Buffalo Bills 2022 Free Agency Grade: Rodger Saffold

One of the first moves the Buffalo Bills made this offseason was agreeing to a one-year deal with guard Rodger Saffold. Since he was released by the Tennessee Titans this offseason, Buffalo was able to agree to terms before the start of free agency.

Let’s take a closer look at the player and the contract the two sides agreed upon to determine a final grade for this move.

What Rodger Saffold brings to the Buffalo Bills?

Rodger Saffold was a second round pick by the Rams in 2010 and would play nine seasons there starting 111 games over that span. He would join the Titans in 2019 and start 46 games at guard over those three seasons and earn a Pro Bowl nomination last year, the first of his career.

One of the areas that Saffold should help the Buffalo Bills is on the ground as he has been a big part of the Titans’ rushing attack and according to Pro Football Focus has been graded as the 11th best guard in run blocking since joining Tennessee.

Contract

According to Spotrac, the Buffalo Bills and Rodger Saffold agreed to a one-year deal worth $6,250,000. However, the deal has a cap hit of only $4,220,000 with the Bills adding a void year of $2 million. The cap hit for this year ranks 22nd among guards in the NFL.

Final Grade: B+

Last year, the run game struggled early in the season and it was tough to determine the reason, whether it was the play-calling, the running backs, or the blocking upfront. The Bills have tried to address that final one by adding one of the top run-blocking guards in the NFL in Saffold.

While he won’t be a long-term solution as he is 33 years old, this is something that should significantly help improve this part of the offense this season.