full TNCs at Burger King.co.uk forward slash kids dash offer. All right, folks, welcome back. We're continuing to reflect on the comments made by Brandon Bean and Joe Brady at the NFL owners meetings. And Brandon Bean was asked about the linebacker position, which is a spot where the bills have not done anything. And of course, simultaneously losing or really not losing yet, but. Not bringing back Matt Milano or Shaq Thompson. And. Being discussed how they've spoken to some veteran players, but it's at the point now in the free agency cycle where veterans are wanting the draft to play out before deciding where they're going to go, which makes a lot of sense. You don't want to be a veteran that's kind of on a year to year basis at this point in your career, thinking that you're going to a team and you're going to have a good shot at starting. And then they turn around and draft some guy in the first round. And all of a sudden you got a 22 year old kid that is probably going to play over you. And so that makes a lot of sense. And it makes me think about some of the players that are still out there like a Shaq Thompson, Jermaine Pratt, Bobby O'Karaquie, who are all certainly starting NFL. I'm backers and have been starting NFL linebackers, but probably want to make sure that they can get to a team that's going to. Have a starting job available. And so. I think you may see that type of addition come after the draft and maybe even at the tackle, maybe even at receiver where he mentioned Brandon Cook specifically and. Pretty much said, it's the same deal with Brandon Cook's. We've been in contact, but he wants to wait until after the draft to pick his next team. And I think that makes a lot of sense. Joe Brady was asked about defensive tackles and they're not being an investment there this off season. And Brady said, we have invested the last couple of years. Some of the guys have gotten hurt. He specifically mentioned Dwayne Carter, Landon Jackson, Deon Walker, TJ Sanders. He's not wrong. Those are all top three round picks over the last three drafts. And he said, ultimately, we're not going to live in a three, four defense on every down and we won't bang bang our head against the wall to do something we don't have the ability to do with our personnel. And so I'm definitely guilty of this where I'm imagining the scheme transition and the current players and thinking, well, I don't know how it all works. And Joe Brady is saying back to me, I hear you, man, we're not just going to make it work if we don't have the guys to do it. And I can appreciate that. And so I do believe there will be some hybrid elements of this scheme, unless significant things happen with the construction of this defensive line group. I do like that he singled out Deon Walker and called him versatile and said he could play the four eye and the nose. Good. He does not need to live full time on the nose. I think you'd be doing a disservice to Deon Walker if you didn't get him in some wider alignments like a four eye. And then he also said, look, there's still guys we have in our mind. The roster isn't finished being built. Joe Brady was asked about Josh Allen and his future and a lot of it through the lens of the running element of Josh Allen as he is set to turn 30 here in a few months. Joe Brady said, we want Josh Allen to play as long as he possibly can. The game is better with Josh Allen. A day will come when he has to be a true pocket passer, but we're not there yet. He said that he hopes Josh will slide more on the grass surface at the new stadium. He said he has to be mindful of calling runs for Josh because he inevitably is going to scramble on called pass plays. And he said, I want Josh Allen to get everything he deserves. He puts in so much. All I want is for him to be holding what he deserves. And said, I have to take care of him so he can do those things. And it was interesting. You talked about some of the challenges that even Josh has had not protecting himself like the Minnesota game a few years back. It was a disaster loss. But if you remember, he had the elbow injury. We weren't sure if he was going to play. He winds up playing and they said, look, whatever you do, you have to get him to play. You just can't take a hit. And then the first series of the game, he goes and tries to run somebody over. And we saw this past season, the guys playing with a broken foot and you wouldn't know, right? Because he's not telling anyone. He says he feels great. And the next thing you know, he's getting surgery. He's in a boot and you're hearing quotes about how he couldn't even walk during the week, but he's out there playing and putting it all out on the line. So, I mean, Josh Allen, just a different kind of dude. It's that simple. But Joe Brady also said, we don't get where we need to without Josh Allen. And that's 100% true. I got Joe Brady's comments on building the coaching staff were pretty interesting to me. He talked about how outside of Pete Carmichael, he didn't hire anyone that he really knew previously, which is obviously true. If you look at the coaches he brought in and you try to connect dots, there's no dots to connect. It's a lot of people that come from college or different programs in the NFL that Joe Brady wasn't affiliated with. And he said specifically, if we wanted to grow offensively, defensively and on special teams, it was important for us to hire from the outside. And they certainly did. And they brought in a lot of new people who bring new ideas and can help challenge to elevate what's been going on. I think continuity is good, but when you're trying to evolve and you've kind of been stuck and you feel like maybe you've plateaued, well, you need some new ideas. And he certainly has brought in those new ideas. He also talked about the importance of Pete Carmichael and their familiarity and how that's going to give Joe Brady what he needs to be able to step into those other meeting rooms and make sure that he's involved with all of the functions of the football team as opposed to just the offense. And so that being a higher width familiarity and why that was important and then kind of the other influencing factors that went into building the rest of the staff, I thought that was interesting for him to specifically say, if we wanted to grow, it was important for us to hire from the outside. Alright, coming up next, I want to get into a lot of offensive line conversation. We got some some comments on Ryan Vandermark and the two new additions and Osiris Torrance and Extension plus DJ Gardner Johnson, some some thoughts there and then the bills brought back tomorrow. Hamlin. So we need to discuss that as well. Folks, be sure to stick with me. Oh, I've been looking forward to this burger all day. Tell me about it. So tasty. Oh, where's Harry? Who's Harry? Our child. At Burger King, kids eat free between the 27th of March and 20th of April, only on the BK app. So you can enjoy a moment's peace this school holiday. Just don't forget them. Get one freaking junior meal with one selected adult burger meal only available on the BK app at selected restaurants can't be used with other promotions. Full TNCs at Burger King.co.uk forward slash kids dash offer. Alright, welcome back. Let's talk a little offensive line here. Brandon Bean was asked about Ryan Vandermark. And as we know, the bills tendered him for three and a half million. The Vikings came in at 4.2. The bills had the opportunity to match and said, you know what, we can't do it. And Brandon Bean said three and a half was a tough number for us. And they were stretching to make that work. And ultimately, they felt like they had some confidence in Tyler and Grable and Chase Lunt. Said they will still look to try to add depth. They've talked to some veterans. Maybe there's a draft pick, but. You know, I think we've looked at this conversation through the lens of, well, it's only 700,000 more dollars. Why wouldn't you do it? I think that's partly true, but. It's really three and a half million, right? So by not bringing back Vandermark, there was three and a half million dollars that was saved off the cap. You know, I don't think you can just look at it through that lens of 700,000. I wanted Vandermark back. I also understand the opportunity cost here. On the signing of Austin Corbett, Brandon Bean specifically said he's coming in to compete with Alec Anderson for the starting left guard job. I also thought it was interesting that he discussed how the injuries of Austin Corbett put the bills in a place where they could have been. Put the bills in a place to land him. You know, I think we can get frustrated by some of the injury risks that the bills have taken with some of the veterans they've brought in over the last few years. But based on how tight the bills cap has been, maybe that's just something we have to accept. If you want to get a player like Austin Corbett, you'd love to get the non-injured version of Austin Corbett, but, well, that player costs more. So you have to live with the injury risk, which I think is just something to be mindful of as we consider, man, another guy with injuries. What's up with that? Right? Well, I'm sure the bills would like to get a different player without injuries, but to get that caliber of player, that's kind of what has to happen. Like, like Shaq Thompson last year, minimum type player. Shaq Thompson is not a minimum player, but because he had injuries, you know, that's the world they had to live in. Proudly, Chubb, probably is a guy that should cost more than what the bills paid, but, well, the injuries give you the discount. Joey Bosa, you know, it doesn't always work out the way you want it to, but I think it's relevant in understanding why certain decisions are made. Brandon Bean on the signing of Lloyd Cushionbury said he'll be the top backup behind Conor McGovern, and then Joe Brady said the thing that a lot of us have speculated. He said Lloyd's a starting center in the NFL. He said there was a chance that we lost both David Edwards and Conor McGovern, and there was a possibility that Lloyd was going to be our starter. Instead, he has a lot of stripes in the league. Now, what's curious to me about that whole thing is, well, it's not like there's not other teams out there that could use a starting center that would have loved to have Lloyd Cushionbury. Maybe he didn't like them. I don't know. You know, I don't know all those variables, but I think Lloyd Cushionbury, I think highly of Lloyd Cushionbury. But you know, why wasn't there a starting job out there? We don't have the numbers on the deal, but I'm guessing it's a minimum type contract. So it's interesting to me. I guess you'll be happy about the depth. It does put Cedric VanPranck Granger in kind of a weird spot, and I still believe that there's a possibility that one of these guys gets traded at the end of camp if there's no injuries. On Osiris Torrance and him being extension eligible, Brandon Bean said, I'm proud of Sybo. Love him. If the economics work, of course, you'd like to keep him. And so I don't know what the future holds there. I'd imagine he's going to get a bunch of money. He's young. He's played pretty much every snap. Average guards get paid $15, $16 million a season. I really like David Edwards. I think he's a good football player, but he's an average starter in the NFL. And he got, what, 15, 16 million a year. And he's pushing 30. Osiris Torrance in his mid-20s looking for his first contract. If he's healthy and builds on what he's done, what's that going to cost? So there's a lot to consider there. But I could see the bills obviously as a team that drafted him and developed him, wanting to keep him. But can the bills have a $20 million a year guard? We'll see how it plays out. On the signing of C.J. Gardner Johnson, Brandon means that he's a competitive guy. He compared his edge to Steve Smith. And specifically said we wanted to add a guy with an edge. And Joe Brady even said that, no, we weren't afraid to get somebody that can stir it up. And Tim Graham asked a good follow-up on C.J. Gardner Johnson to Brandon Bean and said, look, edge is a general term. What is the edge for C.J. Gardner Johnson? He said, well, two things. He's going to talk. And then he's going to be physical with everything he's got. And he assured everyone that they vetted things out and specifically mentioned four different people. One of them being Craig Robertson, who is an assistant coach for the bills. That was a teammate of C.J. Gardner Johnson with the Saints, who has been referred to repeatedly as a big brother type figure for C.J. Pete Carmichael, excuse me, who was obviously on the coaching staff in New Orleans. John Fox, who was with C.J. Gardner Johnson for the one year in Detroit. And then also DJ Moore, who was his teammate last year in Chicago. So it sounds like they did their due diligence. Let's cross our fingers that it works out. On the signing of Geno Stone, Brandon Bean said the ball skills and instincts are as top traits, but of course, acknowledge the same thing everyone acknowledges is that tackling has been an issue. They feel like it's more technique than desire and they feel like they can clean that up. And then lastly, Damar Hamlin was brought back on a one year deal. This was met with a lot of different reactions. Some people are big fans of Damar, the person and are glad that he's back. Some people feel like he's a very limited football player that in some ways like I think symbolizes some of the frustrations of the Sean McDermott era and being too dismissive of physical upside for the mental makeup, the personal makeup and don't want players like this. Here's where I'm at with it. I don't think much of the move. It's a one year minimum type deal for Damar Hamlin. It's not a prohibitive type thing. It doesn't block somebody else from being on this roster. If Wanda Owens, the Bill's UDFA out of, where is he from, New Hampshire, is better than Damar Hamlin. Guess what? Wanda Owens will make the team. In fact, I think Damar Hamlin as a good dude that is smart and knows, of course, it's a new scheme, but he knows the building. He knows defense that they would benefit. The younger players with more upside would benefit from being around Damar Hamlin. It's never bad to have a lot of good people around. I think we can all agree that Damar Hamlin is good people. And so, I just don't think much of the move. It's not something that I feel like warrants a lot of reaction or response. I didn't anticipate him coming back, but I also don't, it doesn't spark all these thoughts in my mind that are frustrating, that signal things that I didn't love about Sean McDermott. I'd be willing to say that I think it's going to be tough for Damar Hamlin to make the team. Because I do think Cole Bishop, CJ Gardner Johnson, Geno Stone, probably Jordan Hancock, if the Bill's view him as a safety would all be ahead of Damar Hamlin, and then they may invest more. They might have a draft pick. But again, I would push back on this idea that Damar Hamlin is going to take a roster spot from some player with more upside. Let's see if it happens. I'd be pretty surprised. This is a defensive room that doesn't have Bobby Babbage and Sean McDermott. Damar is going to have to prove himself to Jim Leonard. So we'll see where it goes. Obviously Joe Dana, the Bill's safety, safety's coach who's been with Damar is continuing personality, but ultimately if Damar Hamlin's not one of the best four safeties on the team, he won't make the team. And so I don't have the energy for a lot of frustrations on this. If that's how you feel, that's how you feel. I personally don't. We'll see where it goes. Alright, folks, want to spend a little time here reflecting on all these different nuggets that Brady and Bean gave us at the NFL owners meetings, and we will get back on track, breaking down prospects, a couple more episodes on receivers. We'll get to linebackers, edge rushers, so much to do here as we get ready for the 2026 NFL draft. So don't miss anything. Make sure that you're subscribed. I'd love it. If you took a second to rate, review and share the podcast, have a great rest of your day. Go Bill's. And I look forward to catching up with you again real soon. Oh, I've been looking forward to this burger all day. Tell me about it. So tasty. Oh, where's Harry? Who's Harry? Our child. At Burger King, kids eat free between the 27th of March and 20th of April, only on the BK app. So you can enjoy a moment's peace this school holiday. Just don't forget them. Get one free King Junior meal with one selected adult burger meal, only available on the BK app at selected restaurants. Can't be used with other promotions. Full TNCs at burgerking.co.uk forward slash kids dash offer.
