Well, we’re less than a week away from Buffalo’s 2023 season opener on Monday Night Football against the New York Jets. The Bills roster is pretty solidified besides one position: OT. With Spencer Brown blocking for Josh, that has caused many to worry about what the offense could look like this year. Many believed we would bring in a veteran to back Brown up. And they did… unfortunately Brandon Shell retired. But then they brought in another vet in Germain Ifedi. Now, with him and Ryan Van Demark backing up Brown and Dion Dawkins, should fans be concerned about the OT position?
Let’s look at some OT stats: Brown vs. Ifedi
Brown allowed four sacks, and accumulated six penalties last season on 845 snaps; good enough for a 51.4 PFF grade.
With Chicago in 2020, Ifedi allowed two sacks and had five penalties on 1,066 snaps, good enough for a 65.0 PFF grade.
Brown has had a slew of injuries over his career, including one last season that forced him to miss three games and come out of others. His recovery from back surgery before last season trickled down into this summer, and he started off training camp unable to pick up his helmet on the ground. As a fan, you likely hoped that the team would have a backup option in place right away, even after Brandon Shell’s retirement (and maybe it is Germain Ifedi). But with a $258M QB in the backfield, you need as much talent as you can find on the OL. If Brown hasn’t cut it over the last couple of years, it may have been time to find somebody this off-season. But they put their faith in him this year, and hopefully it pans out.
What do we have in Ryan Van Demark?
Once he steps onto the field, the UConn product figures to be a swing tackle. Van Demark was mostly a LT throughout his college career. However, when he stepped up and played RT in the preseason this year, he was very solid. Buffalo likes to have their guys play multiple positions, and maybe he’s a guy that can start on either side if needed. But without him playing a real NFL snap yet, the team needs to be cautious with throwing him into the fire, especially against the elite edge rushers Buffalo will face the first few weeks of the season.
Germain Ifedi
Ifedi is a former first round pick by the Seattle Seahawks in 2016, and since then has been on four teams, including the Bills. His best work came with the Chicago Bears, where (as mentioned earlier) he blocked well for his QB. In 2020, he started 10 games at RG and six at RT, so he has that position flexibility that Buffalo loves in their offensive linemen. Ifedi, 29, is teetering between a young player and a veteran presence behind Brown. And, if Brown continues to struggle this year, he could lose his job to Ifedi.
Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown open up the season with a tough test through four weeks, facing the Jets, Las Vegas Raiders, Washington Commanders, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Miami Dolphins.
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