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Bills trade conditional 2023 draft pick for LB Andre Smith


Trentwannabe

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2 hours ago, Trentwannabe said:


Apparently a very good special teams player. 

So from what I have gathered he's a special teams ace that is cheaper than Matakevich? Could Matakevich be in jeopardy? From what I have heard Matakevich is a virtual lock to make the team. It doesn't make much sense to roster two linebackers that can pretty much only play special teams. Especially since McDermott and Beane preach versatility. Call me crazy, but it would be nice to have some backup linebackers that can actually play linebacker.

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39 minutes ago, Billsfaninptown said:

So from what I have gathered he's a special teams ace that is cheaper than Matakevich? Could Matakevich be in jeopardy? From what I have heard Matakevich is a virtual lock to make the team. It doesn't make much sense to roster two linebackers that can pretty much only play special teams. Especially since McDermott and Beane preach versatility. Call me crazy, but it would be nice to have some backup linebackers that can actually play linebacker.

I think it was Frazier the other day who said Dodson has been playing well. They have him at Mack.Thats hopefully at least one backup LB who can play lol
 

I wonder if this move is more of a indictment of Vosean Joseph. I also heard Matakevich held his own whenever he was in for the Steelers. 

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41 minutes ago, Trentwannabe said:

I think it was Frazier the other day who said Dodson has been playing well. They have him at Mack.Thats hopefully at least one backup LB who can play lol
 

I wonder if this move is more of a indictment of Vosean Joseph. I also heard Matakevich held his own whenever he was in for the Steelers. 

I have heard from Steelers fans and reporters that he's a liability in coverage. Basically he's a special teamer and in on goal line sets only. I am really worried about our depth at LB. Hopefully Dodson can contribute. Thompson is our only backup that has any sort of experience actually playing a decent amount of snaps at LB the past couple of seasons.

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4 minutes ago, Billsfaninptown said:

I have heard from Steelers fans and reporters that he's a liability in coverage. Basically he's a special teamer and in on goal line sets only. I am really worried about our depth at LB. Hopefully Dodson can contribute. Thompson is our only backup that has any sort of experience actually playing a decent amount of snaps at LB the past couple of seasons.

Hopefully Milano and Edmunds just stay healthy so its not an issue. I imagine the Bills will play a lot of nickel with Neal and Marlowe being the 3rd LB for run support. 

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At quick glance, he appears to be a short-ish, and stout LB with 4.63 speed, large hands, and really long arms for the position and his size. However, strengths are pass coverage, pass rush and, if he can read, he should be able to react quickly enough to gang tackle. Even though he played inside in college, he is no thumper by any stretch of the imagination and his run D has been mediocre. I'm guessing the interest in him is largely due to speed, ST play, pass coverage, and low salary. An OK signing for depth IMO, but I guess it is odd in making this deal so late. Wonder if there is an injury in the LB corps we just haven't heard about yet?

https://nflcombineresults.com/playerpage.php?f=Andre&l=Smith&i=27244

Edited by Yibbyl
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17 hours ago, Billsfaninptown said:

So from what I have gathered he's a special teams ace that is cheaper than Matakevich? Could Matakevich be in jeopardy? From what I have heard Matakevich is a virtual lock to make the team. It doesn't make much sense to roster two linebackers that can pretty much only play special teams. Especially since McDermott and Beane preach versatility. Call me crazy, but it would be nice to have some backup linebackers that can actually play linebacker.

I do not see Matakevich being cut in anyway because of this. His dead cap hit would be the same as it was if he was still on the roster. They have also praised his training and picking up their ST play in practice. I honestly think you have to question Dimarco at this point on whether or not he can play and if they think Gillium is someone who can step in at FB while Smith steps in to his ST role which both can likely do so. Even if they do not cut Dimarco he has a neck injury and he may end up on IR as he hasnt been practicing. Most injuries that have happened on ST are neck and back injuries as he is running up and down the field making tackles in open field so they may want to not risk it by making this move. If they do cut him they can save 1.5 mil. The team has plenty of leaders to where they can be comfortable moving on from their ST Captain, something I would not normally say in the past. Even with this trade it is not a lock because from my understanding the conditional 7th rd pick is based on his playing time and that if he is cut the Panthers do not get anything out of this so Smith isn't a lock for this team either.

 

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