Looking at our options to rebuild the o-line in 2023

[Einstein]

In my opinion, we missed a prime opportunity to rebuild the o-line the last two off-seasons. I did a bit of thinking about what we could have done last offseason and that's the first part of the post, but then below that I go over what options are available this offseason.

 

O-line we could have had maybe

 

LT- Dion Dawkins

LG- Brandon Scherff or Ryan Bates (I prefer Bates)

C- Creed Humphrey

RG- James Daniels

RT- L'aell Collins

 

Collins signed a 3 year, $21M contract with the Bengals last off-season. 

Daniels signed a 3 year, $26.5M contract with the Steelers last off-season.

Scherff signed a 3 year, $49.5M contract with the Ravens last off-season. 

Creed Humphrey is on a rookie 4 year, $5.5M contract with the Chiefs.

 

All of these players COMBINED were signed/drafted for LESS than the Bills gave Von Miller (in both total money and guaranteed money). Would you trade Von for a brand new o-line? I like Von, but I think I would do that trade. In addition to this, we would have offset the $19.5M given to Morse last year (on a 2 year deal), and $6.5M we gave to Saffold to be a turnstile this year. I guess you could say that we dont know if some of these players would have wanted to come to Buffalo, but I think the days of players spurning Buffalo just because are over.

 

Looking ahead - Here are the linemen due to be free agents this offseason:

 

Quick Note: All estimated market values are from SPOTRAC.

 

LT Orlando Brown - Franchised by the Chiefs this season, he hasn't played worth the money he's been paid and many people think the Chiefs don't re-sign him. His estimated market value is $22M per season. Too expensive for the Bills

 

LG Ben Powers - Did plenty of run blocking in Baltimore's run heavy offense, but also excelled in pass blocking in 2022. In fact, he was PFF's highest graded pass-blocking guard and ranked 10th in ESPN's pass block win rate and 2nd in run block win rate. Spotrac doesnt list an estimated market value. At only 26 years old, this is the type of player you would love to throw money at. Problem is, we don't have any. This is a dream signing for me - sigh. 

 

RT Isaiah Wynn - Patriots 1st round pick in 2018 that was a LT but was demoted to RT. Finished the season on IR and has struggled to stay healthy in his short career. I have read that he may have to take a "prove it" deal, but Spotrac disputes that by having him estimated at a 5 year, $77M contract ($15M per year). His name was floated around as a possible trade deadline move in November.

 

G Isaac Seumalo - A lisfranc injury ended his 2021 and some people thought he might be a post June 1 cut, but he has had a really solid 2022 season. Philly papers say he is the most underrated player on a great Philly o-line and is the glue of the line. He is 29 years old and his estimated market value is $12M per season. Can't imagine why he would leave Philly or Philly would let him walk after the season they and he just had but Super Bowl teams typically have to make hard choices.

 

RT George Fant - His estimated market value is $3M per season. He was a fringe starter in 2020 that become a breakout player in 2021 and then went downhill in 2022. He had knee surgery before the season and went on IR twice during the season. He can play both RT and LT and his estimated market value is $3.3M per season. 

 

C Connor McGovern - Didn't miss a snap all season, but is pretty average. Remember when Milano wrecked Mike White and broke his ribs? That was on McGovern. He doesn't handle the blitz well from what I've read. His estimated market value is $12.5M per season. 

 

C Jason Kelce - He is an All-Pro that is about to play in his 2nd Super Bowl in 5 years. But he's also 35 years old, has mentioned in the past how his body is "falling apart", and has publicly pondered retirement. His estimated market value is $11.9M per season and if he comes back I doubt its for anyone but the Eagles.

 

G Justin Pugh - Another player pondering retirement, and he missed most of the season due to an ACL injury. His estimated market value is $5.5M per season if he decides to play again.

 

RT Mike McGlinchey - He is huge like Spencer Brown (6ft,8 ) and his 71.5 PFF grade is better than all the Bills current o-linemen except Dawkins. He is a dominant run blocker but can struggle in pass protection. The 49ers have been grooming his replacement (Colton McKivitz) and conventional wisdom says they let McGlinchey walk. His estimated market value is $10.7M per season.

 

G Wes Schweitzer - His estimated market value is $13.8M per season but I think that's mainly because he is a versatile linemen that can switch from G to C and back effortlessly. Aside from that, he is the definition of "solid", not "great". From everything i've read he is an up and down player, going to be expensive, and I would be shocked if Buffalo looks at him.

 

G Trai Turner - This screams Beane signing. Former Carolina Panther with an estimated market value of $2.6M. He is a former 5 time pro-bowler that is past his NFL expiration date but was better Saffold this year (like, 10 points better, if you believe PFF). 

 

C Garrett Bradbury - Contract year guy. Last season, Bradbury was ranked by 39th out of 41 centers by PFF. He graded out as the third-worst pass-blocking center and was ranked 21st in run blocking. This year (contract year), he was 12th overall, 9th in run blocking, but still ranked 23rd out of 31 centers who played nearly 600 snaps. 

 

C Bradley Bozeman - He signed with Carolina as a backup on a cheap one year deal and parlayed the opportunity into a solid year where he broke into a starting role. He is projected to get a 3 year, $36M contract.

 

RT Kaleb McGary - Another contract year phenom, McGary had his 5th year option declined by the Falcons before breaking out this year. He is estimated to receive $17M per season so he's not coming to Buffalo.

 

RT Dalton Risner - I have read some not so pretty things about Risner. Everything from "slow feet" to "cant sustain blocks". He did win the Darrent Williams Good Guy award though, which probably gives McD some little-blue-pill-like excitement.  The Broncos didnt pick up his 5th year option and it looks like they may let him test free agency. His estimated market value is $9.5M per year.

 

RG Nate Davis - Just had the best season of his career, where he improved his PFF grades by almost 15 points. I'm always wary of contract year performances but this seems like another Beane'ish type move. His estimated market value is $7.4M per year with is only $1M less than Beane paid Saffold. Titans bloggers say he is a "must resign" for Tennessee, so its possible we never get the chance at him.

 

Opinion: Personally, I don't think the Bills should have ever moved Bates from LG to RG.  They did it to put Saffold at LG, but Bates was in the zone at LG at the end of the 2021 season and in the playoffs. n my opinion, I think best case scenario for the line in 2023 is:

 

LT- Dion Dawkins

LG- Ryan Bates

C- Mitch Morse

RG- Trai Turner

RT - Mike McGlinchey

 

I say best case scenario because it would require some restructuring and moving money around to sign McGlinchey. I also say best case scenario because I don't think the Bills are ready to give up on Spencer Brown, so it probably won't happen for that reason either. But even as he gets better,  I just don't ever see Spencer having the agility or speed to handle fast edge rushers. McGlinchey right now is what the Bills hope Spencer Brown develops into. 

 

Ok, tell me how I'm wrong about everything  

 

Edited February 1, 2023 by Einstein

[HOUSE]

You might  I say might see one new starter...

Hate to ruin your day

[Einstein]

3 minutes ago, HOUSE said:

You might  I say might see one new starter...

Hate to ruin your day

 

Agreed. Im just being hopeful.

[Franco_92]

Appreciate the write-up, good to know all of the names so I can be mad when other teams sign them all

[John from Riverside]

Reinforcements are coming through the draft that’s the way we have to do it now

[Billz4ever]

25 minutes ago, Einstein said:

In my opinion, we missed a prime opportunity to rebuild the o-line the last two off-seasons. I did a bit of thinking about what we could have done last offseason and that's the first part of the post, but then below that I go over what options are available this offseason.

 

O-line we could have had maybe

 

LT- Dion Dawkins

LG- Brandon Scherff or Ryan Bates (I prefer Bates)

C- Creed Humphrey

RG- James Daniels

RT- L'aell Collins

 

Collins signed a 3 year, $21M contract with the Bengals last off-season. 

Daniels signed a 3 year, $26.5M contract with the Steelers last off-season.

Scherff signed a 3 year, $49.5M contract with the Ravens last off-season. 

Creed Humphrey is on a rookie 4 year, $5.5M contract with the Chiefs.

 

All of these players COMBINED were signed/drafted for LESS than the Bills gave Von Miller (in both total money and guaranteed money). Would you trade Von for a brand new o-line? I like Von, but I think I would do that trade. In addition to this, we would have offset the $19.5M given to Morse last year (on a 2 year deal), and $6.5M we gave to Saffold to be a turnstile this year. I guess you could say that we dont know if some of these players would have wanted to come to Buffalo, but I think the days of players spurning Buffalo just because are over.

 

Looking ahead - Here are the linemen due to be free agents this offseason:

 

Quick Note: All estimated market values are from SPOTRAC.

 

LT Orlando Brown - Franchised by the Chiefs this season, he hasn't played worth the money he's been paid and many people think the Chiefs don't re-sign him. His estimated market value is $22M per season. Too expensive for the Bills

 

LG Ben Powers - Did plenty of run blocking in Baltimore's run heavy offense, but also excelled in pass blocking in 2022. In fact, he was PFF's highest graded pass-blocking guard and ranked 10th in ESPN's pass block win rate and 2nd in run block win rate. Spotrac doesnt list an estimated market value. At only 26 years old, this is the type of player you would love to throw money at. Problem is, we don't have any. This is a dream signing for me - sigh. 

 

RT Isaiah Wynn - Patriots 1st round pick in 2018 that was a LT but was demoted to RT. Finished the season on IR and has struggled to stay healthy in his short career. I have read that he may have to take a "prove it" deal, but Spotrac disputes that by having him estimated at a 5 year, $77M contract ($15M per year). His name was floated around as a possible trade deadline move in November.

 

G Isaac Seumalo - A lisfranc injury ended his 2021 and some people thought he might be a post June 1 cut, but he has had a really solid 2022 season. Philly papers say he is the most underrated player on a great Philly o-line and is the glue of the line. He is 29 years old and his estimated market value is $12M per season. Can't imagine why he would leave Philly or Philly would let him walk after the season they and he just had but Super Bowl teams typically have to make hard choices.

 

RT George Fant - His estimated market value is $3M per season. He was a fringe starter in 2020 that become a breakout player in 2021 and then went downhill in 2022. He had knee surgery before the season and went on IR twice during the season. He can play both RT and LT and his estimated market value is $3.3M per season. 

 

C Connor McGovern - Didn't miss a snap all season, but is pretty average. Remember when Milano wrecked Mike White and broke his ribs? That was on McGovern. He doesn't handle the blitz well from what I've read. His estimated market value is $12.5M per season. 

 

C Jason Kelce - He is an All-Pro that is about to play in his 2nd Super Bowl in 5 years. But he's also 35 years old, has mentioned in the past how his body is "falling apart", and has publicly pondered retirement. His estimated market value is $11.9M per season and if he comes back I doubt its for anyone but the Eagles.

 

G Justin Pugh - Another player pondering retirement, and he missed most of the season due to an ACL injury. His estimated market value is $5.5M per season if he decides to play again.

 

RT Mike McGlinchey - He is huge like Spencer Brown (6ft,8 ) and his 71.5 PFF grade is better than all the Bills current o-linemen except Dawkins. He is a dominant run blocker but can struggle in pass protection. The 49ers have been grooming his replacement (Colton McKivitz) and conventional wisdom says they let McGlinchey walk. His estimated market value is $10.7M per season.

 

G Wes Schweitzer - His estimated market value is $13.8M per season but I think that's mainly because he is a versatile linemen that can switch from G to C and back effortlessly. Aside from that, he is the definition of "solid", not "great". From everything i've read he is an up and down player, going to be expensive, and I would be shocked if Buffalo looks at him.

 

G Trai Turner - This screams Beane signing. Former Carolina Panther with an estimated market value of $2.6M. He is a former 5 time pro-bowler that is past his NFL expiration date but was better Saffold this year (like, 10 points better, if you believe PFF). 

 

C Garrett Bradbury - Contract year guy. Last season, Bradbury was ranked by 39th out of 41 centers by PFF. He graded out as the third-worst pass-blocking center and was ranked 21st in run blocking. This year (contract year), he was 12th overall, 9th in run blocking, but still ranked 23rd out of 31 centers who played nearly 600 snaps. 

 

C Bradley Bozeman - He signed with Carolina as a backup on a cheap one year deal and parlayed the opportunity into a solid year where he broke into a starting role. He is projected to get a 3 year, $36M contract.

 

RT Kaleb McGary - Another contract year phenom, McGary had his 5th year option declined by the Falcons before breaking out this year. He is estimated to receive $17M per season so he's not coming to Buffalo.

 

RT Dalton Risner - I have read some not so pretty things about Risner. Everything from "slow feet" to "cant sustain blocks". He did win the Darrent Williams Good Guy award though, which probably gives McD some little-blue-pill-like excitement.  The Broncos didnt pick up his 5th year option and it looks like they may let him test free agency. His estimated market value is $9.5M per year.

 

RG Nate Davis - Just had the best season of his career, where he improved his PFF grades by almost 15 points. I'm always wary of contract year performances but this seems like another Beane'ish type move. His estimated market value is $7.4M per year with is only $1M less than Beane paid Saffold. Titans bloggers say he is a "must resign" for Tennessee, so its possible we never get the chance at him.

 

Opinion: Personally, I don't think the Bills should have ever moved Bates from LG to RG.  They did it to put Saffold at LG, but Bates was in the zone at LG at the end of the 2021 season and in the playoffs. n my opinion, I think best case scenario for the line in 2023 is:

 

LT- Dion Dawkins

LG- Ryan Bates

C- Mitch Morse

RG- Trai Turner

RT - Mike McGlinchey

 

I say best case scenario because it would require some restructuring and moving money around to sign McGlinchey. I also say best case scenario because I don't think the Bills are ready to give up on Spencer Brown, so it probably won't happen for that reason either. But even as he gets better,  I just don't ever see Spencer having the agility or speed to handle fast edge rushers. McGlinchey right now is what the Bills hope Spencer Brown develops into. 

 

Ok, tell me how I'm wrong about everything  

 

Nice write up.  So where does the draft fit into this?  What says we have to fix the O-Line through FA?  

Edited February 2, 2023 by Billz4ever

[Royale with Cheese]

If Morse does become a cap casualty, then move Bates to Center.  Then we need two new starting guards which I’m completely fine with…even if one is a high round rookie.

 

Brown, I’m not sure what to think of him. I think maybe his feet are too slow to be a solid starter.

[Einstein]

2 minutes ago, Billz4ever said:

Nice write up.  So where does the draft fit into this?  What says we have to fix the O-Line through FA?  

 

Yeah this post is only about free agency. The draft is definitely another source. 

[Process]

I have a bad feeling that Spencer Brown will be a starter next year, which would be a disaster. 

 

Beane's end of season press conference was basically 1 hour of him making excuses for everybody in the building, including plenty for Brown specifically.

[LABILLBACKER]

Isn't Jawaan Taylor an UFA? His value is 12M.  Not picking Humphrey will haunt this team.  We have to draft a minimum of 2 olineman and sign 1 FA.  Anything less is an epic fail by Beandermott.

[SoCal Deek]

Many Mock Drafts show the Bills taking a big rookie Guard from Florida.

[Einstein]

Just now, LABILLBACKER said:

Isn't Jawaan Taylor an UFA? His value is 12M.  Not picking Humphrey will haunt this team.  We have to draft a minimum of 2 olineman and sign 1 FA.  Anything less is an epic fail by Beandermott.

 

Yes but I personally dont want anything to do with him. 

[Nextmanup]

34 minutes ago, Einstein said:

All of these players COMBINED were signed/drafted for LESS than the Bills gave Von Miller (in both total money and guaranteed money). Would you trade Von for a brand new o-line?

HELL YES!

 

I'm not sure why fans are expecting the people who run this franchise to suddenly change who they are this off-season however.  I hope they do!

 

They'll probably take a DT with our first pick.

 

 

[T master]

We have 2 young O linemen that haven't reached their ceiling yet in Spencer Brown & Tommy Doyle that of which both are on their rookie contracts Brown had a back injury at the beginning of this season which i'm thinking if your pushing on another 300 + lb linemen you wouldn't want him to be out there until he is 110 % healthy .

 

I have heard said that the loss of reps in OTA's & the pre season this year hurt him going forward & he wasn't in game shape early on & it took him a while to get there so I'm not one for throwing him out just yet .

 

Tommy Doyle is another O line prospect that went on IR this year and there is no way to say how he would have came along if he had been healthy then there was Boettger he didn't come back until late & then didn't really play much & he was a starter the year before when he got injured .

 

So before we start bringing in all new players let those like Scaffold walk & see how the injured players come back first before replacing or rebuilding the O line . Yes Mitch although a good player i think the Bills should look for a replacement only because of his problem with concussions but I think the draft is the best way to replenish the players & not sign any high dollar FA's .

 

Only because the Bills don't have the cap space for it . 

[Einstein]

 

4 minutes ago, SoCal Deek said:

Many Mock Drafts show the Bills taking a big rookie Guard from Florida.

 

Must be Torrence. He's the only 1st round worthy guard i've heard about. 

[Billz4ever]

5 minutes ago, Einstein said:

 

Yeah this post is only about free agency. The draft is definitely another source. 

Roger that.

Just now, Einstein said:

 

 

Must be Torrence. He's the only 1st round worthy guard I've heard about. 

Yeah, it is. Still not sure if he falls to us.

[Wizard]

Good thoughts. I would hope the Bills would do the following:

 

1. Decide if Dorsey is your OC or not and also how much the offensive line issues are lack of talent, lack of investment, and lack of coaching.

 

2. Get one top tier offensive linemen that best fits the philosophy or changing philosophy.

 

3. Commit to running the ball/short passes a little more consistently whether that is Cook, Singletary, Hines, a rookie, or free agent. Commit to something consistently.

 

4. Top 2 draft picks (whatever order preferred) are OL and WR.

 

 

[BADOLBILZ]

16 minutes ago, LABILLBACKER said:

Isn't Jawaan Taylor an UFA? His value is 12M.  Not picking Humphrey will haunt this team.  We have to draft a minimum of 2 olineman and sign 1 FA.  Anything less is an epic fail by Beandermott.

 

 

I know Boogie Basham was a bad pick but the obsession with Creed Humphrey on this board is approaching the obsession with runnin' bax.

 

Center is the easiest position to fill on the line.........there is a good chance Creed Humphrey will price himself out of KC with his play.........just like Rodney Hudson and Mitch Morse before him.    

 

[BillsFanForever19]

There will be another Tackle brought in as David Quessenberry is a FA. But Beane and McDermott seem to have faith in Brown and blame injuries and lack of a Training Camp for any lack of success fans see.

 

So I don't see them bringing in someone to outright supplant him. Just another guy like Quessenberry (and it wouldn't shock me to see them bring back Quessenberry himself) that would be good depth and/or competition to him in Training Camp.

[Billz4ever]

21 minutes ago, Wizard said:

Good thoughts. I would hope the Bills would do the following:

 

1. Decide if Dorsey is your OC or not and also how much the offensive line issues are lack of talent, lack of investment, and lack of coaching.

 

2. Get one top tier offensive linemen that best fits the philosophy or changing philosophy.

 

3. Commit to running the ball/short passes a little more consistently whether that is Cook, Singletary, Hines, a rookie, or free agent. Commit to something consistently.

 

4. Top 2 draft picks (whatever order preferred) are OL and WR.

 

 

1. The way both Beane and McD talked, I'd be shocked if Dorsey didn't return.

 

2.  Agreed

 

3. Assuming Dorsey is back, we need to incorporate the slot position and the short to medium pass game back into this offense.  The lack of throws to the slot, which were a staple of this offense under Daboll with Beasley is glaringly missing and that was always a dependable outlet for Josh if he had to scramble.  And just as you said, we need to get the backs more involved in the passing game because right now, they're an afterthought.

 

4.  I'd prefer to get one of the top prospect WRs in the first round (Rice or Boutte) for a true WR2.  Plenty of good O-Line to be had in the second and later.