3 losers for the Buffalo Bills from the 2023 NFL Draft

Ryan Bates

Last offseason, Ryan Bates was a restricted free agent and signed an offer sheet with the Chicago Bears. He received a four-year deal after a promising end to the 2021 season where he finally had a chance to be a starter.

The Buffalo Bills would match that offer sheet from the Bears and Bates would return to Buffalo and be the starting guard all of last season. However, that starting role doesn’t look like it will be there moving forward with the selection of O’Cyrus Torrence in the second round along with free agent additions Connor McGovern and David Edwards.

If Bates remains the starter, he will need to have a great training camp and preseason and will absolutely have earned that spot on the offensive line. The most likely scenario though will be Bates will return to being a backup, primarily at center and guard, and be a good depth option for the interior of the offensive line.