Even with setbacks during the offseason, young talent and a veteran presence has been brought in to stabilize the Buffalo Bills offensive line.
It sure was a busy offseason for the Buffalo Bills offensive line, but also general manager Brandon Beane. It was a hard hit losing three starting linemen in a short amount of time and without much notice.
Center Eric Wood was forced to retire after suffering a neck injury that wouldn’t allow him to play the game again. Richie Incognito “retired” because there was dissatisfaction about a restructured contract and also a liver injury. Left tackle Cordy Glenn was traded to the Cincinnati Bengals.
With the three men gone, you should not lose confidence just yet. Beane went to work signing free agents and letting other players show him what they got to potentially start. Plus giving more young players the opportunity to start in the league.
At center, the Bills were not left hanging. Ryan Groy, who played center/tackle with the team, was available and could be put in that slot. Russell Bodine signed a two-year contract in March and has a record. He was the center for Andy Dalton of the Cincinnati Bengals for four seasons. He started all 16 games in each season. A very solid pick and Beane has a lot of confidence in him to bring his best.
Last season wasn’t the best for guard John Miller. After losing the starting right tackle job to Vladimir Ducasse after four games, he was not active on gamedays. Miller was drafted in the third round of the 2015 draft and has been spotty ever since. But this is his time to shine and he still has a lot of talent to unleash. It is finally his time to show the coach what he can do to bring value to the team.
There isn’t much concern about the left tackle position. Dion Dawkins played great last year and really impressed the coaches. At the same time, veteran Marshall Newhouse signed a deal with the team to compete with Dawkins. This should be interesting to watch.
Jordan Mills played all 16 games last season at right tackle and will likely start at that position this year. But as always, there is competition. Conor McDermott has a chance to push up to the starting position as well.
Bills fans should keep their confidence in the offensive line this season. There is a lot of young talent, but also some veterans.