Bills should shop the delusional Clements

By Connor Byrne  |   Thursday, April 13, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

Buffalo Bills
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At the Buffalo Bills' first minicamp last weekend, one of the team's most notable players, cornerback Nate Clements, was conspicuous in his absence. However, the fact that Clements failed to show up didn't at all come as a surprise, since he has not yet signed the one-year tender that goes along with being the Bills' franchise player. Should Clements sign the franchise tag tender, he'll earn $7.2 million next season, but don't look for that to happen any time soon.

The reason Clements hasn't signed his one-year tender yet is because he is currently seeking a long-term contract congruent to the elite cornerbacks in the league, such as Denver Broncos All-Pro Champ Bailey. However, after a disappointing 2005 campaign in which Clements was regularly toasted by opposing receivers, he'll be lucky to earn anything near Bailey's seven-year, $63 million dollar contract. Still, that hasn't stopped Clements from sitting at home and having his contract talks with the Bills essentially hit a standstill. It doesn't look like the Bills are in any hurry to give Clements a long-term offer, and it doesn't appear that the 26-year-old has any interest in the one-year deal on the table now.

The best route the Bills could take as of this moment is to shop their No. 1 cornerback around to see if any team is interested in giving up a late first-round draft choice for him. Teams such as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at No. 23 overall, the New York Jets at No. 29 overall and the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 32nd choice all may have interest in talking with the Bills.

The Bucs currently have Ronde Barber as their No. 1 corner, but they might be willing to cut the 31-year-old All-Pro in favor of the younger Clements. The same could be said for their No. 2 corner, 30-year-old Brian Kelly. Cornerbacks over the age of 30 tend to be dangerous territory for teams looking to have dominant defenses. Although some have dominated in older ages, such as Ty Law, most lose multiple steps. The youthful Clements would be a welcome addition to Monte Kiffin's defense, so long as he agrees on a long-term deal.

As for the second team mentioned, the rival New York Jets, they seem in dire straits at the cornerback position. Currently, the Jets' top two corners are Justin Miller and David Barrett, but neither is capable right now of being a shutdown corner. Barrett's stats were terrific last season with five interceptions, but he can be a liability in coverage. As for Miller, he played in limited duty last season, so he didn't make any significant contributions in the secondary. A starting duo of Clements and Barrett would be terrific, especially with Miller playing the nickel.

Lastly, the final selection in this year's first-round is held by the reigning Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers. Oddly enough, the Steelers are going through a similar problem with restricted free agent Ike Taylor as the Bills are with Clements. Taylor refuses to sign the one-year RFA tender because he wants a long-term deal. However, much like Clements, Taylor is having some delusions of grandeur because he probably isn't worth a massive contract. Outside of Taylor, the Steelers bring solid 30-year-old veteran DeShea Townsend, who would make a terrific tandem with Clements.

Obviously, working out a Clements trade for a first-round pick would be a move of sheer brilliance by Bills GM Marv Levy, so don't necessarily expect it to materialize. Few GM's are crafty enough to franchise tag a player and then trade him for a high-pick. Ironically, former Bills GM Tom Donahoe did it in 2003 when he received a first-round choice for franchise player Peerless Price; Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum did it this offseason when he acquired a first-rounder in a three-way trade involving franchise defensive end John Abraham.

Even if the Buffalo Bills could acquire a high second-rounder and a mid-round pick for Clements a deal would be worthwhile. Why? Because the Bills need to stockpile on picks to help in their rebuilding effort, and they will have some difficulty retaining Clements past this season anyway, unless they franchise him for a second straight season.

Many may be clamoring that Clements' loss would leave a large dent in the Bills' secondary, but it's actually not quite true in the Cover 2 defense, if the defensive line can get pressure on the opposing quarterback. Should the Bills trade Clements and acquire more picks, they could dedicate this year's draft to building their defensive line. That would be a terrific route for Levy to go, so don't rule it out.

--Connor Byrne can be reached at cbyrne@realfootball365.com.
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