The Washington Redskins have failed to sign restricted free agent wide receiver J.D. McKissic and the Buffalo Bills GM claims that he “swooped” in at the last second without Buffalo’s knowledge as a response, which led to their decision not to match his offer sheet.
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You can typically trust the information you get from the NFL media when it comes to free agency negotiations. That trade is virtually guaranteed to materialize once an agreement is made and the information is “leaked” to an NFL insider. Unfortunately for the Buffalo Bills, that wasn’t the case with running back J.D. McKissic, who returned to the Washington Commanders after agreeing to join the Bills in principle.
What caused this to happen? Everyone, save one side, did the right thing, according to Bills general manager Brandon Beane. That’s why Beane holds the Commanders solely responsible for the deal’s failure.
J.D. McKissic, a running back with the Buffalo Bills, has opted out of his contract.
J.D. McKissic and Brandon Beane (L-R) | Getty Images/John Fisher; Getty Images/Michael Hickey
Last season, the Buffalo Bills came up 13 seconds shy of winning their second straight AFC Championship Game. Despite the sad outcome, the club and its supporters took solace in the knowledge that the Bills would enter the 2022 season with one of the most complete teams in the NFL and would be among the favorites to win it all.
That didn’t mean general manager Brandon Beane and head coach Doug McDermott were free to relax over the summer. The Bills’ front staff still needed to address specific concerns and make moves to improve the team’s talent.
At the running back position, one of those concerns exists.
The Bills’ three primary running backs last season were:
- Devin Singletary had 870 yards on 188 rushes, 40 receptions for 228 yards, eight touchdowns, and five fumbles.
- Zack Moss had 345 yards on 96 rushes, 23 receptions for 197 yards, five touchdowns, and two fumbles.
- Matt Breida: 125 yards on 26 rushes, 72 yards on seven receptions, three touchdowns, and one fumble
With 2,209 yards running, the Bills finished sixth in the league. When quarterback Josh Allen’s 763 yards are removed, the team’s running performance slips to 31st in the 32-team league.
Beane wanted to bring in a back to complement Singletary, particularly in the passing game, to address the RB situation. J.D. McKissic had 48 carries for 212 yards and 43 receptions for 397 yards with four touchdowns and zero fumbles in only 11 games last season.
It was a good signing that would have enhanced the Bills’ attack in 2022 by rounding out the running back corps.
McKissic then pulled out of the agreement.
Brandon Beane accuses the Washington Commanders of breaking the NFL’s unwritten rules.
WOW. #Bills GM Brandon Beane clearly not happy with the Washington Commanders grabbing J.D. McKissic out from under them.
“Once you have an agreement, the agent is supposed to say, ‘It’s over.’ And this agent did that. … But the other club didn’t back off.” pic.twitter.com/bGdfkx9hfZ
— Nick Veronica (@NickVeronica) March 18, 2022
After the surprising and, to be honest, humiliating news that J.D. McKissic had backed out of his free-agent pact with the Buffalo Bills, GM Brandon Beane spoke to the media about what had transpired from his perspective.
When it came to blaming one side, the Washington Commanders front office, the former Carolina Panthers personnel executive didn’t hold back.
In the days after the news, a clearly irritated Beane informed reporters how the McKissic transaction went down in a press conference:
That was a difficult task. Obviously, [McKissic] was someone we wanted to work with, and in this industry, having an agreement is a good thing. But until the page is inked… There were some issues with the other organization, which were unpleasant to deal with. However, they decided to do what they did, and I was powerless to stop them.
The Washington Commanders’ Brandon Beane
Beane then complimented McKissic’s agency. He claimed he’d been in situations previously when agents pitted teams against one other in order to obtain more money or a better contract, but that wasn’t the case here.
“Once you’ve reached an agreement, the agent should announce, ‘It’s done.’” Beane told reporters, “And this agent accomplished it.” “And this agent informed the other team, ‘It’s over.’” The opposing team, on the other hand, refused to back down.”
While no more details were available, Beane’s subtle assault on the front staff of another team said a lot. NFL executives are a close-knit club, and matter what its members may think of one another, they seldom go public about private differences.
To put it bluntly, the Buffalo Bills and Washington Commanders are unlikely to form a partnership anytime soon.
In the Bills’ running back room, Duke Johnson has taken over for McKissic.
A potential J.D McKissic replacement has arrived in Buffalo: veteran RB Duke Johnson is signing a one-year deal with the Bills, per his agents @DrewJRosenhaus and @NFLrecord.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 21, 2022
Brandon Beane and the Buffalo Bills still had a running back void to fill when McKissic returned to the Washington Commanders. Devin Singletary and Zack Moss are still under contract until 2022, but Matt Breida is a free agent, and the Bills’ brass clearly wanted to add at least one more veteran.
Beane replaced former Miami Dolphins running back Duke Johnson in that post on Monday, March 21. Johnson is a seven-year NFL veteran who has previously played for the Houston Texans and Cleveland Browns. He attended the University of Miami.
Johnson joined with the Dolphins in October after being released by the Texans early in the 2021 season. In his first game down in Florida in Week 11, the back sustained a hip injury, but he returned and had some solid performances in Weeks 15 through 18.
Johnson has 83 carries for 410 yards and 44 receptions for 410 yards with five touchdowns and one fumble in his final complete NFL season (2019).
Johnson brings to Buffalo a style that is akin to McKissic’s, which is beneficial. Johnson’s output hasn’t been as impressive of late, and despite the fact that the two are the same age, Johnson’s injury history is concerning.
This time, Beane didn’t get his guy, but he did get someone comparable, which is a good thing. Regardless of how Johnson performs in 2022, after witnessing Beane’s rage at the Washington Commanders, the GM is unlikely to forget this episode anytime soon.
Pro Football Reference provided all stats.
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