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00:00I love it.
00:01DJ Moore, Sal, what are your thoughts?
00:04You know, I'm the guy that's been saying take the biggest swing as possible.
00:07Now, we don't know what got the Bills to DJ Moore.
00:11Did they call about Justin Jefferson?
00:13They called about Jamar Chase.
00:14I'm just saying, like, the top guys in the league,
00:16do you make a call and see if they're available,
00:18and do you get hung up on, right?
00:20And if that's the case, you know, they're unattainable,
00:23then you keep going down the order,
00:25and you get to a really nice player in DJ Moore.
00:29Now, this is not that type of player that, you know,
00:31I say, sign me up for whatever it takes to get those names that I just mentioned.
00:36That's not this guy, but he's still a good player.
00:39That said, the compensation feels heavy to me.
00:42You know, second-round pick is tough.
00:44It doesn't mean it can't work.
00:45It can't be great.
00:46And DJ Moore, maybe he winds up having, you know, an incredible year,
00:49and you look back and say, you know what?
00:51It was well worth the second-round pick.
00:52I do believe, I have said, and I'll stay true on this,
00:55is I have preferred the trade or even free agent option more than drafting.
00:59I mean, I like the money part of drafting,
01:02but you just don't know what you're going to get.
01:03They've tried to draft.
01:04It just hasn't worked out as much.
01:06I'd rather have the proven commodity.
01:08But the proven commodity comes with a hefty price tag here,
01:10and that's what scares you a little bit, I guess.
01:13You know what I mean?
01:13Yes, I'm almost identical in how I feel about this to you.
01:18The price is the problem.
01:20And what's going to make conversation, debate about this trade interesting,
01:26if not either insufferable, is, you know, the easy counterpoint to,
01:33well, it's an overpay, is, so what?
01:36I mean, I need a top-wide receiver, and this is what I've got.
01:42So am I going to miss the cap room?
01:44Am I going to miss the draft pick?
01:45I don't know.
01:46I don't think you can really ever go that far.
01:48It's never quite so what, Sal, for me.
01:51And no one can know if pick 60, if they ended up staying there,
01:56might have meant somebody important now and down the road.
02:01People are, I think, in defending the trade,
02:03kind of assuming that the pick is not going to be good.
02:06Which I won't do.
02:07But, yeah, I mean, I think the player is good, but, you know.
02:11I mean, the Bills, they had a second-round pick in Keyon Coleman
02:14that hasn't worked out in that same draft.
02:16They drafted Cole Bishop in the second round.
02:19You know, he looks really good.
02:22And you just don't know.
02:24But I don't want to talk out of both sides of my mouth here
02:25and say, like, oh, the draft and all that,
02:27because I've said, and I agree,
02:29and I think that they had to go get somebody who's played in this league
02:33and had success.
02:35That's where they are now.
02:35Now, you can't rely on drafting a guy and hoping he comes in,
02:39he can be the player you thought he was at that position.
02:41I mean, like, where they're drafting position
02:43or trading up five spots like they've done a couple times.
02:46Like, they've done that.
02:47It hasn't necessarily worked out, and sometimes it takes a couple years.
02:50They don't have a couple years anymore.
02:51Like, this isn't, you need to win.
02:53Now, the other part is, too, which I want to be consistent on,
02:56one is, I have said, as you know, Mike,
02:58this offseason at wide receiver to me is not about adding to the bottom
03:02of the depth chart and lifting everybody up.
03:03It is about going to the top of the depth chart.
03:06DJ Moore does that.
03:07He goes to the top of the depth chart.
03:08I like DJ Moore.
03:09He is a really good player.
03:11I mean, you know, I've had him on fantasy leagues multiple times,
03:14but I know, like, what he can do.
03:15The guy's had 90 catches three times in his career.
03:18He's available.
03:19He plays all the time.
03:20He is not in the elite stratosphere of the other guys I mentioned,
03:25but he's going to be a good player for the Bills
03:27and a reliable player for the Bills, I believe.
03:29It just does make you kind of wince a little bit and go,
03:33man, that second-round pick, like, it feels like it's a little bit heavy,
03:36like I said, on what they've had to give up
03:38and what other people have had to give up or things in the past,
03:40and you hope that doesn't come back to bite them.
03:43But, man, I'm all in on helping this team right now.
03:46There's the draft capital aspect of it,
03:49and then there's the dollars and the cap hit that this is.
03:53Sal, I don't know that the Bears could have ended up releasing DJ Moore,
03:57but part of my problem today is feeling like he should have been cheaper,
04:01that you're almost, I think Jeremy put it this way, doing Chicago a favor.
04:05It seemed like a player they were clearly looking to get out of,
04:08even more so than the Bills with Diggs a couple of years ago,
04:12where I didn't think there was quite the chorus of analysts predicting
04:15that Diggs would be traded, but DJ Moore, with Burden hitting
04:18and Odunze and Loveland and just how his production was mitigated there,
04:24and for the money, it seemed like he was going to be traded or cut.
04:28That's part of what this is, too, that bothers me.
04:31It's not just a second-round pick, and they also got a fifth back.
04:35It's not just that.
04:36It's that for the contract, I wanted to think that he would have been cheaper
04:40than this, and, by the way, and I'd like your thought on this, too,
04:43interesting that when the story broke, it was put as it would be a mid-round pick.
04:49So either that was just wrong or something changed.
04:53Yeah, I totally get that.
04:55So a couple things about this.
04:57Number one, you're right, maybe they were going to do that.
05:00But then 31 teams can sign him, though.
05:04To get him for the Bills, a guarantee to get him, you trade for him.
05:07That's what you do, and he has this contract.
05:09So, yeah, you're right.
05:10Maybe he gets released, and you can sign him for cheaper, but maybe you can't.
05:15Maybe he gets released, and another team offers him a lot of money.
05:17You're like, well, we can't have him now.
05:18We really wanted him, and this is a guy that we landed on.
05:20Now we have to pivot and do the same thing, and he's in the same boat as an Alec Pierce,
05:24or Romeo Dobbs, whatever.
05:25And he's kind of back at square one.
05:27And so I understand that, but you just don't know why you, hey, if we're going to release him,
05:33you can go to 31 other teams.
05:35Well, let's not do that.
05:36Let's work out a deal here, and then the compensation is what the compensation is.
05:41Yeah, I thought it was weird, too, the mid-round pick type of thing.
05:43The other thing is, Mike, you have to tell me.
05:45I'm not positive.
05:46I know when the trade was made, there was talk about his salary and the guarantees.
05:52I think, though, from what I've seen, I think they'd still be next year, obviously, or the year after.
06:03You're breaking up there, so I'm not sure what you were asking.
06:06But, yeah, I mean, guaranteed money is a big part of the equation here and the issue.
06:11Do you want to shoot that question again, maybe?
06:15Yeah, I think there's a way that they can restructure the deal
06:20or at least move money around to take a less cap it this year on the bill.
06:23I have not seen that, and that's the case.
06:25Because, like I said, if you know that in the last few hours that that's come out,
06:28I think that's something that Spotswreck and other people have talked about.
06:30Yeah, I think that that's probably the plan if it hasn't been announced.
06:34Sal Capaccio with me on the West Her Hotline.
06:37I'm Mike Shope.
06:38Bulldog is out today.
06:39Sabres and Penguins tonight, pregame at 6 from Pittsburgh.
06:43Is everybody eats dead?
06:46And, you know, coupling with that is, like, the idea,
06:50some of the interesting speculation with Joe Brady as the head coach is, well,
06:54was it really the offense he wanted as the offensive coordinator?
06:58And, you know, here's a move where, I mean,
07:01they'd better be more pass-oriented next year with this player.
07:06I mean, maybe not dramatically, but you want to think from this,
07:09for the price they're paying that they have intentions to get the ball down the field.
07:13I mean, he can be explosive more.
07:16So I wonder what you think this adds up to.
07:20It's still early.
07:21We don't have the draft yet, even, and free agency.
07:23But is this a shift, the sign of a probable shift in how they want to play?
07:31I mean, maybe in how they want to play as far as, like, targets and distribution.
07:35And I do think they want to be more vertical.
07:37And this is a player that does help like that, right?
07:39This is a player that, you know, does have that ability to go down the field that you just talked
07:45about.
07:45I do think that helps them in a lot of ways like that.
07:49But, Mike, I'm going to say, like, I think we're still going to hear everybody eats.
07:53I think we're still going to hear that, you know, this is because, again, everybody eats.
07:59I understand, like, when you say that, it is, well, where are the targets?
08:03How many people are involved?
08:04I get it.
08:05That is not truly what the Bills mean by it.
08:08What they mean when they say everybody eats is we are all going to do our roles.
08:12It doesn't matter if you get the ball or not.
08:14You have a role to contribute to be a good team player.
08:17And if you do that, we will all share in the success.
08:20And that's what they mean by everybody eats.
08:22So I understand where you're coming from.
08:24I get it.
08:25But I just think that that needs to be said.
08:27Like, what they mean by it is not that everybody is going to share in these targets and we're not
08:31going to have a true number one.
08:32Okay.
08:33So everybody eats at the buffet when the game is over as long as they did their work or else
08:37they have to sit in the corner.
08:38That's pretty much what they mean.
08:39Now, I would also say, yes, is there an element of, especially after Stephon Diggs and how that went, you
08:44know, south later or whatever,
08:46is there an element of, we don't want to rely on one person.
08:50It's not about one person and giving them all these targets because that puts pressure on the quarterback and all
08:54these people.
08:55Yes, I do think there's an element of that.
08:57But everybody eats basically means we're all going to get fat on wins and success.
09:02If you do everything you're supposed to do to help your teammate and help this offense succeed.
09:07Would you rule out wide receiver in round one after today?
09:11I would.
09:13I would not.
09:14I know that's funny, right?
09:15I think that was a lot of speculation today.
09:17I mean, is it less likely?
09:18Sure.
09:18I'd say it's less likely.
09:19But I wouldn't rule it out.
09:21I think wide receiver is still on the table.
09:23I could see them devoting a lot of their free agent assets to the defensive side of the ball and
09:28then saying, okay, let's go get another young guy to add to this group.
09:33Because as of right now, I'm still thinking they're probably going to move on from Curtis Samuel and save that
09:37money.
09:37What's going to happen with Tyrell Shavers and his injury?
09:41Brandon Cooks is a free agent.
09:42Gabe Davis is his injury.
09:43He's a free agent.
09:44I'm still not sure Keon Coleman is going to be on this team, to be quite honest with you, in
09:472026.
09:48So, like, I still think he doesn't need a wide receiver, and I could absolutely justify a first-round pick
09:53on one.
09:54I think that would be madness because of the other things they need.
09:58But, okay, I wonder if – what is Coleman's trade value to you?
10:05I mean, still young, potential, physically good.
10:09I mean, is he somebody where you could help recoup what you spent today in a move?
10:16I would be stunned if the Bills got a second-round pick for Keon Coleman, if that's what you mean
10:21by recoup.
10:22I don't know, though, if you can let him go for anything less than, like, a fourth.
10:26That would be tough.
10:27It might need to be – like, if you can't get better than, let's say, a fourth-rounder at worst,
10:31right?
10:32Like, to me, that feels like you've got to try and make it work if that's the case.
10:37Like, you'd rather hold on to him and say, you know what, we can make this work.
10:40Let's do it.
10:41That's not worth it for us if you're the Bills.
10:42He's still in a rookie contract.
10:43We still believe in his ability.
10:45We think he'll mature, be more professional.
10:48I'm not giving him up for anything less than that.
10:50If the Bills were to trade Keon Coleman straight up for draft picks, and they got, like, a fifth or,
10:57you know, sixth or seventh,
11:00I think that's just a signal that they wanted to do anything they could to get rid of him.
11:03Yeah.
11:04That sounds right.
11:05I mean, that's where it ended up with Elam, where just, you know, they gave him away.
11:11But the difference with Elam was, let's remember, he was going into the last year of his deal.
11:16So, at that point, you're like, what's the point?
11:18Anyway, like, yes, you're right about that, but one more year, and he's a free agent anyway, he's going to
11:22walk, right?
11:23So, he'll get something for him.
11:24So, Coleman still has two years left on his term.
11:26But, yes, I agree with that.
11:27At that point, it's just get something for him because we just don't want him here anymore.
11:32Well, right.
11:32Good point.
11:33What Moore does, and you pointed out his durability, that's also reminiscent of Diggs, who just, like, never missed a
11:40game for most of his Bills tenure, if not all of it.
11:44But what Moore does that changes the equation this year is, like, he's always on the field, I think.
11:51That's another thing that you want to think would be true because of the investment they just made today.
11:55So, not literally always, but, I mean, lion's share.
11:59And that's different for them.
12:01I mean, Shakir has his role, and you have whoever the blocking receiver is going to be, like Shavers or
12:07Davis in his day, and then what Kincaid, you know, whatever that 60% of snaps or whatever he was
12:12getting.
12:13I think, and I don't know if that just squeezes Coleman completely out.
12:17There's the aspect of what he's worth, but then also, like, what do they need him for if they have,
12:25you know, this new player who's just going to be taking all the snaps.
12:31I don't know.
12:32Like, that changes for him, too, probably today, Coleman.
12:35Yeah, and, Mike, and I agree with that.
12:37I'll say, I mean, I view it, too, where if Keon Coleman, and people can look and go, well, if
12:43he's your fourth wide receiver, that kind of stinks, but at least you have him as a fourth wide receiver,
12:47let's say, and, you know, you can still use him.
12:49And I'm like, I don't know if the Bills want to deal with that.
12:51And what I mean by that is, like, that's what happened last year.
12:55The guy was, like, you know, obviously he was a healthy scratch a couple of times in the issues,
12:59but he's really, like, your buried wide receiver.
13:01And they were dealing with questions all the time about how did that happen with the guy who just drafted
13:05in the first pick of the second round.
13:06And that becomes a talking point you don't want to deal with, right?
13:09It becomes you should never be the bottom of the depth chart receiver should never be, like, a talking point
13:17storyline in a week.
13:18Right.
13:18That is not healthy for a football team.
13:21It's the same reason why you can't sign Cam Newton to be your backup quarterback.
13:24Because he becomes a story, and that should not be a story throughout a week.
13:29Yes.
13:30Yeah, that's – I agree.
13:31With Sal Capaccio, Mike Schoep here, Bulldog is out sick today.
13:35So, all right, well, there's a lot to process here with this trade.
13:40It's exciting.
13:41It's content.
13:42One aspect of it, Sal, is that Moore – and I'm not sure how much this is in all of
13:49this,
13:49but he's had a couple of situations where his effort has been questioned.
13:54I mean, literally walking off the field during a play.
13:57The last play of the season for the Bears, Chris Collinsworth was right to,
14:01what is DJ Moore doing here?
14:03Doesn't finish the route.
14:04Doesn't always have to be the receiver's fault on a play like that.
14:07But still, that's part of his bio, if you will, is like a couple of these kinds of things.
14:14Is that something – I think when your team trades for a player,
14:19most people want to sort of ignore that kind of stuff
14:23or give the player the benefit of the doubt because he's yours now.
14:26So, I think there'll probably be lots of pushback from the fans
14:30if we hear ourselves or Chicago people talking about what DJ Moore didn't do well enough.
14:36But, I don't know, maybe – do you have sort of a walking in point when it comes to him
14:40in that way?
14:41You know, I've never heard – I've heard the same things.
14:44I've seen the things you're talking about.
14:45I don't think it's been chronic.
14:48Something that, like, oh, my God, you know, there's a lot that comes along with Stephon Diggs.
14:52There's a lot that comes along with A.J. Brown.
14:53I've never – I don't think there's anything like that here with DJ Moore.
14:57But those things are valid, and it's not that you should ignore it,
15:01but I think you have to at least investigate and say, why did it happen?
15:06What's the situation?
15:07Why would it be different here?
15:08Why can we make sure?
15:09And I think because Joe Brady has coached him, you know, again, available 17 games,
15:15like it's not like he's getting – you know, there's been issues off the field
15:18or anything like that.
15:20I would at least say the Bills, I'm sure, have done their due diligence here,
15:23and I would hope they would, and they'd be comfortable, you know,
15:27bringing this player in and thinking, no, that's not something we're going to have to worry about.
15:30Okay.
15:31I was listening to you this morning before any of this,
15:35talking 7 o'clock this morning with Jeremy and Joe on different subjects,
15:39including they asked you about, like, your favorite free agent ideas,
15:43and you listed three or four players that you thought would be scheme fits on defense.
15:49And I wonder if you could just macro take that a little bit.
15:52But how do you see the Bills and Jim Leonard wanting to rewire, you know,
15:59just scheme, player traits, things like this?
16:03How do you see them wanting their defense to be different?
16:08I think they want to give you so many different looks
16:11and come from so many different places.
16:13They want to be more aggressive because of that.
16:15You know, the thing about Sean McDermott's defense over the years,
16:18and we can say, obviously, that there's been failures in the playoffs.
16:20We know that, you know, but for the most part, through his tenure in Buffalo,
16:25the defense has been very good, you know, for the most part.
16:27And part of the reason is they're so structurally sound.
16:29They're where they're supposed to be.
16:31They're coached to be here, do that, and it's a big part of it.
16:35And I'm not telling you that Jim Leonard's not going to be about fundamentals.
16:37Of course he is.
16:38But I think it's less about being the structure
16:41and more about being the athlete and the player and going making plays.
16:44That's where I think you're going to see something different,
16:46a little more of a, hey, we're going to give this guy the freedom
16:49to be here and do something different.
16:51Jim Leonard himself said he believes he's had a lot of success in his career
16:54with guys that are chess pieces, guys that are kind of positionless.
16:57So I think you're going to see that.
16:59Yeah, they're going to have rules.
17:00But, you know, McDermott's defense, like it is, you follow your,
17:03if you don't follow your rule, you're out of your gap
17:06and we're giving up a big run, and that can happen.
17:08But as long as you're doing everything structurally sound and 1-11,
17:11we're going to make everything work here.
17:12And for the most part, I mean, they've had really good defenses,
17:14you know, for season longs and numbers and things like that.
17:18But the criticism of those defenses has been in big moments,
17:24in big games against teams that have athletes and speed on the field
17:29that counter with you.
17:30And I think Jim Leonard wants to make sure he has a defense
17:33where he can adapt to any of that and say it doesn't matter
17:36what we've done here and what our rules are.
17:38We need to change on the fly because I need my guy to go make a play here.
17:41Sal, I've got to say, I've never liked having DJ Moore in fantasy.
17:44Maybe when he was with Carolina.
17:47I mean, the years with Brady, okay, but he's been a headache.
17:51Which, you know, it's a few different things.
17:54It's not always the player's fault.
17:56The depth chart and the scheme and whatever else.
17:59You want the defense to be terrible for your wide receivers' teams.
18:04And so you get, you know, garbage time stuff.
18:06He helped me a couple years ago.
18:08I don't remember what it was.
18:08Maybe 23, 24?
18:10Yeah.
18:10Like, he was really good.
18:11And he had a couple – he had a really good year.
18:12Maybe he was 23, I think.
18:14And, like, that year sticks with me.
18:16Like, how, like, he kind of helped my team out a lot.
18:18And he had some pretty good numbers.
18:19But you're right.
18:20I think that maybe the – you see the flashes there.
18:23Maybe from start to end it just hasn't been as much inconsistent as you want.
18:26With Justin Fields that was in Chicago.
18:29So, three seasons ago, like you said.
18:33Okay.
18:3672 degrees it was here two years ago today.
18:39Oh, wow.
18:40You said it.
18:41It's close.
18:42And Saturday's supposed to be warm.
18:43So, very good.
18:44Well, hey, and nothing matches 2012, the Mario Williams year,
18:47when it was, like, in the 70s during pre-agency that week.
18:50That's right.
18:51That's memorable for sure.
18:53Sal, have a safe ride home, and we'll talk again soon.
18:56All right.
18:57Thanks a lot.
18:57Sal Capaccio on the West Her.
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