BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Despite moving up just two spots to select Utah tight end Dalton Kincaid in the first round of last week’s NFL Draft, the trade orchestrated by Bills general manager Brandon Beane was anything but simple.

Beane joined the Green Light with Chris Long podcast earlier this week and discussed the phone calls and nervy moments that wound up landing the Bills their target, Kincaid, on Draft Day. In addition, Beane provided an update on Von Miller’s status as the season approaches as well as the story of Josh Allen starting the Vikings game this past season despite his elbow injury.

Story of the Dalton Kincaid trade-up

Beane traded away the No. 27 and No. 130 picks in the draft to the Jacksonville Jaguars for the 25th overall selection, which the Bills then used to draft Kincaid.

“We came into the draft with six picks, and so I wasn’t looking to move up and use one of those assets,” Beane said. “Dalton was a guy we just thought was a really good fit, lot of love for.”

The Giants originally held the pick and Beane was in contact with their general manager, Joe Schoen — who was Buffalo’s assistant GM from 2017 until 2021 — until the Giants and Jaguars swapped selections. Then came the process of coaxing Jacksonville general manager Trent Baalke into making the deal.

“At that point, jumped on the phone with Jacksonville, and they were a little antsy about moving. They asked a lot of questions,” Beane said.

According to Beane, Baalke roughly told him that unless the Jaguars knew who the Bills intended to take with the 25th pick, they would not make a deal in order to protect their own target.

The NFL Draft’s version of an interrogation ensued.

“[Baalke] goes, ‘offense or defense?’ and I said ‘offense’ and he goes ‘alright, I need more,'” Beane said. “Then he goes ‘big or small?’ and I said ‘medium.’”

From there, the mystery of the Bills’ target position (tight end) was revealed, and Baalke told Beane he’d call him back. After a nervy couple of minutes with no returned call, Beane reached back out and assured the Jaguars they were not taking the same guy, and the deal was struck.

Fortunately, the trade worked out for both sides, as Jacksonville drafted its original target, Oklahoma offensive tackle Anton Harrison, at pick No. 27.

Von Miller ready for Week 1?

After tearing his ACL on Thanksgiving Day this past season, Bills pass rusher Von Miller has been working his way back for the upcoming season — and according to Beane, it sounds like he’s making great progress.

“He’s a genetic freak, he’s doing well,” Beane said. “He’s got a chance to be ready by the opener, it’ll be close. He’s pushing for it, I think we’ll have to hold him back if anything.”

Miller’s ACL tear marked the second of his NFL career, with the first coming back in 2013. The average recovery time for football players coming off an ACL tear is in the range of nine months, and it would be around nine months exactly since his surgery on Dec. 7 when the 2023 season begins in September.

While every player is different, it took Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White almost a year to the day to return from his Thanksgiving Day ACL tear in 2021.

If the 34-year-old Miller is not ready for opening day, the Bills have a couple of options: they could put him on the reserve/physically unable to perform (PUP) list, which would keep him out at least the first four weeks of the season but keep a roster spot open, or activate him and hold out the three-time All-Pro for a game or two to start the campaign and insert him into the lineup when he’s ready.

What was Josh Allen’s elbow injury like behind the scenes?

Bills Mafia likely felt a collective stomach drop when quarterback Josh Allen suffered an elbow injury in a Week 9 loss to the New York Jets, which led to a week of guessing as to his status for Week 10 against the Minnesota Vikings.

“We didn’t even think he was going to play [against the Vikings],” Beane said. “The doctors told us on that Monday this is probably a one- to three-week deal … [Josh] is telling me all week ‘I’m playing, I’m playing.’ I’m like, ‘Not if the doc doesn’t clear you.'”

After not throwing any passes Wednesday or Thursday, Allen threw about 30 on Friday to see how his elbow would respond. In the end, an outside doctor cleared the 26-year-old but warned him: no unnecessary hits.

As Beane and Bills fans watched on, Allen battled through the injury and played against Minnesota in what many declared the game of the year. In the second quarter, Allen scrambled to pick up a first down and then some. But, instead of opting to slide, he lowered his shoulder to take on the incoming tackler — drawing cheers from the Highmark Stadium crowd and dismay from Beane.

“I’m calling down to our trainer like, ‘Dude, tell this guy at halftime no more or I’m going to pull his a** out of the game,” Beane said.

The trainer did relay Beane’s message, and Allen responded with just a smile.

“That’s who he is, you love him,” Beane said of Allen. “He just can’t help it. He gets in the middle of it and he just turns the switch of where he plays the game like a middle linebacker.”