Ryan Bates Relieved to Remain a Buffalo Bill
Like so many other Buffalo Bills, Ryan Bates has a built-in connection with the fans as a blue-collar, whatever-it-takes kind of player who can play any position on the offensive line.
That's why he was just as relieved as Bills general manager Brandon Beane and the team's coaching staff were when the restricted free agency process led him back to Buffalo in the end.
Even though Bates signed an offer sheet with the Chicago Bears, he was hoping the Bills would match, as they had the right to do after offering him an original-round tender to kick off free agency following the expiration of his contract.
"It [was] a very long two weeks," he confessed to reporters on a Zoom conference call Tuesday. "You know, I'm happy. I told Beane at the end of the season that I wanted to be a Bill and I wanted to stay in Buffalo. And thankfully he came to the conclusion where I could stay in Buffalo for the next four years, which is unbelievable opportunity. I created a lot of relationships my past three years in Buffalo, and these next four I'm going to create even more."
Bates called the four-year deal Buffalo matched, reportedly worth $17 million over four years, with $8.8 million guaranteed, "life-changing money. It's something you can't really turn down where I come from, a blue-collar family outside of Philadelphia. I've never seen that kind of money before in my life."
The money won't change him. But it does make the starting right guard job his to lose, regardless of what Beane and coach Sean McDermott have said about nothing being guaranteed.
Had the Bills not been beyond reasonably certain he was the top candidate for the job after he finished last season as the starting left guard, they would have thanked him for the memories, moved on and kept that precious cap space open for someone else.
Instead, they head to the NFL Draft with more quality depth than just about any team at a position group that's the hardest in the league to stock.
Pro Bowl guard Rodger Saffold was signed as a free agent to play the left side, which means Bates switches to the right side, between center Mitch Morse and right tackle Spencer Brown. Dion Dawkins, who like Saffold is coming off a Pro Bowl season, remains the left tackle.
Among the backups are Ike Boettger, Cody Ford and Greg Mancz, who all have extensive starting experience, and second-year tackle Tommy Doyle, who gave their goal-line packages some power as an extra blocker and even a touchdown catch as an extra tight end on one play.
When they all get back on the field, a new offensive line coach, Aaron Kromer, will be on the job along with new offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey, promoted from quarterbacks coach.
Bates hopes to have a complete understanding of every position in the playbook by then.
"The expectation for myself is I want to have a master understanding of the offense as a whole," he said. "You know, not only what my job is, but what the formations are on each play and learning what [QB] Josh [Allen's] reads are -- you know, trying to get a ... master understanding of everything and, of course, refining my techniques along the way.
"... I know the offense very well, but I want to create a master understanding of it."
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.
