Tag: ike boettger

5 players the Bills could lose to free agency

Players the Buffalo Bills could be losing in 2021 Free agency.

The NFL free agent market opens next week. On Monday, teams can start talking to pending free agents from other clubs and then can finally sign them on Wednesday.

Last week the league announced the final decreased salary cap in 2021 would be $182.5 million. After that, the Bills made cuts, contract restructures and even re-signings.

Considering all those factors, especially the extensions handed out to the likes of linebacker Matt Milano and offensive lineman Daryl Williams, the Bills won’t be able to bring back everyone from last season.

With that, here are five players that the Bills could possibly lose in free agency:

Buffalo Bills free agency review: OL Ike Boettger

Buffalo Bills 2020 free agent review for OL Ike Boettger.

The Buffalo Bills enter the 2021 offseason after completing their most successful season in 25 years. While this good performance has folks brimming over with confidence, it does mean that some players who have played out their contract will look for a payday and possibly greener pastures. On the flip side, maybe the Bills could upgrade?

In this edition of the free agency review, Bills Wire takes a look at offensive lineman Ike Boettger:

Buffalo Bills roster analysis: Interior offensive line

Buffalo Bills roster analysis of guards and centers and look ahead to 2021 including Mitch Morse, Jon Feliciano.

The Buffalo Bills had an excellent 2020 season as a team, but position-by-position is a different story. Some were better than others and as the offseason is now in full swing, Bills Wire will give a quick analysis of the team’s current roster by reflecting on the season that was and looking ahead to 2021.

Next up, here is our breakdown on the team’s interior offensive line units:

Bills address O-line in Todd McShay’s first 2021 mock draft

Buffalo Bills select Ohio State OL Wyatt Davis in ESPN Todd McShay’s first 2021 NFL mock draft.

The Buffalo Bills have much bigger things to worry about right now instead of the 2021 NFL Draft. With the Bills’ upcoming Wild Card weekend matchup with the Indianapolis Colts (11-5) just a day away, the NFL Draft seems like a lifetime from now.

But for most of the league, it’s not, and those clubs are hoping to change their fortunes at the upcoming rookie selection extravaganza. Because of that, ESPN NFL Draft guru Todd McShay released his first mock draft of the offseason this week and despite not holding a top pick, the Bills (13-3) are still in it.

Picking all the way back at No. 29 overall based off of ESPN’s FPI (Football Power Index), Buffalo addresses their offensive line in the mock. The pick is Ohio State’s Wyatt Davis.

Here’s how McShay breaks down the selection:

The Josh Allen-Stefon Diggs connection was electric this season, but with Jon Feliciano, Daryl Williams and Brian Winters starring (sic) at free agency, the interior offensive line will likely need new blood to keep Allen upright and flinging it to Diggs. Cody Ford will return from a knee injury, but Davis has the 315-pound size, mobility and awareness to make a big impact. In 666 pass-blocking snaps over the past two seasons, Davis has allowed just two sacks.

Offensive line in several areas could be an idea for the Bills  to consider addressing this offseason, certainly. Their biggest free agent is likely Williams at right tackle, who’s had a career resurgence in his first year with the Bills. He was their best overall player on the O-line, per Pro Football Focus, in 2020, even just edging out left tackle Dion Dawkins.

In the middle is more the area of concern if Williams is locked up. Not only are Feliciano, Boettger and Winters free agents, they, along with Ford, have left something to be desired there, at times. As pass protectors the bulk of Buffalo’s offensive lineman have had promising play this season. Run blocking improvement is the biggest of all needs for the Bills in terms of offensive line play.

Feliciano is likely the best of the bunch so the Bills could lock up him, or try to, but still, general improved play could be found along Buffalo’s O-line in the middle. The same goes for Mitch Morse at center, too.

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Report card: Bills top Broncos, 48-19

Buffalo Bills Week 15 report card following their win over the Denver Broncos.

The Bills are the kings of the AFC East in 2020.

Following their win… no, destruction, of the Denver Broncos (5-9) on Saturday in Week 15, 48-19, Buffalo (11-3) cannot be caught in the divisional race. Moving forward, there is still plenty to play for, but before looking ahead to the rest of the regular season, let’s hand out some grades.

Here’s Bills Wire’s report card for the Bills following their Week 15 win over the Broncos:

Stock up, stock down following the Bills’ win over the Broncos

Stock report following the Buffalo Bills’ win over the Denver Broncos.

In the route that was the Buffalo Bills’ win over the Denver Broncos, one could pretty easily guess which way the stock status of many went.

On Saturday, that outing saw the Bills (11-3) top the Broncos in a massive 48-19 final score. The biggest storyline from it was the Bills’ clinching the AFC East title for the first time in 25 years.

Before we get to where Buffalo goes from here, let’s take a look at the latest stock report for the tea, following Week 15:

Stock down

Bills wide receiver Andre Roberts. (AP Photo/Justin Edmonds)

OL Ike Boettger

The Bills offensive line really only had one weak spot against the Broncos and it was left guard Ike Boettger. After struggling against the Steelers’ Cam Heyward two weeks ago, Boettger was beaten a couple times in Denver. On one occasion, Boettger let a rusher right in on quarterback Josh Allen, who bailed out the guard with an impressive pass to tight end Dawson Knox. Allen was hit low on that play though, something you never want to see.

Boettger also had issues with multiple penalties. He was part of the red zone situation when the Bills were going the wrong way. Boettger’s overall Pro Football Focus grade took another big dent, too. Entering the last week vs. the Steelers, he was a 75.9 overall, and after another drop off, he’s down to 63.3.

KR Andre Roberts

Andre Roberts did have a 53-yard kick return which was good… but very much over shadowing that was a fumble on a punt return. That’s rare for Roberts, but it happened, and the Broncos went on to score on that ensuing drive. Can’t have that.

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Bills at Broncos: 3 key matchups in Week 15

Buffalo Bills, Denver Broncos key matchups ahead of Week 15.

Win and into the postseason for the Buffalo Bills and win and into the AFC East title for the first time since 1995. While that’s got a very different feeling to it, things will still be the same as usual at Mile High.

When the Bills (10-3) take on the Denver Broncos (5-8), it’ll be the games within the game that could make all the difference.

With that, here are three key matchups to watch in Saturday’s Bills-Broncos meeting in Week 15:

5 studs and 2 duds in Bills’ 26-15 win over the Steelers

Buffalo Bills studs and duds following win vs. Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 14.

The Buffalo Bills are putting their final reviews on their latest matchup, this one being their recent 26-15 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

In the effort, we saw the Bills (10-3) rally the troops and put up 23 unanswered points vs. the Steelers (11-2). In letting those scores up, Pittsburgh had little push back against Buffalo on primetime.

After looking at the tape and letting the dust settle, here are five studs and two duds from the Bills in their win over the Steelers:

Duds

Bills offensive tackle Dion Dawkins. Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

OL Ike Boettger

Center Mitch Morse was beaten by Steelers defensive tackle Casey Hayward, but the bigger culprit was guard Ike Boettger. In only his fourth-career start, maybe the Bills put too much on his plate?

Both Morse and Boettger saw their overall season grade via Pro Football Focus take big hits this week, but Boettger’s in particular went from 75.9 to 63.8. Massive dip and it showed. The Bills should go back to him again, though. Let him learn from it.

WR Gabriel Davis

Kind of a weird addition to this list considering he scored a touchdown, but here’s our justification: That was an elite pass from Josh Allen and yes, kudos to Davis for catching it. But he went up with too soft of hands a few times against the Steelers and defensive backs knocked the ball from his hands. Davis had three catches for 19 yards total on eight targets which easily should’ve been more.

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8 studs, 3 duds in Bills’ 34-24 win over 49ers

Studs and duds from the Buffalo Bills’ 34-24 win over the San Francisco 49ers in Week 13.

The Buffalo Bills are putting their final reviews on their latest matchup, this one being their recent 34-24 win over the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football’s Week 13 matchup.

In the effort, we saw the Bills (9-3) really hand it to the Niners (5-7). Many times in 2020 the Bills have let teams grind back into games. Despite the 49ers’ best efforts, Buffalo was having none of that as a late touchdown in garbage time made the scoreboard a lot closer than it really was.

After looking at the tape and letting the dust settle, here are eight studs and three duds from the Bills in their over the 49ers:

Studs

Bills safety Micah Hyde, Credit: Michael Chow-Arizona Republic

OL Ike Boettger

As a whole, the Bills offensive line had a strong game, in particular, in pass protection. Holes weren’t always there for the backfield, but more good than bad. If we’re going to single out one, we’ll go with Ike Boettger. He replaced Brian Winters in the starting lineup against the Niners, a bit of a pressure situation there and he still earned the highest bump via Pro Football Focus’ grades this week among all of Buffalo’s linemen. He jumped from a 72.0 to 75.9 on the year.

QB Josh Allen

In his best season of his career, filled with big game after big game after big game, quarterback Josh Allen had his best outing of 2020. Perhaps not surpassing 400 passing yards, he still completed 80 percent of his passes (32/40) for 375 yards with four touchdowns. The Niners had no answers for him.

WR Cole Beasley

After only two 100-plus yard game in his career with the Cowboys, Cole Beasley had his four… in 2020. Among those, his 130 total receiving yards against the 49ers was a career-high. Not to mention the nine catches and touchdown he grabbed en route to that.

WR Stefon Diggs

After another double-digit catch day at the office for Stefon Diggs in Week 13, he’s now tied for the NFL lead in receptions with 90. Each week Diggs appears in such lists and it feels like a lazy add, but he deserves it. Diggs had a critical fourth-down grab against the Niners which stood out, along with a toe-touch on the sideline early.

S Micah Hyde

Interception? Check. Leading the team in tackles (12)? Check. A massive stop at the goal line leading to, not once, but twice, huge plays directly after his play occurred? Check. Micah Hyde led the Buffalo secondary in a big way.

CB Tre’Davious White

For the third time in four games, Tre’Davious White took the ball away from the opposing quarterback. He did once again, like last week, when they were close to scoring, too. Aside from one catch by Brandon Aiyuk with White in coverage early, we didn’t hear White’s name much at all against the 49ers.

LB Tremaine Edmunds

Like Hyde, Tremaine Edmunds had a fantastic stop along this goal line, with his going for a turnover on downs. The Niners had almost not chance on that great read by Edmunds. While not perfect against the run, Edmunds did make his impact felt against the pass and is even rushing the passer a bit more as of late.

DT Vernon Butler

The Bills’ defensive line was kept mostly quiet because the Niners’ passing attack was a quick-strike one. Quarterback Nick Mullens got the ball out very fast over and over again. But Vernon Butler did stand out a couple of times rushing the passer, and running back Tevin Coleman won’t forget him after Butler completely blew him up near the goal line as well.

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What could the Bills offensive line look like without Cody Ford?

Buffalo Bills offensive line options without Cody Ford.

The Bills will no longer have the services of offensive lineman Cody Ford this season. On Friday, Bills head coach Sean McDermott announced that Ford’s season is done and reportedly it’s due to a meniscus injury.

Buffalo (7-3) has had some time already this year without Ford as he’s dealt with ankle and other knee issues in 2020. But now that Ford won’t be playing for the foreseeable future, who will?

In terms of replacing Ford, the Bills have a few directions they can go in. But one thing that’s for sure, the outside of the line will remain the same as Dion Dawkins and Daryl Williams will stick at left tackle and right tackle, respectively. According to Pro Football Focus, both Dawkins (79.1 grade) and Williams (78.1) have had strong years so far. Williams does have an ability to play guard, but if tackle isn’t broke, don’t fix it. Leave him there.

In the middle, we already know, and rightfully so, that Mitch Morse will be at center. McDermott announced on Friday that Morse will start at center, and now considering Ford’s injury, it’s the smartest move to make.

Now, the guard spots. The key cog here is Jon Feliciano. He’s going to get out there for the Bills, but where? This decision probably comes down to Ike Boettger vs. Brian Winters.

If the choice is Boettger, Feliciano goes to right guard and Boettger is on the left. On the flip side, Feliciano can hit the left side and Winters can go at right guard.

In the Bills’ last two games, both Boettger and Winters started. Prior to that, only Winters started in Week 7 against the Jets. Boettger played most of the game only after injury occurred. That sign could point to the coaching staff having more faith in Winters over Boettger.

But of course, let us now count on the fancy stats.

Without hard, concrete numbers to just offensive linemen on like we have for a wide receiver or quarterback, we’ll look to what the analytics say on the matter.

Per PFF, Boettger would be the better choice to play despite his lack of experience in comparison to Winters. PFF has graded Boettger a 72.0 overall mark so far this season, which is good for the 16th best grade to any guard in the NFL. Winters currently sits at 58.2.

From left to right, the analytics play for the Bills’ offensive line could be Dawkins, Boettger, Morse, Feliciano and Williams. But signs could be pointing toward the coaching staff wanting the more experienced Winters in the lineup. Boettger has appeared in just 12 games in his career and only has made two starts, both this season. Winters has appeared in 99 games ad started 87 of those.

As of right now we won’t have a clue as to which route the team will go. But, we do know when quarterback Josh Allen leads Buffalo’s offense onto the field for the first time this weekend, we’ll get the answer to this question.

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