Buffalo Bills address need on offensive line with Forrest Lamp signing
The interior of the offensive line was a need for the Buffalo Bills with only three guards under contract while Ike Boettger remained a restricted free agent. General manager Brandon Beane didn’t want to wait until the NFL Draft and signed former starting guard Forrest Lamp to a one-year deal the team announced Wednesday.
Lamp was a second-round pick, 38th overall, by the Chargers in the 2017 NFL Draft. At the time, this selection looked to be a steal for the Chargers as he was considered one of the top prospects at the position but as Pro Football Focus notes in their scouting report could potentially slot in at tackle or center.
Unfortunately, that didn’t happen for Lamp with the Chargers as injuries really limited what he was able to do. He missed the entire 2017 season after suffering a torn ACL in training camp of his rookie season.
The following season Lamp was only able to play two games and was primarily a backup for most of the season. Then in 2019, he saw more playing time and had his first two career starts but his season once again was cut short after suffering a broken leg.
This past season though, Lamp finally was able to stay on the field and played, as well as started, 16 games for the Chargers. According to PFF, Lamp had one penalty, allowed two sacks, and led the league among guards in snaps played at 1,174.
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The addition of Forrest Lamp gives the Buffalo Bills another experienced, high-upside player to compete for a starting job this season. He will likely compete with Cody Ford, who should be considered the favorite but not necessarily guaranteed the starting left guard job. It also gives the team flexibility going into the NFL Draft that they don’t necessarily need to add a guard.