90 Buffalo Bills players in 90 days: T/G David Quessenberry

The Buffalo Bills love versatility among their offensive linemen, especially if those linemen project as reserves. If a player can play more than one position and do it well, then that player has a better-than-average chance at not only sticking on the final roster, but being active on game days, as well.

Whether those reserves are veterans or young players, general manager Brandon Beane looks to stockpile versatile offensive line talent each year, and sometimes that talent sticks on the team. Sometimes, that talent is used to acquire draft capital via trade. In the case of last year, that talent can also be used to reshape the look of the offensive line in the middle of the season if the group underperforms.

In today’s edition of our “90 players in 90 days” series, we profile one of those versatile veteran additions—a player who has overcome adversity to achieve his NFL dreams.

Name: David Quessenberry

Number: 77

Position: T/G

Height/Weight: 6’5” 310 lbs

Age: 31 (32 on 8/24/2022)

Experience/Draft: 4; selected in the sixth round (No. 176 overall) of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans

College: San Jose State

Acquired: Signed with Bills as UFA on 4/21/2022

Financial situation (per Spotrac): Quessenberry signed a one-year deal worth a total of $1.75 million. That number is also his cap hit should he make the final roster. Of that total, $400,000 is fully guaranteed.

2021 Recap: Quessenberry was named a starter for the first time in his pro career to begin last season, and he not only started every game, but he didn’t miss a snap all season. He committed just two penalties on those 1,183 offensive snaps, though one was declined. That’s the good news. The bad news is that Pro Football Focus credited him with having allowed a league-high 11 sacks last year.

Positional outlook: Quessenberry is one of a few “slash” designations along the offensive line, Buffalo’s way this year of indicating who plays where along the front. Quessenberry is the only “T/G” designee, though Cody Ford is listed as a “G/T.” Greg Mancz is listed as a C/G, while Ryan Bates is a G/C. The other tackles on the roster include Luke Tenuta, Spencer Brown, Dion Dawkins, Bobby Hart, Tommy Doyle, Alec Anderson, Derek Kerstetter, Will Ulmer, and Tanner Owen. The other guards are Ike Boettger, Jacob Capra, and Rodger Saffold.

2022 Offseason: Quessenberry is healthy, he participated in voluntary OTAs, and he’s ready for training camp.

2022 Season outlook: Quessenberry’s versatility certainly bodes well for him, and it’s nice to have a reserve on your roster who started 18 games the season prior. However, he is by no means a lock to make the roster, as the Bills have some young players who have been with the squad and continue to improve. For example, the team currently lists Tommy Doyle only as a tackle, but he was playing guard during OTAs. I already have Doyle as one of the guys making the final roster, as the projected starting five (Dawkins, Bates, center Mitch Morse, Saffold, and Brown) are pretty well set. Doyle and Greg Mancz are probably six and seven, leaving room for two more players, three tops, on the final roster.

With Ike Boettger likely to start the year on the PUP list as he recovers from an Achilles rupture, I think it’s likely that Quessenberry and Cody Ford are the eight and ninth linemen, with one inactive on game days. However, with a stable of young guys rounding out the roster, don’t be surprised if Brandon Beane pulls off some wizardry by trading his known commodities along the line for draft picks in August.

Quessenberry is no stranger to adversity, as he was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma in 2014. He had his last treatment in 2017, and he accidentally ripped the bell off the wall when he marked that final treatment. He has a good chance at sticking come September, but he’ll need to earn his keep throughout training camp and the preseason in order to do so. With all he’s been through, I’ll be pulling for him to make the team.