Along with losing a seasoned offensive tackle, the Buffalo Bills are gaining another draft pick.
On March 4, the organization declared that offensive lineman Ryan Bates had been traded to the Chicago Bears for a fifth-round draft pick. The deal is contingent on Bates passing his physical, which is expected to happen on March 13 at the beginning of the new league season, according to the organization.
Buffalo’s offensive line loses some depth in the trade, but it gains an 11th draft pick and more freedom to make further draft selections.
Bills Saying Goodbye to Ryan Bates
In 2019, Bates became an undrafted free agent and signed with the Philadelphia Eagles before being traded to Buffalo during training camp. During his first three years, he primarily played in a supporting position; but, in 2022, he began in 15 games and broke into the starting lineup.
In the past, the Bears had threatened Bates. The Bears made an offer sheet to the lineman in 2022 when he was a restricted free agency, which the Bills eventually matched. Bears general manager Ryan Poles was reorganizing the team’s offensive line and considered Bates as a possible upgrade, as the Chicago Tribune reported at the time.
Despite having a tight salary limit at the time, Bills general manager Brandon Beane said the team struggled to match the offer but ultimately decided to value Bates highly enough to sign him to a four-year, $17 million contract.
Beane remarked, “We kind of thought about that and worked through it.” Even though we were close to the cap, we chose to reinstate Ryan. It’s critical that we establish our strength right away. Ryan is a flexible athlete. He truly is a five-spot player. Most significantly, though, is that he has been a center-guard when called upon, and we felt that he performed admirably this year when given the chance, starting the final four regular season games as well as the two postseason contests. He didn’t appear to find it excessively large.
This offseason, Mark Gaughan of the Buffalo News had predicted that Bates would be a cap casualty and that his future would probably hinge on whether or not Morse returned in 2024.
The group could prolong and rework his contract to save maybe $2.5 million, or they could rework it and save $1.1 million. They would save $4 million if they released Bates,” stated Gaughan.
Amounts Due on Draft Selections
With 11 selections overall going into the draft, the Bills may have more leeway to maneuver in the draft. In each of the previous two seasons, he has traded up in the first round to choose tight end Dalton Kincaid in 2023 and cornerback Kaiir Elam in 2022.
At the end of the season, Beane discussed how important it was to have a strong draft to counteract the team’s salary cap constraints, which he claimed would keep the team from making any big acquisitions.
“We must complete this draft. Every draft must be hit. According to SI.com, Beane stated, “If you don’t draft well when you get into this cap situation, then it really shows.”
