Bills trade 5 year OL veteran to Bears, add new draft asset
The Buffalo Bills will bid farewell to a veteran offensive lineman and select a new draft pick. On March 4, the team announced that it had traded offensive lineman Ryan Bates to the Chicago Bears in exchange for a fifth-round draft pick. The trade will become official on March 13, when the new league year begins, and Bates is awaiting a medical exam, according to the team. This deal adds some depth to Buffalo’s offensive line, but it also adds the No. 11 pick and flexibility to make more moves in the draft.
Ryan Bates’ bill was canceled
Bates entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2019 and initially signed with the Philadelphia Eagles, but was traded to Buffalo during training camp. He played primarily as a depth player for the first three years, but returned to the starting lineup in 2022, appearing in 15 games that season.
The Bears have targeted Bates in the past. The Bears ultimately sent a matching offer to the Bills when the lineman became a restricted free agent in 2022. As the Chicago Tribune reported at the time, Bears general manager Ryan Pauls was in the process of overhauling the team’s offensive line and viewed Bates as a potential upgrade. Bills general manager Brandon Beane said it was a difficult decision to accept the offer because the team was facing a salary cap crisis at the time, but ultimately brought Bates back on a four-year, $17 million contract. said it was well worth it.
“We thought about it and worked on it,” Bean said. “Despite the severe restrictions, we decided to bring Ryan back. It is very important for us to be strong up front. Ryan is a versatile player. He can really play all five positions. But more importantly, he was a center back when he was relieved, and when he got that opportunity this year, he started the final four games of the regular season and two games of the postseason. And we thought we did a really good job. He didn’t think it was too much.
Mark Gaughan of the Buffalo News considered Bates a potential player the team lost this offseason, noting that his future is likely dependent on Morse’s return in 2024. “The team could either restructure the contract and save $1.1 million, or they could restructure and extend it and save maybe $2.5 million. If they had released Bates, they could have saved $4 million. It would have saved dollars,” Ghosn wrote. As I write, banknotes accumulate.
The Bills currently have 11 picks entering the draft, which could give Beane some flexibility in his decision-making. They made first-round trades in each of the past two seasons, acquiring defensive end Kaia Elam in 2022 and tight end Dalton Kincaid in 2023. At the end of the season, Beane spoke about the importance of having a good draft to offset the team’s salary cap limitations. He believed that would prevent the team from making a high-profile trade.
“We have to embrace this project. It must reflect each project. When you’re in a cap situation like that and draft poorly, that really shows,” Beane said, via SI.com.
