After Eric Wood’s retirement announcement, it was assumed that backup center Ryan Groy would step in and immediately become the starting center. It appears that the Buffalo Bills don’t want to just hand him the job however, as the team is hosting former Cincinnati Bengals starting center Russell Bodine on a free agent visit Sunday and Monday.
Since being drafted in the fourth round of the 2014 draft, Bodine has had a career that SB Nation affiliate Cincy Jungle’s Rebecca Toback described as “lackluster.” His lack of anchor strength at 6’3”, 308 pounds leaves him exposed to stronger, bull-rushing defensive tackles. Pro Football Focus awarded him an overall grade of 46.9 in 2017, which ranked 26th in the NFL.
When discussing Bodine, Bengals Coach Marvin Lewis had nothing but good things to say about the free agent center’s leadership qualities:
“We want to do everything in our power to get Russell back,” Lewis said. “Russell’s been, physically, mentally a tough football player for us. He was installed there as a rookie and he’s done nothing but continue to grow and get better and frankly grow into a guy you can count on to help lead the football team.
If signed by Buffalo, Bodine would likely compete to start and, worst-case scenario, would become the Bills primary backup at the position.