BY: MATTHEW SHALLOE
It is no secret that the Bills have had what seems like a revolving door at the Guard position all year. First, Jon Feliciano was out to start the season, Quinton Spain was benched in Week 3 and later released, Cody Ford had battled a multitude of injuries before his latest Meniscus tear sidelined him for the rest of the season, but what about the guy who’s slid in to fill all these reps? Ike Boettger has done a tremendous job for the Bills this season.
Boettger was signed to the Bills practice squad as an undrafted Free Agent out of Iowa after the 2018 NFL Draft. In his rookie year, he found himself a part of just four games, taking a total of just 76 snaps across those games. In year 2? His only snaps on offense game in a Week 17 loss to the Jets in a game where the Bills had nothing to play for.
So how has Boettger come from a guy who played sparingly in his first two seasons, to a rock on the offensive line? Boettger has taken 100% of the snaps in the last two big-time Primetime wins for the Bills over the 49ers and the Steelers. He took over for the struggling Brian Winters and hasn’t looked back.
According to Pro Football Focus, Boettger ranks 25th in terms of Guard play in the NFL with a grade of 67.9, by far and away higher than any other Guard on the Bills. Their grading system shows that he thrives in the run-blocking category, which could explain why the Bills have been able to run the ball a little more effectively in recent weeks.
It is worth noting that guys like Guard Jon Feliciano and Right Tackle Daryl Williams are Free Agents after the season. Could the play of Boettger convince the Bills enough to not have to bring one of these guys back? It’s no secret that money is tight, and re-signing Matt Milano should be a top priority for the Bills this offseason. If they were to let Williams walk, they could always revisit the idea of Cody Ford at Right Tackle, sliding Boettger into a starting Guard role.
It will be interesting to see what the Bills decide to do with their Offensive Line this offseason, but for now, the focus is on clinching that first division title in 25 years. Talk about the offseason can wait when there are bigger goals on the table.
The Bills (10-3) will be in Denver, Saturday at 4:30 p.m. to take on Drew Lock and the Broncos (5-8) at Empower Field at Mile High.
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