The Buffalo Bills signed offensive lineman Connor McGovern to a three-year contract worth $22.35 million as their first major addition in the 2023 off-season. McGovern is a skilled pass blocker, who has filled in for the Cowboys at both guard positions and center since being drafted by them in the third round of the 2019 NFL draft.
Fixing their O-line, and specifically adding a guard was an important move for the Buffalo Bills entering the 2023 offseason. The Bills needed to do a better job of protecting quarterback Josh Allen, whose aggressive play style invites hits and will likely lead to injuries as his career progresses.
As exciting as he is, the Bills need to do everything in their power to protect him from unnecessary hits and stop forcing him into situations where he scrambles and takes additional wear and tear through hits or hurdling over defenders.
Adding McGovern helps significantly with pass protection and gives the Bills a solid, reliable starter with positional flexibility. At 6’5” and 308 pounds with long arms, a huge wingspan and large hands, his size measures in the 84th percentile for Guards in the NFL. In addition to his size, he is exactly the type of extremely athletic lineman that the Bills prioritized during the Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott era in Buffalo.
However, there are still concerns for the Bills on the offensive line. They had the 23rd ranked O-line according to PFF in 2023, after finishing 21st in 2021. And it wasn’t just in pass protection, as their run game struggled throughout the whole season leading to difficulty managing the clock late in games throughout the year. Regardless of who the Bills add to their running back corps for 2023, they must improve their offensive line play to open space and create holes.