Should the Bills Usher In A Youth Movement At Left Guard?
Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Although it’s far from an inevitability, the Buffalo Bills’ cap situation could warrant a couple of surprise cap casualties. Currently, Buffalo is $17,293,068 above the salary cap limit, but they have enough financial flexibility to restructure existing deals to become cap compliant. Nevertheless, Brandon Beane’s top priority this offseason should be to clear up the books, and eliminating unnecessary spending is a part of that. So it shouldn’t have come as a surprise to Bills Mafia when Beane said he doesn’t expect the team to be big spenders in free agency.
To free up space, Locked On Bills host Joe Marino recently floated the idea of the Bills releasing starting guard David Edwards. The 27-year-old lineman is entering the final season of his two-year, $6 million extension from last offseason. That contract comes with a potential out which allows Buffalo to create $4.36 million in cap space while only incurring $875,000 in dead money. Marino cited the positive development of backup offensive linemen Alec Anderson and Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, along with the cap savings, as justification for cutting Edwards.
In theory, that makes sense, especially given that Buffalo has one of the best offensive lines in football. Losing Edwards wouldn’t change that Buffalo still has two elite tackles in Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown and a quality center in Connor McGovern. Their high-end talent could make it easier for Anderson or Van Pran-Granger to step in and succeed. Nevertheless, Beane and Company must weigh the short and long-term benefits before deciding whether or not to usher in a youth movement at left guard.
Van Pran-Granger is an intriguing candidate to grab a starter role. A center out of Georgia, Van Pran-Granger was drafted in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. This followed a career where he excelled in college, finishing First-Team All-SEC in 2023 and earning the Jacobs Blocking Trophy in his final year with the Georgia Bulldogs. He served as the Bills backup center his rookie year, playing just 125 snaps in 2024. Still, Van Pran-Granger is a high-upside developmental prospect who has the potential to play both center and guard once he adds more weight.
Highest-graded Bills in the preseason opener:
🥇 Curtis Samuel – 78.1
🥈 Sedrick Van Pran-Granger – 75.7
🥉 Baylon Spector – 75.6
🏅 Frank Gore Jr. – 72.6
🏅 Kaiir Elam – 72.0 pic.twitter.com/6QCRfaMweZ— PFF BUF Bills (@PFF_Bills) August 11, 2024
However, the player who is more likely to replicate David Edwards’ production is Anderson, who the Bills just brought back on a one-year deal last week. Anderson served as Buffalo’s sixth offensive lineman, playing in 27% of the Bills’ offensive snaps in 2024, with the majority of which came at left guard. Not only that, but Anderson offers a ton of positional versatility, with the ability to fill in on the interior offensive line, as a swing tackle, and even at tight end.
In Week 18 against the New England Patriots, we got to see Anderson play all 67 offensive snaps at left guard with the starters resting. He had an impressive outing, finishing the game with an 88.0 PFF Pass-Blocking Grade. Anderson’s 78.3 Overall Grade made him Buffalo’s highest-graded offensive player in Week 18. We already know that Bills coaches think highly of Anderson, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he forced the front office to strongly consider him as a full-time starter in the future.
The Bills have used Alec Anderson as the 6th OL for 22 snaps so far this season and he is making a very real impact. Check out these knockdown finishes 👀 pic.twitter.com/Xn4JcIxgzl
— Brandon Thorn (@BrandonThornNFL) September 13, 2024
Granted, I don’t think the Bills expect Anderson to have a near-perfect Pass-Blocking Grade every game. However, if Anderson can replicate most of Edwards’ production at left guard on a significantly cheaper contract, then making a change could be a no-brainer. The question Brandon Beane must ask himself is whether or not cutting Edwards, who is a quality guard in his own right, in favor of a less experienced player is worth the $4.36 million in cap savings.
Personally, I don’t think cutting Edwards is worth the risk. Buffalo is in Super Bowl or Bust mode, and they have an elite offensive line that, with Edwards in the fold, has fantastic depth. While I respect that Marino is a self-proclaimed offensive line nerd and is very bullish on Van Pran-Granger and Anderson… if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Beane can clear over $40 million through restructures alone, leaving the Bills with roughly $23 million in effective cap space. While Anderson and Van Pran-Granger are very promising players, the Bills aren’t quite ready to roll the dice on an offensive line youth movement just yet.
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