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The Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane is already beloved by the fan base, and his appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” on Friday, November 4, only further endeared him to Bills Mafia.
Beane went on the show to discuss the team’s flurry of moves before the NFL trade deadline, during which he acquired running back Nyheim Hines from the Indianapolis Colts.
McAfee, who was drafted by the Colts in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL Draft, and spent all eight seasons of his career with the franchise before retiring in 2017, couldn’t get over how Beane, who’s already managing a Super Bowl-caliber team, managed to pry the dominant pass-catching back from his former squad.
“What was it about Nyheim Hines that you thought like he’d fit your offense and why’d you go get him and also, f*** you that,” McAfee said.
“Well, I respectfully appreciate the f*** you there,” Beane responded with a huge smile on his face, which made McAfee laugh out loud. “But in all seriousness, he’s a guy that I’ve had my eye on before. We’ve checked into him, just like you check into guys at different times. A couple of summers ago, I believe it was the COVID summer, I really didn’t feel like we had that piece in the backfield for Josh (Allen).”
“So, we looked. And at the time, the Colts weren’t interested. We checked back another time. But things change at various times in this league for different reasons. And so, this was one of those – we checked in at the last minute before the deadline. A lot of respect for (Colts GM) Chris Ballard and how he does things. The timing was better for them and for us.”
Hines is a clear upgrade from Moss. In seven games, the 25-year-old has rushed the ball 18 times for 36 yards and one touchdown along with 25 receptions for 188 yards. The former fourth-round pick from the 2018 NFL Draft also provides value on special teams. As a punt returner during his NFL career, Hines has averaged 11.8 yards on 73 returns with two touchdowns, per Fox 59‘s Mike Chappell.
While McAfee is obviously bitter that Buffalo snagged Hines, he commended Beane for his aggressiveness and wondered why other teams don’t make power moves like him. Beane said not every team is ready “to go all in to win a championship” like Buffalo this season and gave credit to the owners, Terry and Kim Pegula, who purchased the team for $1.4 billion in 2014.
“I think it starts with the ownership,” Beane said. “What does your ownership want? Do they want to just make money? Some of them say they want to win, but are they giving you an open checkbook to make it work? The Pegula’s — they’ve given (head coach) Sean (McDermott) and I every single resource — I’m not even just talking about player costs, I’m talking about doing things to our facilities, upgrades to our fields, whatever we need, they help us out.”
Beane Said He Still Thinks Zack Moss ‘Is a Good Player’
In order to facilitate the trade for Hines, Buffalo sent over running back Zack Moss and a conditional sixth-round pick in 2023. Moss, whom the Bills drafted in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft, never seemed to find his rhythm in Buffalo, and after he was made a healthy scratch against the Chiefs in Week 6, the writing seemed to be on the wall.
Beane told McAfee on Friday that he believes Moss will have the chance to thrive in Indianapolis. “We still think he’s a good player,” Beane said, “But ya know, he was stuck in a tough spot behind Devin Singeltary and not getting the touches. Hopefully, he’ll go to Indy and that’ll work out for him.”
During the Bills’ 27-17 win over the Green Bay Packers, Moss was active but didn’t participate in a single snap as the Bills turned to rookie running back James Cook instead. USA Today’s Bradley Gelber tweeted, “Really rocky start to Zack Moss’s career with the #Bills. Looked a lot better early on this season after getting healthy, but seems like a fresh start will be good for him.”
How Will Hines Impact Singletary & Cook?
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GettyDevin Singletary #26 of the Buffalo Bills rushes during the first half against the Green Bay Packers at Highmark Stadium on October 30, 2022 in Orchard Park, New York.
Even with Hines joining the team, Singletary is expected to continue as the team’s No. 1 running back. Singletary put up season-high numbers during Buffalo’s 24-20 victory over the Chiefs, carrying the ball 17 times for 85 yards along with four receptions for 22 yards, per Pro Football Reference. Against the Packers in Week 8, he added another 14 rushes for 67 yards, along with one reception for 16 yards.
While Cook will remain in the mix for touches, the Bills’ second-round pick from the 2022 NFL Draft will likely take a backseat to Hines. Spectrum News 1 Buffalo reporter Jon Scott tweeted on Tuesday, “Adding Hines doesn’t mean #Bills are out on James Cook, but clearly indication they aren’t ready to trust him as prominent part of offense this season. Team in full win-now mode and leaning on trusted and proven vet clearly option they prefer presently.”
As for special teams, WROC-TV’s Thad Brown believes Hines will make an immediate impact. Brown tweeted, “Hines has been the Colts top punt returner since he got into the league. Ran two back for a TD his rookie season. Has been consistently a top ten guy since. Will likely take that job off Khalil Shakir’s plate.”
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