This debate has been going for years, albeit with different terminology. I remember Chuck Knox bringing in Phil Vilipiano and Isaih Robertson for the same effect. He insisted they were important to the growth of the team but let them go as soon as they weren’t useful. I still consider the Bobby Chandler/Phil V trade one of the worst Bills’ moves ever, but Knox had results to back him up.
If Eakin and Hayden have done their job helping build the “culture,” moving on from them shouldn’t be an issue.