The Buffalo Bills need to improve the interior of their offensive line this offseason and they didn’t waste much time addressing the position. According to Mike Garafolo with NFL Network, the Bills agreed to a three-year deal worth $23 million with Connor McGovern, who was a starting guard for the Dallas Cowboys last season.
McGovern was originally a third round pick by the Cowboys in the 2019 NFL Draft and during the first few years was a versatile part of their offense. While it is rare for an offensive lineman to be versatile, as Chris Trapasso with CBS Spots details in this tweet he was moved around a lot and even lined up in the backfield as an h-back.
This is not overly surprising as McGovern coming out of Penn State was one of the most athletic linemen in that draft class with a Relative Athletic Score (RAS) of 9.67 out of 10.
In total, McGovern has 29 career starts with eight in 2020, six in 2021, and then 15 this past season.
Buffalo Bills clearly wanted to improve protection for Josh Allen
The debate for the Buffalo Bills’ offense over the past few seasons has been whether or not the focus should be to improve run blocking or give Josh Allen more time in the pocket.
Based on the grades from last season by Pro Football Focus as tweeted by WGR550’s Joe DiBiase, it is clear the Buffalo Bills wanted a player to protect their franchise quarterback. He ranked as one of the best in pass protection but near the bottom among guards in run blocking.
In 2022, Connor McGovern ranked at PFF, among guards…
— Joe DiBiase (@SneakyJoeSports) March 13, 2023
Pass Pro: 13th
Run Pro: 79th
The addition of Connor McGovern also likely means the Buffalo Bills will be shuffling their offensive line. McGovern has primarily played right guard but this means that the Bills can move Ryan Bates to left guard, where he played at the end of 2021 and had success.