2011 Buffalo Bills: The Top 20 Bills Players Most Affected by Lockout
As we come into the latest rounds of negotiations between the NFL owners and the players, we can only hope that they will come to some sort of an agreement sooner rather than later.
In the interim, the Bills are either working out as a team in bunches or completely isolated on their own. The time frame for OTAs has come and gone, so there are some newer Buffalo Bills that will be hurt by the lack of formal coaching and the necessary orientation to the NFL.
There is also a whole new wave of free agents and undrafted rookie free agents that the team will address at some point, but for now we are going to concentrate on the 20 players that we think are going to be impacted the most by the labor lockout. These are the Bills players that need to be working with the coaching staff right now.
20) Donald Jones
1 of 20
Donald Jones was one of the Bills' trio of undrafted rookie wide receivers that went on to have some degree of success in 2010.
Jones will still have a battle on his hands as all of the Bills' veteran wide receivers are returning. Not only that, but he will have competition from the likes of Marcus Easley, David Nelson and Naaman Roosevelt for the final wide receiver slots on the team.
At least Jones has been solid in special teams play, so that might be the deciding factor, but you can bet he is itching to get back with the coaches to impress them on what he has been working on during the offseason.
19) Levi Brown
2 of 20
As the only other quarterback on the Bills roster after Ryan Fitzpatrick, Brown appears to be safe regarding his roster spot. However, he could be the guy taking reps with the second team and cementing his rank on the Bills depth chart.
As it stands now, he will have to battle it out with whatever veteran backup quarterback Buddy Nix brings in after the free-agency period kicks in.
18) Naaman Roosevelt
3 of 20
The former University of Buffalo standout took advantage of some injuries to the Bills' veteran wide receivers to earn some playing time late in 2010. Since Roosevelt performed well in his cup of coffee, the Bills at least know that he can be productive. The problem is that so does the rest of the NFL.
Since Roosevelt was the last rookie wide receiver to be activated, he may be on the bottom of the pecking order looking up. If the Bills attempt to stash him on the practice squad, another team may try to scoop him up. That is why he needs to be working with the coaches now, so that it never comes down to that option.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
17) Justin Rogers
4 of 20
The Bills liked the upside of Justin Rogers from Richmond University when they drafted him in the seventh round. How much of an impact he could make as a nickelback, in the return game or as a gunner on special teams would have been a result of how much he was able to pick up during OTAs and summer camp.
As the time starts ticking down towards Opening Day, (September 11th is less than 90 days away now), the window of time means that he might have to learn on the fly. That isn't the greatest scenario to be thrown in to the wolves.
16) Michael Jasper
5 of 20
No doubt that a number of Bills fans are curious to see what Michael Jasper can do. A project for the defensive line, Jasper was drafted with the second pick of the seventh round, and will have a fight on his hands to make the Bills' active roster.
The Bills hope that rosters are expanded for 2011 season, so that a player like Jasper can be allowed to come in and learn during his rookie year, without fear of being scooped up by another team off of the practice squad.
If Jasper is going to make any degree of an impact, it looks like it would be more of a 2012 proposition, as his learning curve appears to be too great now for the 2011 season.
15) Chris White
6 of 20
Whether Chris White makes the team as a backup linebacker, or as a member of special teams, the sixth-round draft pick will have his work cut out for him.
White was a leader on defense at Mississippi State, but that was a whole different brand of football. He will have a sharp learning curve, and there are a number of veterans that will be standing in line in front of him, as the Bills inside linebackers are going to be getting a crash course from new coach Dave Wannstedt.
As a result, we probably shouldn't expect that much from White in 2011, unless injuries create a need for him to play regularly.
14) Erik Pears
7 of 20
If the Bills do not sign a veteran free-agent right tackle whenever free agency begins, then Erik Pears might find himself as the starting right tackle on Opening Day. Since Pears joined the Bills during the 2010 season, he could use a full training camp to be up on the Bills offense and to work in some chemistry with the rest of the offensive line.
In the last three years we have seen Brad Butler and Cornell Green in this spot. Will Pears be another name to add to the list, or will he be able to nail down the job and keep it?
13) Danny Batten
8 of 20
It is rough enough to be missing out on the majority of your rookie season due to injury, but next you follow that up in your sophomore campaign with a labor lockout that prevents you from demonstrating to your coaches that you were paying attention. Such is the rocky beginning to the NFL career of Danny Batten.
The linebacker is itching to impress the Bills coaching staff, and is probably climbing up the walls waiting to get back to work.
12) Aaron Maybin
9 of 20
2011 has been described as a sink-or-swim year for Aaron Maybin with respect to his career as a Buffalo Bills player. If there is one player that needs to have a great camp to save his job, it will be Maybin.
The coaching staff was frankly disappointed that Maybin wasn't able to demonstrate more of the moves he was coached during the 2010 season. He resorts to his speed-rush tactics, and the league was able to figure him out as a one-trick pony. If he winds up being waived during the preseason, he might still have a chance to catch on somewhere else, because he is so young.
He needs to be in camp with the coaches and show that he has learned his lessons.
11) Mr. X: Veteran Backup Quarterback
10 of 20
All Bills fans are aware that it is Buddy Nix's intention to bring in at least one veteran quarterback to serve as a backup to Ryan Fitzpatrick. Since we don't have any way yet of knowing who that will be until free agency begins, we will refer to him for now as Mr. X.
Mr. X will need time to digest the new offense, learn the plays and develop some chemistry with the wide receivers, just like Ryan Fitzpatrick attempted to do while Trent Edwards started out the year as QB1.
We put up a picture of Tyler Thigpen, just so you weren't staring at a blank slide. Could he be somebody that Nix signs? I suspect that Chan Gailey would be open to reuniting with him.
10) Johnny White
11 of 20
Johnny White is hoping to make a contribution to the Buffalo Bills in 2011, much in the same way that Fred Jackson did when he was a rookie with the Bills. White is someone the Bills envision using on third down, coming out of the backfield and catching a pass or running with the ball.
He might break in on special teams as well. No matter what his role is, he needs to learn the offense and adapt to the pro game, just like C.J. Spiller did last year.
9) Marcus Easley
12 of 20
In one of the recent articles I wrote on the Bills, there was a picture that we used that illustrated what a physical specimen Marcus Easley is. After missing almost the entire rookie year due to injury, Easley finds himself much like Danny Batten does: itching for a chance to show the coaches that he is ready to contribute to the team.
Easley has more than enough competition to fight for a roster spot. If Easley can wind up being a force this year, it means that defenses will not be able to key so much on Stevie Johnson and Lee Evans. We all would like to see that come true.
8) Dave Wannstedt's Inside Linebackers
13 of 20
The only real coaching change of significance from the 2010 staff that Chan Gailey assembled, Wannstedt will be in charge of the inside linebackers. Since he has not been allowed to communicate with his players yet, the entire philosophy and techniques that he wants them to employ will take time to implement.
Each passing day that the coaches are prevented from working with their players means that they will have to streamline their coaching into condensed versions of what they want to do. Wannstedt and the rest of the Bills coaches have had more than enough time to review tape of the run defense from 2010, so they also are anxious to get everyone on the field and fix those holes.
7) Chris Hairston and Ed Wang
14 of 20
I am lumping together Ed Wang and Chris Hairston together because they are basically in the same position. They are both young tackle prospects that need lots of work to develop before they are ready to take on the rigors of the NFL.
Wang missed the vast majority of his developmental rookie year due to a bad thumb injury. He needs the time with coaches as much as the rookie Hairston will. Hairston played at Clemson with C.J. Spiller, and is thought to be somebody that will be ready down the road, but probably not in his rookie year.
Both of them have much to learn, and they can't do that on their own. They need to be in camp.
6) Da'Norris Searcy
15 of 20
Da'Norris Searcy was the Bills' first pick in the fourth round. The Bills are expecting him to come into camp and challenge for one of the safety jobs. With less than 90 days remaining for the opening kickoff in Kansas City on 9/11, the Bills will not have that much time to work with him on all of the nuances of the NFL and their defensive schemes.
Rather than attempt to give him a crash course, look for the Bills to piecemeal his development this year and gradually work with him until he is able to contribute on a broader basis later in the year. This is one of the unfortunate byproducts of what the lockout has done to specific players.
5) Kelvin Sheppard
16 of 20
If Kelvin Sheppard is going to be one of the Bills starting linebackers in 2011, he needs to be spending time with Dave Wannstedt now. No two ways around it, this is crucial time for Sheppard to be on the field and in the film room.
With each passing week that comes and goes, it will be that much harder for Sheppard to digest everything that he needs to know and understand to be able to line up as a starter in Week 1. The lockout may mean that he begins the year as an understudy to Andra Davis, and then looks to start later on when the coaching staff thinks he is ready.
4) C.J. Spiller
17 of 20
Based on a disappointing rookie season and the comments that Chan Gailey made in the offseason about needing to find more ways to get the ball into the hands of running back C.J. Spiller, the second-year running back really needs to be working with the coaching staff right now.
Spiller was dealing with many frustrating issues as a rookie, and can probably help out Johnny White by passing on a tip or two. But what Spiller really needs is work on the field and in running reps with the offense to continue his development.
Learning the new plays that Gailey has devised for Spiller will be high on the priority list as well.
3) Aaron Williams
18 of 20
The Buffalo Bills drafted Aaron Williams with the 34th overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft. Williams is expected to come in and challenge for a starting corner role.
He is also in need of as much time with the coaching staff as he possibly can handle. Practice time on the field, time in the film room, running through defensive sets with the veterans and coaches—Williams has a steep learning curve ahead of him.
2) Marcell Dareus
19 of 20
No other Bills rookie from the 2011 NFL draft is expected to make as big an impact as is Marcell Dareus. The Alabama defensive lineman is expected to be a force at defensive end, and will probably be asked to kick inside to a defensive tackle in certain 4-3 looks.
All of the various looks that defensive coordinator George Edwards wants to employ will be something that Dareus needs to learn and it won't happen overnight. This is a time-consuming process, and with the repetitions of running plays over and over comes understanding.
Dareus might be able to overcome some of the learning curve due to his athletic prowess, but I am sure the Bills coaches would prefer to be working with him right now if they had their wish.
1) Shawne Merriman
20 of 20
The reason the Bills did not draft a player that can blitz the quarterback from the edge was because of Shawne Merriman. Coming off consecutive years of injury, Merriman is in need of time on the practice field to find out where he is physically, as well as time to learn and execute the Bills defensive schemes.
You may recall that Merriman was hurt on the first day of practice when the Bills claimed him off of waivers in 2010. The need for Merriman to learn the defense and develop some chemistry with the rest of the starters is paramount.
For Merriman personally, he needs to know that he still has what it takes, so three months of grinding it out in practice should allow him to feel confident when the Bills line up in Kansas City. If for some reason it turns out that he is still not 100 percent physically, at least the Bills will have some window of time to make other arrangements, but they can't possibly know that until the lockout is lifted.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
.jpg?w=600 "Post-June 1 Trade Candidates ☎️")
.JPG?w=600 "TO Talks Cowboys Relationship")
.jpg?w=600 "Taylor Heinicke Retiring")
.jpg?w=600 "49ers OC Hypes Mike Evans 🤩")