If head coach Sean McDermott knows what his exact mix of offensive linemen will be when his Buffalo Bills face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, he’s doing a good job remaining noncommittal. While Richie Incognito and Eric Wood are all but guaranteed to start at left guard and center, respectively, speculation about the other three spots abounds.
Right tackle Jordan Mills has been terrible all season, and with the addition of Seantrel Henderson to the active roster following a 10-game suspension for marijuana use, the possibility exists that Mills will finally be replaced. He may already have been replaced if not for an injury to left tackle Cordy Glenn, which necessitated that rookie Dion Dawkins play left tackle in his place. Left tackle is Dawkins’s natural position, but he had worked at right tackle throughout the preseason in what might have been a move to prepare him to replace Mills. Dawkins took some reps at right tackle during practice this week, but he only worked with the second team unit in the public portions of practice.
On Friday, McDermott added that the coaching staff is still up in the air regarding whether Cordy Glenn or Dion Dawkins will start on the left side. Glenn’s name is no longer on the injury report at all, which is a good sign for the big left tackle’s potential participation on Sunday and he took every rep reporters saw on Wednesday.
Finally, John Miller lost his starting spot at right guard to veteran Vlad Ducasse, who had a subpar preseason and a subpar outing in a tough week 5 matchup against Geno Atkins and the Cincinnati Bengals. (His subpar was still better than Miller’s subpar, though.) McDermott said in his Thursday press conference that Ducasse is “trending” in the direction of starting on Sunday, although John Miller has had “a good week of practice.”
That’s six names who could possibly start at three spots on the offensive line. With ten linemen on the active roster, five of whom are tackles, the possibility exists that a trade could shake up the roster, as well.
As it stands, the most probable starting line group (from left to right) looks to be Glenn, Incognito, Wood, Ducasse, and Mills, but it’s entirely possible that Dawkins replaces Glenn yet again, and it’s even possible that Henderson stands in for Mills.
With some game-time decisions still to be made, it looks like yet another week of uncertainty for the Bills on the offensive line.