The Buffalo Bills have enjoyed sustained continuity among their offensive line for the past few seasons under former head coach Sean McDermott and former offensive line coach Aaron Kromer. All five of their starting offensive lineman returning each year makes running back James Cook's role much easier than before.
Now, with new head coach Joe Brady leading the way, the team is prepared to make some important adjustments and regroup their offensive line this season. The only starter they lost on last season's offensive line was David Edwards, who is now on a four-year, $61 million contract with the New Orleans Saints. That leaves a hole at left guard where there will be an open competition to replace him.
The Bills also lost veteran swing tackle Ryan Van Demark to the Minnesota Vikings. They will now have to see whether rookie swing tackle Jude Bowry will be his immediate replacement this season.
They also hired a new offensive line coach in Pat Meyer who was hired by Brady. Luckily, he's a familiar coach whom Brady knows from his days with the Carolina Panthers and was also on the Bills staff alongside Kromer when Rex Ryan coached the Bills.
Let's take a look at two important changes on the Bills' offensive line for the 2026 season.
2 vital changes Bills' offensive line needs to prepare for 2026 season
1.) Left guard competition
Despite four of the five starters on the offensive line all returning this season, the loss of David Edwards at left guard presents a key calculated challenge for the team. The 29-year-old veteran leaves a huge void in the left guard position.
Not only does his leaving affect who will fill in for him this season, but it also shapes how new offensive line coach Pat Meyer wants to fill that void and what type of player he wants to fill it with.
Luckily, this allows the Bills to pivot to a new strategy of having a left guard who is more of a swing lineman, with the versatility to move around the offensive line, which was not a strength of the departed Edwards.
Besides trying to run it back by giving Alec Anderson his first full starting opportunity, the Bills tried to replace the gap left by Edwards by signing former Carolina Panthers swing lineman Austin Corbett, as well as former Tennessee Titan, Lloyd Cushenberry.
Corbett is 6-foot-4, 306 pounds, with plenty of experience at right guard, but also has proven longevity as a center. Cushenberry is 6-foot-4, 315 pounds, but much like Corbett, he's still athletic enough to kick over to guard, despite being mostly a starting center in the past.
Then, the Bills have a returner in Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, who is 6-foot-4, 315 pounds, to have the size and versatility to be either a starting right guard or one of the backup centers for the Bills this season.
And don't count out swing tackle Tylan Grable, who is now 6-foot-5, 313 pounds, with the size to be more of a natural tackle, but could be a big player at the starting left guard position.
Even though Edwards leaves a void at the starting left guard position, it allows their new offensive line coach to replace him with a player on the roster who has more positional flexibility, whereas keeping Edwards would have been overpaying him just to play traditional left guard. Additionally, it saves cap space and allows for a player on a more team-friendly contract to fill that void.
2). New offensive line coach Pat Meyer
As Aaron Kromer departed the Bills organization, here to step in is longtime offensive line coach Pat Meyer. Meyer was the Pittsburgh Steelers' offensive line coach recently.
Even though Kromer is gone, Meyer brings some of the same familiarity the Bills have worked with on their offensive line in the past. Both Meyer and Kromer were on the Bills staff in 2015 and 2016 under then head coach Rex Ryan.
Much like Kromer did in his time with the Bills, Meyer wants a tough, physical O-line when it comes to both the running and passing game. The one difference is that the 54-year-old wants more positional versatility on the O-line, with swing linemen moving all over, and even having tackles kick inside to left guard.
Kromer didn't have the flexibility to move more on his offensive line, as Edwards was a staple at left guard on those Top-3 offensive lines in the NFL these past few seasons.
It will be different this season in terms of filling the voids left by Edwards and Kromer. With their new strategy of greater flexibility on the offensive line and a new offensive line coach, the team will use some of the same terminology as the previous coach, which should produce better results on the line and a better chance of getting to the Super Bowl this season.
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