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Buffalo Bills' $72 million Josh Allen protector named 'best kept secret'

Every team has its players who shine below the radar. The Buffalo Bills have a gigantic one (literally) who has recently been named their 'best kept secret'
Brian Letscher|
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) looks over the offensive line against the Miami Dolphins.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) looks over the offensive line against the Miami Dolphins. | Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

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The Buffalo Bills had one of the best offenses in the NFL in 2024, scoring 30.9 points per game, reaching the AFC championship contest and catapulting Josh Allen to his first MVP. None of that happens without an outstanding offensive line.

The most well-known Bills offensive lineman is left tackle Dion Dawkins -- an excellent player with a camera-ready personality, making him ineligible for a "best kept secret" tag. The Bills' right tackle Spencer Brown, however, is the perfect candidate and was thus named so by Matt Holder of The Bleacher Report.

Spencer Brown
Dec 29, 2024; Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Spencer Brown (79) prepares to block New York Jets linebacker Quincy Williams (56) | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

"Offensive line is an unsung position group as a whole, and most people focus on left tackles, especially after the movie and book The Blind Side. But protecting the other edge is important, and Brown is one of the best at it, despite having never made a Pro Bowl or All-Pro team. 

RELATED: Important offensive uptick projected for Bills in 2025

Brown was a diamond-in-the-rough going all the way back to high school in Iowa -- 8-man high school football. He was big (6' 8") and athletic, playing tight end and defensive end as well as baseball, basketball and golf. The perfect mix of size, coordination and toughness wtih room-to-grow that college football programs love. Northern Iowa smartly moved him to tackle, put some weight on him, and Brown was a third-round draft pick four years later.

After a couple injury plagued seasons, Brown was healthy for 15 of 17 games last season and was ranked right behind Dawkins at #15 on ESPN's Top 20 tackles in pass-block-win-rate. Based off the statistics for 2023 and 2024, the Bills made an excellent mid-round draft choice yet again. And he's certainly no "secret" to the organization — they extended his rookie deal early last season for four-years $72 million. Money well spent for a key component keeping Josh Allen upright with eyes downfield.

Josh Allen, Spencer Brown
Bills quarterback Josh Allen looks for an open receiver while teammate Spencer Brown looks to block Bengals Sam Hubbard | Tina MacIntyre-Yee /Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK

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Brian Letscher
BRIAN LETSCHER

A Michigan native, Brian graduated from the University of Michigan in another century, where he earned a degree in economics and a Rose Bowl Championship ring while playing football for the Wolverines under Head Coach Gary Moeller. Brian went on to coach Division 1A football for several years before becoming a full-time writer and actor while maintaining an unhealthy interest in sports. He is currently developing a scripted television series, THOSE WHO STAY, based on a series of historical fiction articles he wrote about Bo Schembechler's Michigan football program as they struggle to unite and win the championship - which requires beating #1 Ohio State - during the tumultuous civil rights and anti-war movements of 1969.

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