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Analyzing Bills OL O'Cyrus Torrence's stellar rookie season

Discover how O'Cyrus Torrence excelled in his rookie season with the Buffalo Bills.

Chris Seth

Bills O'Cyrus Torrence looks up at the large screen as the Chiefs run out the clock to move on in the division playoffs.
Bills O'Cyrus Torrence looks up at the large screen as the Chiefs run out the clock to move on in the division playoffs. / Tina MacIntyre-Yee /Rochester Democrat
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This article was produced in conjunction with Cover 1, a leading voice in making the intricacies of Buffalo Bills football digestible. Be sure to subscribe to their YouTube channel and podcast feeds.

O’Cyrus Torrence had an outstanding rookie season for the Buffalo Bills at right guard. Torrence came into the NFL with a massive frame, good strength, and a very high ceiling as a prospect. Selected in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft, the former Florida Gator was a surprise pick because few draft analysts expected him to still be available at pick No. 59. 

While Torrence showed room for improvement, the rookie manned the Bills’ right guard spot for every snap in the best offensive line performance of Josh Allen’s career. The Bills’ offensive line finished in the top ten in the following categories (rank, source):

  • Pass Block Efficiency (5th, PFF)
  • Adjusted Line Yards (3rd, FTN)
  • Adjusted Sack Rate (1st, FTN)
  • Power Success (1st, SIS)
  • Pass Block Win Rate (5th, ESPN)
  • Run Block Win Rate (4th, ESPN)
  • Total EPA (4th, Sumer)

Torrence’s consistency and reliability were a big part of the Bills’ stability and performance in front of Allen. His future looks very bright after such a promising first year.

Related: Underrated WR circled as Bills' 'biggest breakout' candidate in 2024 season

Torrence conducted an exclusive interview and film review session on Cover 1’s Film Room with Erik Turner and Anthony Prohaska during which they dove into Torrence’s rookie year play. There were a number of highlights, including a discussion on how play types and mobile quarterbacks influence how offensive linemen block.

When detailing his play against the Philadelphia Eagles, especially their dominant defensive tackle Jalen Carter, Torrence discussed how a play designed to be a quick pass influenced how he blocked the Eagles' defensive lineman.

Knowing the play was intended to get a pass out fast, Torrence knew pre-snap that he was going to try and engage with Carter early in the down and avoid letting him build up any speed or momentum. Typically an offensive lineman, especially a tackle, would drop back into a pass block set, but the most likely disruption on a quick pass would come from immediate interior pressure, so Torrence knew he needed to gain control of Carter as quickly as possible.

The quick game concept altered his footwork, as well. To latch on to Carter early in the play, Torrence stayed in a flat set and limited the quantity and size of steps he took backward after making contact with Carter. He says, “I took maybe one good-sized step back to kill his momentum.”

Related: Bills star Josh Allen recognized as one of NFL's elite in QB tier rankings

Torrence’s hand work was also influenced by the play call. Instead of trying to keep Carter at a distance or pushing him off, Torrence “clamped” his hands on Carter fast. The idea was to get his hands inside on Carter in order to stay in front of him and steer him to the degree possible. In the clip, you can also see Torrence torque Carter off-balance with serious core strength. Generating that imbalance degrades Carter’s strength and speed in his pass rush.

Ensuring that the blocking techniques he used were aligned with the play design is a crucial aspect of coaching and execution, and OL Coach Aaron Kromer and Torrence were both prepared to give Allen all the time he needed on this play versus a future All-Pro.

Allen is known for often creating the time he needs within a play. The quarterback is a chaos machine, engineered by a Golden Retriever and built by mischievous angels, and this can make his play style a particular demon to the mental well-being of an offensive lineman.

O'Cyrus Torrence
Nov 26, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Buffalo Bills guard O'Cyrus Torrence (64) and center Mitch Morse (60) against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports / Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Consider all of the careful planning Coach Kromer and Torrence put into the relatively standard quick pass play discussed above. In an instant, Allen will take your planning, dice it with an axe, run it through a blender, drink only one sip, pour the rest down the drain, and give you a charming smirk as he saunters away.

This is a fanciful way to say that Allen has a dynamic ability to extend plays, which forces the OL to play out of structure. You have probably heard of wide receivers practicing scramble drills. The scramble drill is less a play and more a set of guidelines for receivers to follow during a broken play. Linemen have a similar set of guidelines for QBs with extraordinary mobility.

We can see one of these principles in the clip below. Allen, Torrence, and the Bills are facing off against Dexter Lawrence and the New York Giants. Lawrence (97) is one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL, and Torrence does his best to stay in front of him on this dropback pass attempt.

Torrence locks onto Lawrence and initially tries to turn him upfield in a traditional pocket sense. Lawrence is strong enough to club-arm Torrence off-balance and undercut him, collapsing the depth of the pocket and barreling toward Allen. Here’s where one of the protection principles becomes evident.

In his Cover 1 interview, Torrence talks about how Coach Kromer is comfortable with his linemen recovering with a 60/40 technique. In this case, 60/40 refers to the half man relationship each lineman has with the defender for whom he is responsible. Head-to-head would be labeled 50/50, so 60/40 is being off-center to the defender. As a recovery technique - re-establishing the block after losing control - 60/40 is typically a leverage move that pushes the defender in the direction he was headed but beyond his target, using his momentum against him. 

Kromer is comfortable with this technique because Allen has elite size, strength, and mobility. While not ideal, using leverage in this way in combination with Allen’s escapability can mean the play is not a total loss. As Torrence says in the Cover 1 show, Kromer is ok with 60/40 because Allen will probably run through that hole, and he is used to it after playing in front of Anthony Richardson at Florida.

After Lawrence begins to cut inside, Torrence uses leverage and Lawrence’s own momentum, to drive him just beyond Allen, who then scrambles out and completes an absurd throw to Quintin Morris for a TD.

Every football fan knows the work in the trenches is foundational to a team’s success, but few take the time to see the nuance and intricacies described by Torrence, which allow an even deeper appreciation for the game.

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Chris Seth
CHRIS SETH

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