Bills year in review: offensive line grades

The offensive line group was without a doubt the biggest area of concern for the Bills in 2022. Josh Allen’s athleticism and elusiveness is great, but it only helped to mask the ineptness of two of the league’s worst starting linemen in Rodger Saffold and Spencer Brown.

The PFF grades from every starting lineman dropped from 2021 to 2022. Is this just a coincidence? Is it time to find a new offensive line coach? Is it time to draft offensive line early in the draft?

Here are the grades for the Bills o-linemen in 2022:

Rodger Saffold, Guard
Games Started: 18
Games Played: 18
PFF Grade: 44.0
PFF Rank: 74^th of 78
Grade: F

Analysis: Rodger Saffold was a disappointment this season. He may have flourished in the run-first Tennessee offense in 2021, but Saffold was a liability in the Bills interior offensive line. PFF has him ranked 74^th of 78 eligible offensive guards in the league, meaning at best he’s a low-end backup.

Dion Dawkins, Tackle
Games Started:  17
Games Played:  17
PFF Grade:  73.8
PFF Rank:  24^th of 84
Grade:  B-

Analysis: Although Dion Dawkins’s play fell off a bit in 2022, he was by far the most reliable pass protector in the Bills’ pass-first offense. His value to the Buffalo Bills goes beyond the playing field.

Ryan Bates, Guard
Games Started:  17
Games Played:  17
PFF Grade:  61.5
PFF Rank:  41^st of 78
Grade:  C

Analysis: Ryan Bates was average in 2022. He regressed a bit from 2021 but wasn’t a major concern on the Bills offensive line. 

Spencer Brown, Tackle
Games Started:  16
Games Played:  16
PFF Grade:  53.4
PFF Rank:  76^th of 84
Grade:  D-

Analysis: Spencer Brown was one of the worst graded tackles in the league in 2022. He showed promise during his injury-prone 2021 season, but there wasn’t improvement from ’21 to ’22—in fact Spencer Brown got worse. His play has a lot of Bills fans thinking a tackle may be selected on the second day of the draft.

Mitch Morse, Center
Games Started:  15
Games Played:  15
PFF Grade:  61.0
PFF Rank:  24^th of 38
Grade:  C

Analysis: Mitch Morse proved to be the most consistent offensive lineman for the Bills in 2022. His rapport with Josh Allen is as important to the Bills offense as the Josh Allen/Stefon Diggs connection. The biggest concern with Mitch Morse is his susceptibility to concussions.

Greg Van Roten, Guard
Games Started:  4
Games Played:  18
PFF Grade:  57.6
PFF Rank:  52^nd of 78
Grade:  C-

Analysis: Greg Van Roten would have been a better alternative at left guard than Rodger Saffold. 

David Quessenberry, Tackle
Games Started:  3
Games Played:  18
PFF Grade:  59.3
PFF Rank:  69^th of 74
Grade:  C-

Analysis: David Quessenberry outplayed Spencer Brown when he was called on to start in Brown’s right tackle position in the middle of the season.