This past Tuesday, the Buffalo Bills were put in a spot where they were going to have to make a roster decision. Tom Pelissero had reported that the Minnesota Vikings had signed Bills offensive lineman Ryan Van Demark to an offer sheet as a restricted free agent. Since Van Demark was a restricted free agent, the Bills had five days to match the offer.
Even though Buffalo had five days to match Minnesota’s offer, the Bills made the decision already to not match per Pelissero and now Van Demark is heading to the Vikings on a one-year deal worth $4.2 million guaranteed.
The Bills have gained an extra $3.6 million in cap with them not matching Minnesota’s offer so not only do they have extra money, but they must have confidence in replacing Van Demark. Right now, the Bills have another offensive lineman on the roster that could benefit from Van Demark leaving for the Vikings.
Tylan Grable has most to gain from departure of Ryan Van Demark
Van Demark proved to be a quality backup and swing tackle for key situations in Buffalo. Now that he is gone, that could set third year tackle Tylan Grable up for success to show that he can easily replace him.
Grable was a 6th-round draft pick out of UCF in 2024 for the Bills, playing in four games and even starting in one. Last season, Grable dealt with injuries and didn’t see much action.
While the Bills have Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown as their starters, there was a time last season where both of them missed the same regular season game against the Steelers, leaving Ryan Van Demark and Alec Anderson as the starters. Buffalo ended up running all over Pittsburgh and part of the reason why was because of Van Demark and Anderson.
Anderson is back, but he has a chance to replace David Edwards. With Van Demark being gone now, Grable has the chance to show this new coaching staff that he can step into the role and become a solidified backup protector for Josh Allen.
It was a bit surprising that the Bills opted to not match, but there are benefits to them not doing it. As for Grable, this could be a vote of confidence for him but now he will need to prove it. The last thing Bills fans want to see is Grable struggling while Van Demark thrives with the Vikings.