Offensive Line Rebuild on Hold

Restricted free agency is always a gamble because teams can match offers and an NFL Network report says the Bears' attempt to sign away Ryan Bates from Buffalo has failed.

Ryan Poles' plans to rebuild the Bears offensive line has taken a severe blow with the report Buffalo will match the restricted free agent offer sheet signed by Ryan Bates.

The fourth-year guard will stay in Buffalo and not come to Chicago, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, and it hits at Poles' plans for the offensive line much like the failed physical of Larry Ogunjobi did for the defensive line. Rapoport cited Bills GM Brandon Beane as his source regarding the move.

Making the offensive line younger and more in line with what the team wants to do with its wide zone blocking scheme was part of the reason they pursued the Bills guard as a replacement for lost free agent right guard James Daniels.

The offer sheet made to Bates was four years at $17 million, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. The offer was frontloaded with $8.8 million in guaranteed money over the first two years to make it difficult to match. The Bills were at the salary cap, so retaining him wasn't an easy maneuver.

Optimism had built the Bills would fail to match a Bears four-year offer but the report means they'llneed to find another alternative to the 6-foot-4, 302-pounder, who become a starter over the final three games and two playoff games last year.

 “It stinks. But it’s out of your control," Poles told reporters at the owners meetings in Florida. 

It opens up guard as an area of need for the Bears in the draft now.

There are few younger guard options available in free agency, so it also might mean finding a veteran stop-gap until they have a young answer from the draft.

Ryan Poles when he found out the #Bills matched the offer sheet for Ryan Bates: “It stinks.”

— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) March 28, 2022

A player familiar to Poles who is still in the market is Mike Remmers, the Chiefs free agent who has played guard and tackle. At 6-foot-5, 301 pounds Remmers is not too heavy to block the wide zone.

Chargers free agent Oday Aboushi is a tackle who also has played guard and is 6-5, 308 but has less experience with this style of blocking scheme.

Former Packers backup Dennis Kelly is familiar with Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and is available, as are Steelers free agent Trai Turner and Bengals free agent Quinton Spain. 

Another option would be keeping Sam Mustipher at center or finding another center and using newly acquired Lucas Patrick at guard, but his better position last year with Green Bay was center.

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