Ryan Bates has eye on starting role [paywall]

[Bray Wyatt]

1 minute ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

I could be wrong, but I don't see Feliciano as having that RG spot locked down.  Maybe I'm mis-reading between the lines, but sometimes I think the player's post-signing presser reflects a bit of what was discussed about how the team sees him.  Jon emphasized that he wanted to win, he wanted to be in Buffalo, and he'll do whatever the team needs him to do.

 

Or maybe I'm off-base and it reflects my personal assessment that if we intend to run the ball, we need to improve our interior OL play Big Time and it's hard to see how we do that while keeping the lineup the same.  I'm also not persuaded that Ford is the answer, though if I were a defensive player, I'd play very, very clean towards Josh with both Ford and Mongo in there.

 

With how McD preaches competition it could be possible that neither guard spot is safe. All we can do is speculate at this point (which is why I hate such the long off season, I just want to know! lol) Training camp should give us a good indication on what the thoughts are, and perhaps the draft as well. If we draft an OL in the first 3 rounds it will muddy the waters even more.

 

You do make a good point about the backup to Mongo and I didnt think of that, which now jumbles my thoughts even more 😵

16 minutes ago, IgotBILLStopay said:

Morse's homegrown replacement next year. I like the long term planning. 

Actually Boettger was so good as a replacement last year, the worry is that he may attract bigger bucks than the Bills want to give. That said, let us this year if last season's performance was a fluke (no reason to think so).

 

Was it that he was so good or that he was average and that Winters (and previously Ford) were so bad that he just stabilized it?

[IgotBILLStopay]

4 minutes ago, Bray Wyatt said:

 

Was it that he was so good or that he was average and that Winters (and previously Ford) were so bad that he just stabilized it?

I agree it may have been all relative since Winters was so bad. But the other members of the O-line seemed to think Boettger was the glue guy - which counts for something I guess.

Edited March 26, 2021 by IgotBILLStopay

[Mr. WEO]

next you know, he will announce he's looking for "top dollar"...

[billsfan89]

Assuming this team resigns Ike this team will have seven solid Oline players (Mitch, Dawkins, Mongo, Ford, Bates, Ike, and D.Williams) and it is good to see Bates not settle for a backup role and push other guys on the roster. 
 

Hopefully this team can add one more depth Oline player as I do feel that this team is short a swing tackle due to the Ty departure.

[MJS]

I have the exact same opinion. He has done well every time he has gotten on to the field. He is versatile and can line up at different spots. He just looks like a quality lineman to me.

 

Granted, it's a pretty small sample size. The coaches know him way better than any of the fans do.

 

I just know he'll get a starting gig for another team at some point if he doesn't get a shot here.

[Kwai San]

1 hour ago, HOUSE said:

Doesn't he have a brother Master ?

 

Haven't you met him yet???? 😁

[ghostwriter]

1 hour ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Boettger says "Hi!"

 

If Bates wants to target a starting role, go for RG IMHO.

My friend, you could see Dawkins, Bates, Morse, Feliciano and Williams by the end of the year. I do like Boettger though, Ford not so much.

[4BillsintheBurgh]

1 hour ago, Bray Wyatt said:

 

Not that I didn't think of him necessarily as a better LG than RG, just that that spot seems more open to competition than the other spots on the line. Seeing Logic's point about Bates preferring to be a center, maybe they want to groom him there more and replace Morse in a year when his release would be more cap friendly? Or Feliciano could replace Morse next year and Bates slides into RG?

 

Having Bates and Feliciano certainly does give us lots of options, but can also cloud the picture as to what the FO is planning.  Also a lot of this depends on if Cody Ford starts to realize that potential we drafted him for this year

If I'm McBeane there's no way I can count on Morse to play this whole year, seems like he's one rubber mat slip away from calling it a career. I assume Bates and the Bills see that too and Bates would like to be able to slide into the center spot. Obviously last year the Bills did not play Bates at center when given the opportunity and instead picked up Winters and he got into the lineup even though he wasn't particularly good. Hopefully Bates will put the work in to improve his game, but this seems like an area where we could easily spend a high draft pick, RG/C.

[John from Riverside]

I like him best at center....and his mindset should always be that he wants to be a starter

[Locomark]

8 hours ago, Logic said:

***Every time I've ever seen Ryan Bates step into the starting lineup -- from the first preseason game onward -- I've liked what I've seen from him. With the way the contracts of Morse, Feliciano, and Williams are structured, I think it's possible Bates gets a crack at the starting lineup outright in 2022. At worst, I see him being a very valuable utility guy here for as long as we can afford him.


https://theathletic.com/2477632/2021/03/26/they-saw-something-in-me-ryan-bates-knows-the-value-he-brings-to-bills-talented-o-line/

 

Ryan Bates was one preseason game into his first training camp with the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2019 when he got a call from an unknown number. He was on FaceTime with a friend and had a date scheduled with his girlfriend that night — dinner and a movie. Like he does with all unknown numbers, he declined the call and let it go to voicemail. Then he got a text from that same number. It was Eagles general manager Howie Roseman.

“Oh, no,” Bates said.

He told his friend he’d need to call him back and immediately called Roseman. As he heard the dial tone, Bates assumed he would be cut. Why else would the general manager be calling an undrafted rookie on a Friday morning?

That wasn’t the case. Bates’ time in Philadelphia was over, but Roseman informed him the Eagles were trading him to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for defensive end Eli Harold.

“It took us by surprise,” Bates said. “I didn’t really expect anything. That’s not really something that happens to undrafted free agents being traded after the beginning of preseason. I called my girlfriend to tell her, ‘Hey, dinner is off. You have to drive me to the airport.’”

Bates grew up just outside of Philadelphia and was an Eagles fan growing up. He got to play alongside Jason Kelce and Jason Peters, two franchise icons. In a blink of an eye, it was over. His offensive line coach told him to take it as a compliment. The Bills approached the Eagles and sought out Bates after seeing him in one preseason game. That said something about him as a player, particularly an undrafted player.

“They saw something in me that not a lot of teams saw,” Bates said. 

..............


This offseason looked like it could provide an opportunity for Bates with questions about the futures of Morse, Jon Feliciano and Daryl Williams. All three are returning, leaving no obvious path to a starting job for Bates. But the way the Bills structured those contracts leaves them flexibility with the veteran pieces on their offensive line in 2022 and beyond. For now, Bates is Buffalo’s swing tackle with Ty Nsekhe departing in free agency. But Bates is much more than that given his ability to play the entire offensive line. As the Bills have looked to save money, Bates is an affordable utility player to have.

...Bates isn’t content, either. He understands his role but wants more. His goal is to be a starting center. Morse, who has been a mentor and friend to Bates, occupies that spot currently. Feliciano has played there as well, but that’s where Bates sees his future.

 

Sorry Bates but we are drafting a guard this year..... 

[The Jokeman]

7 hours ago, Logic said:

I still can't believe the Bills were able to trade a defensive end they were going to cut anyway for an offensive lineman who can play all five spots!

Granted, they also traded away Wyatt Teller for a 5th only to see him become a top 10 guard. Ya win some, ya lose some. With the Bates trade, I feel like they really won one.

We got a 5th and 6th and because we had those extra picks we were able to get Diggs. 

[transplantbillsfan]

https://theathletic.com/2477632/2021/03/26/they-saw-something-in-me-ryan-bates-knows-the-value-he-brings-to-bills-talented-o-line?source=user-shared-article

Ryan Bates was one preseason game into his first training camp with the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2019 when he got a call from an unknown number. He was on FaceTime with a friend and had a date scheduled with his girlfriend that night — dinner and a movie. Like he does with all unknown numbers, he declined the call and let it go to voicemail. Then he got a text from that same number. It was Eagles general manager Howie Roseman.

 

“Oh, no,” Bates said.

 

He told his friend he’d need to call him back and immediately called Roseman. As he heard the dial tone, Bates assumed he would be cut. Why else would the general manager be calling an undrafted rookie on a Friday morning?

 

That wasn’t the case. Bates’ time in Philadelphia was over, but Roseman informed him the Eagles were trading him to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for defensive end Eli Harold.

 

...

 

Bates was an extra player who could fill in where needed. Those first few days, he was needed at center. Lucky for Bates, he wasn’t entirely unprepared. While at Penn State, where he played mostly left tackle, Bates’ offensive line coach Matt Limegrover thought it would be smart for Bates to learn how to snap. He would spend extra time after practice working on the technique, knowing any extra skill would be valuable in the NFL.

 

...

 

He passed the test in Carolina, stepping in at center during practices and playing 55 snaps in the preseason game against the Panthers.

 

...

 

Over the weeks that followed, Bates forced the Bills to keep him around. He made the 53-man roster when the Bills decided to trade guard Wyatt Teller to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for a fifth-round pick and a sixth-round pick. Unlike other linemen who have bounced around teams or spent time on the practice squad, the Bills have kept Bates on the 53-man roster through the entirety of the last two seasons. He’s developed quietly in the background, filling in where he’s needed on the offensive line.

 

...

Bates isn’t content, either. He understands his role but wants more. His goal is to be a starting center. Morse, who has been a mentor and friend to Bates, occupies that spot currently. Feliciano has played there as well, but that’s where Bates sees his future.

 

“I feel like I fit better,” Bates said. “At tackle, some people might consider me undersized being 6-5, 305. People might say I have shorter arms. I can play tackle and guard, but the aspect I like at center is I’m in control. I like to make the calls. I’m vocal on the line. I like being in control. That’s the way I like to put it.”

 

...

 

Bates knows the Bills have talent on their offensive line. But he’s also fallen in love with the Bills’ locker room culture. He watched Ike Boettger, an undrafted guard in 2018, grind his way into the starting lineup. Undrafted cornerback Levi Wallace has found his way into the starting lineup consistently the last three seasons.

 

[machine gun kelly]

It’s funny you post Transplant as Sal on the morning show has brought him up a bunch of times lately when they discuss the O Line, and said the Bills coaches are high on him.  I’m not sure if he will be the swing tackle or backup center, but sounds like he’ll be around.

[GunnerBill]

People have been predicting the break through of Ryan Bates for at least 2 years now. He kind of has to make it happen this year.

[gjv001]

Hopefully, Bates is using this offseason to get stronger and faster. 

[BuffaloBill]

Morse’s stock has been falling or maybe his concussion history makes him vulnerable. 

[HOUSE]

Ryan Bates rarely steps on Josh Allen's foot which is a big bonus

 

 

[TPS]

If his focus and goal is at C, this makes me wonder how Trey Adams is coming along (since they will need a swing OT)?

[YoloinOhio]

I totally forgot about Eli Harold 

[DJB]

This was Beane's favorite part of the article when he read it;

 

He passed the test in Carolina, stepping in at center during practices and playing 55 snaps in the preseason game against the Panthers.

 

 

Edited March 27, 2021 by DJB