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John asks: After not even playing 50% of the plays this past season, James Cook has announced he wants to make $15 million going forward. Hopefully, Brandon Beane doesn鈥檛 make the same mistake he made with Dawson Knox and overpay a player who scores a bunch of touchdowns in one season. Cook is a good player, but not a difference maker such as Saquon Barkley with the Eagles.

Jay: You can believe two things to be true at once. The first is that James Cook had one of best seasons of any running back in the NFL in 2024, and deserves to cash in when he hits free agency. The second is that the Bills would be wise to avoid being the team that hands him that fat paycheck. If I鈥檓 general manager Brandon Beane, dealing with Cook鈥檚 contract is not high on my priority list, at the moment. Beane needs to deal with not only getting under the salary cap, but creating enough space to upgrade his roster in free agency. He needs to have a plan for the upcoming draft. All of that takes priority over a possible extension for Cook, who is heading into the final year of his contract. The Bills also have to plan for Greg Rousseau, Terrel Bernard and Christian Benford, who are set to become unrestricted free agents after the 2025 season. Beane does have franchise tag that he can rely on, but that only guarantees one of them is back for 2026 if he uses it.

Led by Saquon Barkley with the Eagles, running backs have enjoyed a resurgence in the NFL. That has happened at a good time for Cook, who plays a position with a short shelf life and should look to cash in when he hits free agency. I can鈥檛 say enough good things about Cook鈥檚 performance in the AFC championship game. His touchdown run is one of the better individual efforts I鈥檝e ever seen 鈥� an opinion shared by coach Sean McDermott and quarterback Josh Allen.

It won鈥檛 be an easy decision for Beane, but it is not one that needs to be made right now. Cook doesn鈥檛 have a ton of leverage at the moment.

Rick asks: What鈥檚 the current thinking on Damar Hamlin? Did he exceed expectations and, if so, by how much? Will the Bills feel the need to strengthen the safety position in the offseason through an early draft pick and/or free agency? Or, looking forward, are they quite happy with what/who they have?

Jay: Very few thought that Hamlin would emerge from training camp as the starter. He did, then he held onto the job the entire season. Viewed that way, he absolutely exceeded expectations by a great deal. Even so, it doesn鈥檛 necessarily mean he will be back. The Bills re-signed Taylor Rapp last offseason, and he is still under contract for two more years. Cole Bishop was drafted in the second round last year. It would be a disappointment if he didn鈥檛 find his way into the starting lineup sooner, rather than later. That might not leave room for Hamlin. If he finds an opportunity elsewhere to be a starter, his departure is a definite possibility. With or without Hamlin, the Bills could look to upgrade their safety room.

Ed in Tonawanda asks: I think the Bills need to worry more about Andy Reid than Patrick Mahomes. Given the fact that Sean McDermott is supposedly a defensive coach, I鈥檓 surprised we get outcoached as much we do against Kansas City in the playoffs. With the hire of Ryan Nielsen, how will that affect Bobby Babich and McDermott?

Also, given all the negative feedback regarding the season鈥檚 officiating, based on the phantom calls and no-calls against certain players, now that Josh Allen has MVP status and barring any significant changes by the league, can the Bills expect more consistent officiating in the future?

Jay: I鈥檓 not sure we should be surprised at all. In Andy Reid, the Chiefs have one of the best offensive minds in NFL history running the show. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo also has proven to be one of the best in league history, as well. The Bills were asking 35-year-old Joe Brady and first-year defensive coordinator Bobby Babich to match wits against them, so should we really be surprised that the Chiefs enjoyed a coaching advantage? Eight years into his career as Bills coach, Sean McDermott has shown an inability to beat Reid, his mentor, when it matters most. We shouldn鈥檛 be surprised anymore. I don鈥檛 anticipate the addition of Nielsen resulting in major changes to the defense. That means it still will be McDermott鈥檚 scheme, and it still will be Babich鈥檚 job to be the play-caller. However, it will be interesting to see if the Bills shift to more of a man-to-man defense and away from the zone coverage they primarily play. That seems like a possibility.

As for the officiating, Allen will get his share of calls as the league MVP. The league wants to protect its star players. That is understandable. Officiating, however, remains a concern league wide. It is imperative that the most popular sport in America does everything it can to get the best officiating possible. It is hard to conclude that the NFL consistently does.

Gary B. asks: It has often been said that 鈥渟peed kills鈥� in virtually all sports, yet Brandon Beane does not seem to value it very highly in his player-evaluation model. The most recent example is his decision to pass on Xavier Worthy in favor of Keon Coleman in last year鈥檚 draft. After one season, that seems like a huge mistake. Worthy has demonstrated game-changing ability, while Coleman has struggled to get separation and evokes memories of Kelvin Benjamin. With critical personnel decisions coming up this offseason, what do you think the odds are that Beane is capable of some self-scouting and recognizes that the team needs more speed across its roster if it is to get to the ultimate goal of winning a Super Bowl?

Brenda Alesii asks: Let the speculation begin. Last year, Patrick Mahomes advocated for Hollywood Brown to sign with the Chiefs, which he did. Now it鈥檚 being said that Josh Allen would like the Bills to bring the speedy receiver on board. How likely might that be?

Jay: I鈥檇 say it鈥檚 close to 100% that Beane acquires a wide receiver with the ability to stretch the field vertically this offseason. It is a clear and obvious need on the roster. To Brenda鈥檚 question, Brown is hitting free agency at the wrong time, having missed most of the 2024 season with an injury. He has proven to be a vertical threat in previous stops, so it stands to reason the Bills might have some level of interest.

Jeff Miller asks: Watching the Eagles play Sunday, wondering if the Bills were playing them instead of Kansas City, it made me think that the same embarrassing outcome would have happened. Your take? After watching the dismantling of Kansas City, will that change anything as far as what we need in the draft and free agency?

Jay: I do think that the Bills would have had their hands full with the Eagles, who looked every bit like the best team in the NFL in dismantling the Chiefs. I鈥檓 not sure whether that should make Bills fans feel better or worse, though. Instead, it drove home the idea that building a dominant defensive line should be Brandon Beane鈥檚 No. 1 offseason priority. That should be his focus in free agency and the draft, along with potentially acquiring another wide receiver if Amari Cooper departs 鈥� ideally, one who can stretch the field, as mentioned above 鈥� and another cornerback if Rasul Douglas leaves.

Ken from Hamburg asks: You have said the Bills are over the salary cap by $11 million. What鈥檚 the Chiefs鈥� cap space? Josh Allen is worth every penny of his salary, but do you think he would take a cut just for the Bills to be able to afford better players? I believe Tom Brady did this for the Patriots. Do you see any good defensive line prospects in the upcoming draft?

Jay: Contracts website has the Chiefs with an estimated $5 million in cap space, but the team has several key free agents, including Hollywood Brown, Justin Reid, Trey Smith, Kareem Hunt and Nick Bolton.

As for Allen, it would not surprise me if he took less than his maximum potential earnings to give the Bills a better chance to win. You鈥檙e correct that Brady did that throughout his career in New England. I can鈥檛 speak for Allen, but my thinking is he is wired in a similar way.

As for the defensive line prospects in the draft, speaking generally right now, it is considered to be a deep year in the draft up front. That is good news for the Bills. We鈥檒l have multiple articles on the draft as it approaches with a more thorough breakdown of the available prospects coming soon.

Ed Helinski asks: Put yourself in Brandon Beane鈥檚 shoes. Which one of these defensive studs 鈭� TJ Watt, Myles Garrett, Trey Hendrickson, Maxx Crosby, Khalil Mack or the Bosa brothers 鈭� would you pursue to upgrade the Bills鈥� defense? Who are you liking? Or would you prefer avoiding overpaying for a player with worn on the tread?

Jay: Of that list, Crosby is my personal favorite. I think he鈥檇 fit in perfectly in the Bills鈥� room, is a bit younger than Garrett (who is my No. 2 choice) and is a complete defensive end.

John Hammond asks: Given the clear blueprint the Eagles gave for bullying Patrick Mahomes to the point of ineffectiveness, how close is the Bills鈥� defensive line to the Eagles鈥� personnel 鈥� player by player and stat by stat, in size, speed, and tenacity? How much more do we need to match them, and what avenues do we have to get there?

Jay: Here is how the Eagles鈥� defensive line starters in the Super Bowl measured up: Jalen Carter, 6-foot-3, 314 pounds. Jordan Davis, 6-6, 336. Josh Sweat, 6-5, 265. Nolan Smith, 6-2, 236. The Bills鈥� front four starters in the AFC championship game were Greg Rousseau (6-6, 266), A.J. Epenesa (6-6, 260), Ed Oliver (6-1, 287) and DaQuan Jones (6-4, 320). So, the Eagles are a little bigger in the trenches, and a little smaller on the edge, but the measurements are comparable. To me, it鈥檚 less about the measurements and more about the impact each player made. Against the Chiefs in the AFC championship game, the Bills didn鈥檛 get enough from Rousseau, Epenesa, Oliver, Jones and Von Miller. The Eagles鈥� performance in the Super Bowl really drove home that point. Philadelphia exploited a weak offensive line of Kansas City in a way that the Bills simply couldn鈥檛. Figuring out why and constructing a roster that can do it has to be the offseason goal for Beane.

Sam Ruggiero asks: Now that the Super Bowl is over and the best team won, thank goodness, let鈥檚 turn our attention to next season. Can the Bills try to acquire Myles Garrett and fit him into their salary cap? He could be a huge missing piece we need in our run stuff and pass rush to get us to Super Bowl LX.

Jay: If Garrett is dead set on being traded, the Browns would be wise to pursue that avenue, because they don鈥檛 want an unhappy superstar on their hands. If he鈥檚 shopped, the Bills should absolutely be interested. The Bills have invested heavily in both draft capital and dollars in free agency along the defensive line, to varying degrees of success. Beane needs to keep taking swings to build the best defensive line possible, and Garrett would be the biggest such swing.

Thank you for all the questions this week! I’m on vacation next week, but will be back for the NFL scouting combine the following week. As a reminder, they can be submitted via X to @JaySkurski or by email to jskurski@buffnews.com.