Buffalo Bills offensive lineman Quinton Spain wears his status as a player who was once an undrafted prospect on his sleeve. The 29-year-old even refers to himself as “Mr. Undrafted.” It’s all over his social media.
Flash forward to earlier this offseason and Spain’s drive as a former UDFA helped him land a brand new three-year deal with the Bills after taking over starting duties in 2019. For the team, the desire was clear, keep their continuity along the offensive line.
In that same light, Spain said speaking via video conference on Tuesday from the team’s training camp, that his reasoning for wanting to return to the Bills was a comfortable fit as well. But what exactly made him comfortable with the Bills? Well… being uncomfortable, he explained.
“We got the same mindset from when I first came here: Competition,” Spain said. “That’s why I really like Buffalo. When I first came here, they told me straight up, nobody’s job is safe. We playing the best. So coming up undrafted, that’s all I know is competition. That chip on your shoulder… and that’s really the reason why I came back here.
“It makes you get better every year because you know they bringing guys in for competition every year. You can’t all offseason, doing what you want to do, and lose a step or something like that. You’ve got to remember that [training] camp is competition, no matter what.”
Spain’s mentality is clear to see. This offseason, it’s a physical one. Spain went through a body makeover of sorts during his quarantine. Each year, the Bills’ stretch and conditioning staff holds and offseason contest of sorts. At the end, an “Iron Bills Champion” is crowned. Spain was this offseason’s winner. The lineman didn’t indicate his weight shifted much on Tuesday, but rather, he indicated he lost fat and bulked up on muscle. In doing so, Spain’s hopeful to improve his run-blocking skills while also not giving up anything in pass protection. Last season, he was credited with allowing zero sacks all year.
Even prior to the physical changes, Spain was shown to be a match for Buffalo. At locker clean out day, quarterback Josh Allen was asked about Spain being a pending free agent at the time. Allen went above and beyond to tout Spain’s importance.
“He’s been awesome for us,” Allen said. “Just his mindset, his attitude, the way he plays, he brings a fire. He’s a really good dude, too. I love him and I wish we’d get him back too. I know it’s the nature of the business. If I had a say, we’d have him back.”
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