The Bills are releasing offensive tackle Daryl Williams (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo). Williams was slated to count for $9.925M against Buffalo’s cap. Instead, the Bills have opted to release him, saving $6.325M against $3.6M in dead money.
Garafolo adds that a reunion is still possible, if the two sides can come to terms on a cheaper deal. It was roughly one year ago today that the Bills and Williams agreed to a fresh three-year deal worth $28.2M in total with nearly $14M guaranteed. At the time, he was fresh off of a one-year prove-it deal when he started all 16 games (plus two playoff games) and did a solid job of protecting star quarterback Josh Allen.
Williams, 30 in August, offers experience at both guard and tackle, but his best work has always been on the outside. In 2020, the former fourth-round pick graded out as PFF’s No. 21 ranked tackle in the NFL, putting him ahead of names like Orlando Brown Jr., Jake Matthews, Laremy Tunsil, and Alejandro Villanueva.
Yet, in 2021, the Bills asked Williams to do more on the interior. The results weren’t great — he earned an overall grade of 67.5 from PFF, positioning him as a middle-of-the-pack blocker.
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