Bills Have all Their Starters Back on Offensive Line
Rarely have the Buffalo Bills been able to start a game with all of their top offensive linemen available. More rare: Finishing with the line intact.
They could at least have a chance to do that Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons, thanks to the return of Jon Feliciano from the Reserve/COVID-19 list.
Feliciano, right tackle Spencer Brown, left tackle Dion Dawkins and key reserves Ike Boettger and Cody Ford each have missed games this season due to injuries and/or COVID-19 outbreaks, sometimes throwing the alignment into disarray.
All but Boettger, who's on the injured reserve list after wrecking an Achilles tendon, will be available Sunday, barring any more setbacks.
The play of Dawkins after being thrown back into the fire as an emergency replacement after Boettger went down during last Sunday's win over New England was especially encouraging. He allowed Spencer Brown to return to the side he had practiced and played on most of the season and Daryl Williams to move back inside to guard.
Ryan Bates' play at the other guard spot was equally crucial. The line did not allow a sack of Josh Allen while clearing the way for the 33 points against the NFL's top-ranked scoring defense.
What's more, the Bills became the first team Patriots coach Bill Belichick has faced in his storied career that never punted. That's 431 regular-season and 43 playoff games for a total of 474 games as a head coach.
What this portends for Bates is unclear. Maybe he remains the starter now over Feliciano.
Either way, with Cody Ford also coming off the Reserve/COVID-19 list, the Bills will have options. That means they likely won't have to face the scenario of having to use Bobby Hart, who's already been cut by three teams this year alone, in any meaningful action.
Hart was cut by the Cincinnati Bengals in the offseason, had a dreadful training camp with the Bills before being let go, signed with the Tennessee Titans and then cut after three games before being re-signed by the then-desperate Bills.
Bates always knew he could play every spot on the offensive line. But he may have been held back from earlier steady duty because of his value as the backup center to Mitch Morse and the need to keep him healthy in because of it.
At this stage of his career, the 24-year-old Bates claims not to be bothered by it.
"I never really looked at it as frustrating," Bates said. "I'm just grateful being in the situation I'm in. They always tell you, `the more you can do, the longer you stay around,' and quite frankly I consider myself one of those people that can play all five positions ... and jumbo tight end. I've played a little fullback. So I don't look at is as frustrating. I'm just grateful for the situation I'm in."
Clearly, the Bills are best with Dawkins at left tackle, Brown at right tackle and Morse at center.
The guard spots? How the Bills handle a rare totally healthy corps on Sunday will be interesting.
Nick Fierro is the publisher of Bills Central. Check out the latest Bills news at www.si.com/nfl/bills and follow Fierro on Twitter at @NickFierro. Email to Nicky300@aol.com.
