Unexpected position battle named Bills' 'most important' at 2024 training camp

One outlet believes that rookie Sedrick Van Pran-Granger could push Connor McGovern for the Buffalo Bills' starting center role in training camp.

Dec 10, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Buffalo Bills guard Connor McGovern (66) at the line of scrimmage against the Kansas City Chiefs during the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports / Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

The Buffalo Bills created a hole in the middle of their offensive line in the 2024 NFL offseason by releasing stalwart starter Mitch Morse, who has expertly anchored the team’s line since the 2019 campaign. The Bills skirted the $8.5 million the veteran was owed in the 2024 season by releasing him but, in doing so, created a question mark—who is going to start for the team at center?

The team’s immediate plan was to slide Connor McGovern, who started 17 games for Buffalo at left guard last season, a few feet to his right. The 26-year-old has played some center in the past, logging over 900 snaps at the position at Penn State and another 100 throughout his four years with the Dallas Cowboys. McGovern still appears to be Buffalo’s solution at center, as he and quarterback Josh Allen have been developing a rapport throughout this spring’s OTA practices.

One outlet isn’t necessarily buying McGovern’s perceived safety in the spot, however. In a recent article breaking down each NFL team’s most important 2024 training camp battle, Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine touched on the Bills’ potential center competition, predicting that 2024 fifth-round pick Sedrick Van Pran-Granger will make McGovern’s life difficult.

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“If Van Pran can prove he's a worthy starter in OTAs, training camp and the preseason, it could allow the Bills to keep McGovern at left guard,” Ballentine wrote. “That would allow David Edwards to be the interior swing option, while La'el Collins would be the swing tackle.

“Van Pran has already played a lot of football, starting 43 games at center for the Georgia Bulldogs. Given the new-look receiver room, protection for Josh Allen is going to be as important as ever for the Bills. If Van Pran can challenge to be the starting center, it would be a huge boost for the offense.”

Ballentine’s logic is sound; offensive lines generally thrive on continuity, and Buffalo’s current plan—moving McGovern to center and slotting David Edwards in as his replacement—would see two positions changed from a season ago. Van Pran-Granger starting at center immediately would allow the Bills to keep McGovern at left guard (a position he thrived at last season), thus ensuring maximum continuity. 

And Van Pran-Granger, as Ballentine notes, has plenty of starting experience, anchoring a Georgia offensive line that was perennially viewed as one of the nation’s best throughout his collegiate career. He won two National Championships throughout his time in Athens, earning All-SEC honors in the 2023 season in addition to finishing as a finalist for The Dave Rimington Trophy as the nation’s top center.

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It’s perhaps a bit steep to expect an offensive lineman who was selected in the fifth round of the NFL Draft to step in and start straight away, but Van Pran-Granger being able to do so would open up a bevy of options for Buffalo’s offense. Regardless, the 22-year-old projects as a potential long-term piece for the Bills; offensive coordinator Joe Brady spoke about the lineman at last month’s OTAs, praising both his character and ability.

“Take the football element out of it, just the person and the personality,” Brady said. “When you play at a school like that and you’re a three-time captain… that doesn’t happen. You know the type of person you’re getting, the type of work ethic, the type of preparation. You’re getting a football player, doing the right things off that. 

“Then you get him on the football field, he’s going against the best of the best for three years and didn’t flinch. Having the ability to be athletic enough to be able to do everything we look for in our center, be stout and give a nice pocket for the quarterback. We didn’t think he’d be around that time, and we were happy that he was.”