Buffalo Bills 2021 Offseason Position Preview: Offensive Line
The offensive line looked to be a position of strength for the Buffalo Bills entering the 2020 season. This past season the Bills were bringing back every starter from a group that played well the year prior.
However, injuries and underperformance forced the coaching staff to seemingly have to shuffle the line on a weekly basis in the first half of the year. In the second half, the Bills found their best group and the performance improved.
They are now entering this offseason with some serious questions as key players are free agents and the front office will have to make some tough decisions. Let’s take a look at the players under contract and who is a free agent entering this offseason.
Under Contract for 2021
Mitch Morse
Jordan Devey
Cody Ford
Dion Dawkins
Ryan Bates
Trey Adams – Reserve/Future Contract
Of the five players that finished the season as starters, only two are under contract for this coming season, left tackle Dion Dawkins and center Mitch Morse. However, Morse’s place on the team is in question as he could be a cap casualty this offseason.
In addition to those two, Cody Ford is expected to return this season after having a tough second year in the NFL. He played right tackle as a rookie but moved inside to the guard position after Daryl Williams earned the starting right tackle job. However, Ford only played seven games after he suffered a knee injury in practice at the end of November.
The front office also has already started to build the depth at the position with the signing of Trey Adams to a Reserve/Future contract and also signing Jordan Devey to a one-year deal.
Free Agents
Jon Feliciano
Daryl Williams
Brian Winters
Ty Nsekhe
Ike Boettger – Restricted Free Agent
Of the free agents that the Buffalo Bills have, Jon Feliciano and Daryl Williams should be two of the top priorities for this front office. Daryl Williams was signed last year on a one-year deal and had a bounce back year with Buffalo.
As for Feliciano, he joined the Buffalo Bills in 2019 and earned the starting right guard job and play all 16 games in 2019. This past season though he started the year on injured reserve after suffering a torn pec over the summer. There is no question that the offensive line struggled without Feliciano and when he returned, they played better.
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The other reason that Feliciano should be a priority is that he could play guard or center depending on what the team decides to do with Mitch Morse. As for Ike Boettger, he is a restricted free agent and did finish the year as the team’s starting left guard. He should return next season and compete for a starting job.