The Buffalo Bills are set to lose a great amount of players to free agency, including two on the offensive line. The Bills have had one of the strongest offensive lines the last two seasons, but there is a chance that Connor McGovern and David Edwards will be on another team next season.
Due to the Bills having a tough salary cap situation, they may not be able to bring back some players, including McGovern and Edwards. Then again, players may also be seeking more money as well and if Buffalo doesn’t have it, then they will be seeking somewhere else to play.
When it comes to Edwards, he has played a vital role for Buffalo but now, the Bills may need to look for his replacement.
Bills must avoid paying David Edwards big-time money in or before free agency
Gary Davenport from Bleacher Report listed Edwards as an “NFL free agent bust waiting to happen going into 2026”. While it may sound harsh, it’s not exactly a bold take either. Davenport said Spotrac is projecting Edwards to receive a contract that is worth $19.9 million as an annual salary.
"But while Edwards is a solid player, he's not a dominant player like Chris Lindstrom of the Atlanta Falcons or Quenton Nelson of the Indianapolis Colts. He has been better with the Bills than he was with the Los Angeles Rams, but he still hasn't been great." said Davenport.
No matter how great a quarterback is, he still needs great protection in front of him. The Bills have been building up the offensive line in order to protect Allen. Edwards came to Buffalo as a swing-tackle, but then showed his talents to become a starter. Being on the same side as Dion Dawkins in protecting Josh Allen’s blindside has been very important.
While losing Edwards could very well hurt Buffalo, they would be damaging their cap if they paid Edwards the value that Spotrac is projecting him at. If anything, they are better off bringing back Connor McGovern and only finding Edwards replacement.
Free agency begins next month and unless the Bills can create a ton of cap space to where they can re-sign a lot of their own players, fans should be prepared to see players walk out the door to another organization, including Edwards.