Is Offensive Tackle The Bills Biggest Position Of Need?
By Dennis Moody
Is Offensive Tackle The Bills Biggest Position Of Need?
The Buffalo Bills recently released one of their depth players at offensive tackle Tyson Chandler. This leaves the Bills very thin at the position heading into the draft. That begs the question Is offensive tackle the Bills biggest position of need?
Buffalo has only one player that they are sure that they can count on at the position and that’s starting left tackle Cordy Glenn who was given the franchise tag earlier this offseason by the team.
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Jordan Mills is one of the three men in competition for the starting right tackle job next season. The Bills offered him a restricted free-agent contract earlier this offseason and he accepted and signed it. Mills played inconsistently last year and the Bills could use a more reliable option for a starter.
Former 7th round pick Seantrel Henderson would normally be the favorite to start at right tackle for the Bills this season but he discovered last year that he suffers from Crohn’s Disease which ended his season early. He lost over twenty pounds due to the disease but reports from earlier this offseason indicate he is doing well and hopes to be back in shape to compete for a starting job in training camp.
The last player the Bills have as an option to start at right tackle was drafted in the same year as Seantrel Henderson but five rounds ahead of him. Of course, we are talking about Cyrus Kouandjio. The former second round pick was beat out by Henderson for the job his rookie season and has struggled to make an impact for the team due to chronic knee issues.
With the uncertainty surrounding the Bills options for a starter at right tackle, one must wonder if all of the sudden this just became their biggest position of need in the 2016 Draft. Don’t be surprised if the Bills look to sign some low-level tackle to a veteran minimum contract just as an insurance policy leading up to the draft in the meanwhile.
If you want to check out some of the options for the Bills in the draft here are some videos on tackles who will be available this year. All of them are projected to go in the first round with Spriggs possibly early in the second if he falls a bit. Decker has the best chance to be available and worthy of the 19th overall pick.