Bills notebook
Tight end Nelson signs; top four picks left to go
Published: July 25, 2009, 12:30 am
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PITTSFORD—The Buffalo Bills still had four unsigned rookie draft picks as of late Friday and appear to have a good chance to get at least three of them to St. John Fisher College for the opening weekend of training camp.
Top draft pick Aaron Maybin still probably is at least several days away from reaching an agreement because of the normal pace of first-round signings. Only two of 32 first-round picks have reached agreements, which is not unusual at this point of the summer.
The Bills are under more pressure than other teams to get deals done quickly because they are the first team in the NFL this year to open camp to the full squad. That’s because the Bills start their preseason schedule a week earlier than 30 other teams due to their appearance in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 9.
Fourth-round draft pick Shawn Nelson reached an agreement with the Bills on Friday evening. He’s a 6-foot-5, 240-pound tight end from Southern Mississippi who the Bills hope can make an impact in the passing game as a rookie. Nelson caught 53 passes for 557 yards as the No. 1 receiving weapon for his college team last fall.
Nelson’s deal was for four years. Terms were not available, but based on the deals of other players taken after him, his contract is likely to be worth about $2.2 million with a signing bonus of about $460,000.
The Bills’ other unsigned rookies include first-round pick Eric Wood and second-rounders Jairus Byrd and Andy Levitre. Wood and Levitre are guards, and Byrd is a free safety.
Wood was the 28th overall pick. The 21st overall pick, center Alex Mack, was reportedly close to an agreement with Cleveland on Friday. That’s likely to help move negotiations along between Wood and the Bills.
Wood is in line for a contract that is expected to exceed $11 million in total value and $6 million in guarantees.
Among the second-round picks, only seven of 37 had been signed as of Friday evening. The “slotting” of rookie contracts based on the position taken in the draft is important because teams want to strike the best deal possible, and agents use the contract terms they negotiate in recruiting future draft clients.
The Bills open camp to the full roster four days earlier than any other team in the league. Jim Overdorf, senior vice president of football administration, is the Bills’ contract negotiator.
“Certainly, we are in a week earlier than most clubs, and that’s a variable,” acknowledged Russ Brandon, the Bills’ chief operating officer and general manager. “Jim and his crew are working around the clock trying to get this done. Jim and I have been on the phone hour after hour, and we’ll see how it gets done.”
The Bills’ veterans realize Maybin’s presence likely will be predicated on the leaguewide pace of first-round signings.
“He’ll get here when he gets here,” said linebacker Paul Posluszny. “I know he wants to be here working out and being with his teammates. But you’ve got to work out that business aspect of it, especially with a high-round draft pick like that.”
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The essential item for the Bills players to bring to their dorm room at St. John Fisher is either their own mattress or a memory foam mattress pad. Numerous players said they were trying to pack light.
“This is the first year I brought one suitcase and my TV,” said receiver Josh Reed. “I’ve been coming here every year trying not to pack the whole house, but I’ve learned now [how to do it].”
“I think it is different for everybody,” said running back Fred Jackson. “I always tell my wife when we leave about this time every year that I’m going back to college. You’ve been there and done that, so you know what to expect.
“But you know me, I’ve got to have my television. That’s my comfort zone. That’s what I do with my downtime when I’m sitting in my room; I just watch a little television and put it on Cartoon Network and I’m good.”
“I got a queen-sized bed delivered and a nice pillow top from Rent-A-Center,” said center Geoff Hangartner. “I got a nice TV, a computer, a fan, some clothes. I’m kind of a minimalist packer. One load in and out, that’s all I want.”
•••
Bills receiver Terrell Owens will be the center of attention at today’s opening practices. Owens messaged on his Twitter account Friday that he was in Buffalo searching for a house.
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Practices are scheduled from 8:40 to 10:25 a. m. and 2:25 to 4:10 p. m. both today and Sunday. Complimentary tickets, available at Rochester-area Verizon Wireless stores, are required to watch practices this weekend. A limited number of those tickets still were available Friday, but none remained for the Sunday afternoon session.
mgaughan@buffnews.com
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