Buffalo Bills: How & why this offseason was Brandon Beane's best work
By Joe Cook
Brandon Beane Does the Best Work of his Sareer So Far
Once Beane got creative with clearing money, he got right to work improving the Buffalo Bills. A team that went 13-3 last season, got even better this year, and it’s all thanks to Beane’s contract wizardry. On paper, this is the best roster of the Beane era in Buffalo, yet, it was the smallest amount of money he had to work with.
Drastically Improved the O-line:
The Bills O-line has been solid at times, and really bad at others. Improving Josh Allen’s O-line was one of the top priorities of the off-season. The Bills inked former Cowboys’ guard/center, Connor McGovern to a 3-year $24 million deal. The 25-year-old played 909 snaps last season, allowing one sack and committing one penalty.
Even better was the addition of rookie O’cyrus Torrence in the draft. Torrence was one of the best guard prospects in the draft and a first-round talent. Beane got him in the second round. In 46 career college starts, Torrence did not allow a single sack.
The Bills interior O-line is vastly improved, and deep, especially on the interior. From left to right, the Bills have Pro-Bowl left tackle Dion Dawkins, McGovern, Pro-Bowl center Mitch Morse, Torrence, and third-year tank, Spencer Brown. They also have top-notch depth, in Ryan Bates, David Edwards, and Brandon Shell, just to name a few. This will be the best O-line Josh Allen has played behind.
Retained Jordan Poyer:
Perhaps the best thing Brandon Beane did this off-season, was retain star safety, Jordan Poyer. The All-Pro safety was entering free agency looking for a big pay-day, in what is likely the last one of his career.
Beane wanted him back but was not going to break the bank. Knowing the market value for him, Beane allowed Poyer to test the market. When the safety market essentially tanked, Beane got his All-Pro back for a bargain.
Poyer inked a 2-year $19.5 million deal, paying $9.75 million annually and Poyer is the 25th highest-paid safety in the NFL. A monster steal for the Buffalo Bills, where Poyer has been arguably the best safety in the league the past two seasons, and the team was undefeated in games he played last season, minus the playoff loss to the Bengals.