Finishing out the Buffalo Bills free agent targets, we have the offensive guard position. The Bills guards were pretty average last year, given the hype they received. Rodger Saffold and Ryan Bates didn’t play up to expectations, and contributed to the team’s run game failures. This off-season, the Bills have a chance to fix that through the draft and free agency. In this article, we’ll take a look at some free agent guards.
Projected cap space: -$13.3M
Ben Powers
The Baltimore Ravens will most likely let Ben Powers walk, and the Bills should be very interested. Powers had a pretty good season in 2022, ranking 10th in pass block win rate and second in run block win rate among guards. Buffalo may look to pony up to get a guard like Powers, with Spotrac’s estimated contract set at three years/$28M. If Buffalo can land him, along with somebody in the draft, that’ll be a pretty big upgrade on the OL.
Dalton Risner
Risner was a hot guard prospect heading into the 2019 draft. Since coming into the league, Risner has missed four games total and has performed at a high level. This past season, Risner allowed just three sacks and one penalty in 967 snaps. Risner and Powers have a pretty similar projected contract, with his market value coming in at $9.5M per year. That contract would be similar to Alex Cappa, Gabe Jackson, Matt Feiler, and Halapoulivaati Vaitai. If I had to choose between the two at the same price tag, Powers has to be the signing.
Isaac Seumalo
After multiple injury filled seasons, Seumalo saw a full 2022 season and was a part of one of the best offensive lines in the league. Now, he’ll want to get paid. Last season, Isaac allowed one sack on 1,135 snaps, along with six penalties. After a pretty good season, Spotrac projects his next contract to be two years/$24M ($12M per year). With Seumalo being 29 years old and having a notable injury history (knee injury and lisfranc injury), that might be the perfect length for him. You’re not committed to him long term, in case he suffers another injury.
Nate Davis
From Rodger Saffold, to David Quessenberry, to Quinton Spain, the Buffalo Bills love poaching former Titans offensive linemen. Davis will be cheaper than the other guards listed here in case the Bills do go that route again this year. Spotrac projects his contract to be three years/$22.4M ($7.4M per year). Davis allowed three sacks on 682 snaps, and committed four penalties.
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