5 Buffalo Bills on offense to watch in Week 1 against the LA Rams

Ryan Bates

This next player could have been any of the interior offensive linemen for the Buffalo Bills but I selected Ryan Bates because he is the least experienced among the group. This is not good news as the Bills’ offensive line is tasked with slowing down defensive tackle Aaron Donald.

The Rams’ star defensive player is arguably the best defensive player in the league and is a player that can almost single-handedly ruin a team’s offensive game plan.  This past season, Donald had 12.5 sacks and 19 tackles for a loss. The way he is able to get through an offensive line he can shut down run games and disrupt passing games.

The Buffalo Bills are going to need all five offensive linemen working together to slow down Aaron Donald but I would imagine that the Rams will try their best to line up Donald over Ryan Bates whenever possible.

Bates returned to Buffalo this offseason after they matched the Chicago Bears’ offer sheet to the restricted free agent. He has been a long-time backup but got a chance to start towards the end of last season for Buffalo at guard. He did a good job and the front office saw enough to match the contract.

This will be a big test for Ryan Bates and certainly will be his toughest challenge all season.