Buffalo Bills 2010s All-Decade team: Center

Very few positions see long-term stability in the NFL, but the Buffalo Bills had that at center during the 2010s. Out of 160 regular-season games, a single player started 96 of them—plus another 14 at a different position. So it’s safe to assume (especially given how the All-Drought Team poll went) that there’s a favorite in this group.

Let’s take a look!

Geoff Hangartner

Hangartner lands on this list pretty much by default, since Eric Wood had such a stranglehold on the position from 2011 onward. He only played one season (12 games, really) at center during the decade, but set a standard for Wood to beat once he was gone. And he was a huge improvement over the dual threat of Melvin Fowler and Duke Preston (ugh) from the mid 2000’s.

After the Bills cut Hangartner loose in 2011, he returned to the Carolina Panthers and played three more seasons before retiring.

Eric Wood

Wood, chosen with the first-round pick the Bills earned from trading Jason Peters, is one of the best centers in franchise history, behind only Kent Hull. He started 110 games in the decade, one season at right guard and the remainder at center. Wood was a whip-smart center with great blocking technique, and he earned a Pro Bowl selection in 2015. He was a longtime team captain, and will someday land on the Bills Wall of Fame as one of the best (and most beloved) players of this century.

Wood retired in 2018 after receiving a career-ending prognosis on a neck injury. He now works as a broadcaster and radio host for the Bills.

Mitch Morse

Between Geoff Hangartner and Mitch Morse, the Bills pretty much had three players man the pivot: Wood, Ryan Groy, and Russell Bodine. There was also that brief period of injury catastrophe in the early 2010’s where Kraig Urbik (and even Andy Levitre) took snaps at center.

We all know how that worked out. Ugh.

After 2018’s offensive line travesty, the Bills re-tooled across the board, and Morse was the centerpiece of the effort, with a four year, $44.5 million contract. There was a brief scare when Morse suffered a concussion during the preseason, but he recovered and started a full 16 games for the Bills.

Morse wasn’t a Pro Bowl selection, but he was a perfect fit for Buffalo’s varied run offense, and he fixed the team’s shoddy protection calls. As long as he stays healthy, the future is bright at center for this team.

You know the drill: Vote for the best!

Editor’s note: If you’re on a mobile device, you may need to leave your news app and head directly to the site to vote in the poll.