Here is Bills Wire’s position-by-position breakdown of the team’s roster, continuing with the offensive line, including the season that was and projecting forward:
The Buffalo Bills offensive line underwent a massive transformation between 2018 and 2019. The team brought in several free agents, including center Mitch Morse, interior lineman Spencer Long, guard Quinton Spain, guard Jon Feliciano, tackle Ty Nsekhe, and tackle LaAdraian Waddle. Buffalo added Oklahoma tackle Cody Ford with their 2019 second-round draft pick. They also traded for depth lineman Ryan Bates.
It was quite the turnover, as the team jettisoned center Russell Bodine, center/guard Ryan Groy, guard John Miller, guard Vlad Ducasse, guard Watt Teller, tackle Jordan Mills, tackle Connor McDermott, and tackle Marshall Newhouse.
That’s a lot of movement on the transaction page.
It paid dividends for the Bills, as the line was more cohesive and generally provided better pass protection for quarterback Josh Allen. The only returning starter, left tackle Dion Dawkins, had a solid season defending Allen’s blind side.
Buffalo found absolute steals at the guard positions, as Spain and Feliciano anchored the interior of the line at a combined cap hit of just under $6 million. Mitch Morse, the Bills biggest signing on the offseason, returned from injury and filled the gap left behind by the retirement of Eric Wood in 2017.
The right tackle position was won by the rookie Ford. However, when Ford struggled, the team leaned on Nshkhe to provide a stabilizing force. It worked well as Ford adjusted to the professional game.
Cap situation
Morse leads the way, with three more years on his contract. This upcoming season, the former Chief will count $11.625 million against the cap. Ford enters the second year of his rookie deal, chiming in at approximately $1.7 million against the books. Depth lineman Ryan Bates is the only other player officially signed beyond the 2020 season.
Dawkins, Nsekhe, and Felicano enter the final year of their respective contracts after the 2020 season. Each player will be an unrestricted free agent. Ike Boettger enters the final year of his contract, but he will be a restricted free agent after next season.
The Bills have a club option on Long. If exercised, it would cost the Bills $4.125 million against the salary cap. If not, the dead cap hit is $700,000.
Spain and Waddle are unrestricted free agents. Spain was a pleasant surprise, helping hold down the interior of the line. Waddle missed the season with a quad injury that he suffered in August.
The future
This unit is very interesting to examine, as there is a strong possibility that four of the returning five starters will be back in their starting role next year. Spain outperformed expectations. He is in line for a pay raise. The question will be: how much will he garner on the open market? If the Bills wish to further develop a starting unit based on consistency, then they will make an offer to keep Spain in the fold.
If they do sign Spain, then they will most likely have three players under contract for the next three seasons (Morse and Ford are the others). Buffalo will then move their focus to Felciano and Dawkins next offseason.
Dawkins is an interesting case, as he could command major money in the open market. Spotrac calculates his market value at $14.3 million. With several major pieces commanding big money in the future (Josh Allen, Matt Milano, Tremaine Edmunds), it will be interesting to see if the Bills dive in and extend Dawkins.
With this in mind, it would not be shocking for the Bills to take an offensive lineman in the draft, even as high as a day two pick. They have Bates and Boettger as depth players, but neither will command starting snaps.
It’s unlikely that the Bills make a big splash this offseason and sign an offensive lineman. They’re pressing their luck if they wish to find another version of Spain–a player who outperforms his contract in the manner that the former Titan did for the Buffalo.
If they’re willing to spend a little more on the interior of the line, Buffalo could take a look at Detroit’s Graham Glasgow. He clocked in as PFF’s 12th best interior offensive lineman in 2019.
In addition, could a draft pick do that same job as Long? Possibly, as Long played over half of the snaps in only three games this year. Buffalo could exercise Long’s option and have him take Spain’s spot. However, Spain’s production might be missed.
If Buffalo is feeling quite adventurous, they could test the offensive tackle market. It’s a long shot, but they could bump Dawkins to guard, and then find a tackle such as Anthony Costonzo, DJ Humphries, or Daryl Williams (former Panther) as options. It’s a long shot, but all scenarios might as well be on the table.
Note: Contract information is made available via Spotrac.
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