[jwplayer 1DUxLeKd]
The Buffalo Bills might’ve just done the Cincinnati Bengals a huge solid.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Bills released offensive guard Quinton Spain. And it just so happens the Bengals have a massive need at the position.
Spain, 29, was a cost-cutting move by the Bills after he signed a three-year extension this offseason but has missed two of the team’s last three games. He’s immediate help for a team willing to roll the dice on the circumstances behind his unexpected release and he enters free agency right away.
And as Evan McPhillips of Pro Football Focus pointed out, he’d be a good upgrade on either guard spot for the Bengals compared to their current starters:
For those wondering, Spain has recorded a @PFF pass-blocking grade of 70+ every season, but has only a 51.7 in 110 pass-blocking snaps this year.
While a 51.7 pass-blocking grade isn’t great, it’s higher than the season pass-blocking grades for Jordan (45.3) and Redmond (34.8). https://t.co/bo5NpUjkAK
— Evan McPhillips (@emcphil) October 21, 2020
Spain isn’t elite by any means, yet a veteran with four years of starting experience isn’t something to scoff at right now. And to be blunt, the Mike Jordan experiment has been a disaster. At right guard, Xavier Su’a-Filo hasn’t been healthy and the team can’t count on him to be back 100 percent all season.
Considering tackle play has actually improved and center was never an issue, guard remains one of the biggest problems on the roster. If Spain can come in and start on the left side while XSF gets back to the right side for even half a season, it betters the odds the team can properly protect Joe Burrow while he develops.
Anything less than the Bengals putting feelers out on Spain would be negligence.