3 surprise trades the Buffalo Bills could make during 2023 NFL Draft

Surprise trades the Buffalo Bills could make during 2023 NFL Draft: Moving veteran guard Ryan Bates

Let’s say at pick no. 27, the Bills end up going with Florida’s O’Cyrus Torrence or TCU’s Steve Avila. If either one of them are the pick, then Ryan Bates immediately gets relegated to the bench just a year after signing a 4-year extension with Buffalo.

Last offseason, Bates was the subject of a hot free agency battle between the Bills and Chicago Bears. With Chicago having plenty of money still, and an offensive line that could use more work, a deal to the Windy City makes a ton of sense.

On the Bears’ end, they could cut Bates next year with only $1 million in dead cap, so this is a deal well-worth making, especially if it’s only for a fifth-round pick, while netting a sixth rounder in return as well.

The Bills now have no controversy at guard, allowing Bates to go compete for a starting job on a team that’s rebuilding and could use a younger offensive lineman like himself.