ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that the Buffalo Bills have reached an agreement to bring back offensive tackle Jordan Mills on a two-year deal worth $4 million.
Mills, 26, just finished his second season with the Bills after joining the team in the middle of the 2015 season. A fifth-round pick of the Chicago Bears in 2013, the Louisiana Tech product also spent time with the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions, although he never appeared in a game for either team. All told, he’s started 50 games over four seasons.
Mills has been the starter at right tackle since the middle of his first season with the Bills, starting 21 games in all and all 16 last season. He has managed to hang on to the role for various reasons, including the ongoing issues with Seantrel Henderson and the inability of Cyrus Kouandjio to play effectively on the right side of the line.
Simply put, Mills was clearly the weak link of the offensive line in 2016. Pro Football Focus gave him a grade of 44.6 last season, ranking him 64th of 78 qualifying offensive tackles. It was assumed that the team would move on from Mills and look to bring in a free agent or address the position in the draft. It was reported earlier in the day that free agent right tackle Andre Smith was set to visit the team tomorrow; at this point, there’s no word as to whether or not that visit will happen as planned.
Re-signing Jordan Mills should not solidify the right tackle position for the Bills. At the price he’s earning, it’s entirely possible that he’s being brought back as a depth piece, or in the worst-case scenario as an insurance policy in case their plans at the position don’t work out. If the Bills roll into 2017 with Mills starting at right tackle, they may have some issues with the right side of the line.