On Monday night, the Buffalo Bills announced a trade that will send OL Ryan Bates to the Chicago Bears for a 2024 fifth-round pick. Bates became an expensive backup for the Bills, as he signed a four year/$17M deal with Buffalo two years ago. Bates, once a very reliable Guard/Center for the Bills, quickly lost his starting role when Buffalo signed Connor McGovern and drafted O’Cyrus Torrence. If he stayed on the roster, Buffalo would have paid Bates $4M this year. As they try to get under the salary cap and make some moves once free agency starts, keeping Bates didn’t financially work for Buffalo. What does this mean for the rest of the line?
What this means for the future
Buffalo’s backup Interior Offensive Linemen now are Kevin Jarvis and Alec Anderson. Anderson is a young lineman that the coaching staff and Brandon Beane are very fond of. Given his familiarity at Guard, Center, and Tackle, Buffalo may look to give Anderson a bigger role on the OL. (Editor’s Note: Anderson would be a very cheap Ryan Bates replacement. His cap hit is just $919,250.)
As they trade away bigger, expendable contracts, the Bills will start looking toward some of the young guys who are on rookie deals. As well as Alec Anderson, another name to watch is Tommy Doyle. Before suffering two season-ending injuries, Brandon Beane mentioned the idea of Doyle shifting over to the Guard position as well. Having Anderson and Doyle both familiar with multiple positions is something that this coaching staff, more so now with Aaron Kromer, loves.
Financial impact
As Buffalo continues to make moves before the Wednesday 4:00 EST deadline, fans will watch the salary cap. According to Spotrac, this move will likely save the Bills $1.4M of cap space, while also creating $4M dead cap.
This doesn’t mean Buffalo won’t bring in a cheap veteran to compete at Guard. They likely should now with a couple of question marks at the position. But having a backup Guard with Bates’ salary wasn’t a viable option for Brandon Beane and Co.
Draft picks
After this trade, The Bills will have 11 draft picks in the 2024 draft. If they feel comfortable at their other positions of need (DT, WR, S, RB) come draft night, drafting another Interior O-Lineman makes total sense for Buffalo too.
Buffalo’s decision-makers need to start thinking about their future, and how they can find success with young rookies. Mitch Morse is in the final year of his deal, and retirement is on the horizon. Connor McGovern will be 29 years old when he hits free agency again. With these next two draft classes, Buffalo will be looking to replace two positions on their OL.
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