Adding Evan Mathis makes sense for Buffalo

Evan Mathis is looking for some big money. Very few teams are willing to offer this kind of money to a guard who is coming of age. The Philadelphia Eagles made a drastic decision when they chose to release the two time pro bowl guard this afternoon, per Ian Rapoport from NFL Network.

However, the Eagles’ decision did not surprise many. For the past two years, Mathis’ demeanor has not been ideal. Evan Mathis was the only one on his team this year who did not attend the non-mandatory workouts, but he claimed that his “flight (to OTA’s) was scheduled for Monday.” after being released. Trade rumors regarding the 33-year-old have also been relentless as of recent, and Eagles’ coach Chip Kelly hasn’t really kept that a secret, “Evan’s been available to trade for two years now and we’ve never had an offer for him,” he mentioned prior to the draft.

It doesn’t seem like Mathis will truly be missed by his teammates either. When asked if he would miss Mathis, offensive tackle Jason Peters replied, “No, not really.” Not only does this make Mathis sound like a negative influence on the field, but off the field as well. Eagles’ Tight End Zach Ertz also mentioned, “If you go against Chip, I’ve think we seen … if you don’t buy in, we’ve seen what happens,” referring to Mathis’ absence during voluntary workouts. Teammates are acting as though Mathis’ dismissal could matter less.

However, lets not forget about how good of a player Mathis is. According to Pro Football Focus, Mathis was NFL’s top guard from 2011 to 2013. He was ranked second last year from games 9-16, as he was battling a knee injury. It is not so common that a player like this hits free agency at this time of year. The highly-coveted Mathis should only be a free agent for a matter of days. So who are some potential teams that might want him? Well, truth is, there are a lot of teams that could use a lock down player at the guard position.

Can the Buffalo Bills potentially be one of the suitors?

From what was seen at OTA’s for the past couple of weeks, the Buffalo Bills’ offensive line has been surprising to say the least. Surprisingly good. With the addition of former pro bowl guard Richie Incognito and third round pick John Miller, the Bills have already erased their dearth of players at the guard position. Rookie John Miller has been turning many heads so far at OTA’s, including head coach Rex Ryan’s, “Feels like we got a 10 year vet out there,” said Ryan, referring to Miller. As of now it looks as though John Miller and Richie Incognito are set to take the starting guard positions for Buffalo.

In terms of the rest of the offensive line, Eric Wood is a lockdown at the Center position, while Cyrus Kouandjio, Seantrel Henderson, and Cordy Glenn are set to battle it out for the tackle positions. Henderson started all 16 games for the Bills last season, something that is extremely rare of a rookie seventh-rounder. Kouandjio, also a rookie last year, only appeared in one game in 2014, but has shown drastic improvements in OTA’s. Consider the rest of the Bills’ offensive line to be set.

So where does Evan Mathis come in? Mathis would be an immediate lockdown at one guard position, leaving rookie John Miller and Richie Incognito to compete for the remaining guard spot. If the move did happen, it is very likely that Miller would take a backseat behind the two veteran guards as a learning experience. Placing Miller as a backup would leave the Bills in a much more comfortable position if any injuries occur. It’s always good to know there’s a potential starter on the bench if worst comes to worst. If cap space is ignored, the addition of Mathis would certainly improve the Bills’ offensive line to say the least. However, there is long list of teams that want will Evan Mathis, but the Buffalo Bills might be falling short from the top.

Aishik Lala @DirtyShik809

Link to: Bills Fanatics FB Group

#EvanMathis #BuffaloBills #Offensiveline