90 Buffalo Bills players in 90 days: G David Edwards

The Buffalo Bills added a ton of depth in the trenches this offseason, focusing mostly on the interior of both the offensive and the defensive lines. It’s clear that the team thought it needed to be more physical after last season, and they’ve given themselves some options in terms of creating the offensive line group that they want to see.

Given that the front office added so much depth, the Bills are going to cut good players at the end of August. They could also try to pull the “Brandon Beane Special” by trading an offensive lineman or two for draft capital. With offensive linemen at a premium, it’s never a bad thing to have a talented extra lineman or three hanging around the fringes of the roster.

In today’s edition of “90 players in 90 days,” we profile one such talented lineman — a player who is much more talented than just a “fringe player,” but he finds himself in an odd place thanks to some injury troubles last year.

Name: David Edwards

Number: 76

Position: G

Height/Weight: 6’6”, 308 pounds

Age: 26 (27 on 3/20/2024)

Experience/Draft: 5; selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the fifth round (No. 169 overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft

College: Wisconsin

Acquired: Signed with Bills on 3/23/2023

Financial situation (per Spotrac): Edwards signed a one-year deal with Buffalo this spring. That deal is worth a total of $1.77 million, of which $1.72 million is guaranteed. The latter figure represents his dead-cap hit if the Bills release him this summer, while the former figure is his cap hit should he make the 53-man roster.

2022 Recap: Edwards began the 2022 season as he had ended the 2021 season: as a starter along the offensive line for the Rams. As he had been in 2021 and in 2020, he was the starting left guard. Edwards started the first three games of the 2022 season, but he suffered a concussion that caused him to miss the Rams’ fourth contest. He cleared protocol in time to start the team’s fifth game, but he suffered a second concussion in that game. The second concussion caused him to go on injured reserve, and while he was in his 21-day window after being designated to return, he suffered a setback that caused the Rams to shut him down for the year. Overall, Edwards played 230 offensive snaps. He allowed one sack and committed three penalties on the season.

Positional outlook: Edwards joins a plethora of interior linemen vying for space on Buffalo’s roster. Mitch Morse is pretty firmly entrenched as the center, with Greg Mancz, Ryan Bates, O’Cyrus Torrence, Connor McGovern, Ike Boettger, Nick Broeker, Kevin Jarvis, and David Quessenberry also on the roster. Tommy Doyle, while listed as a tackle, has played at guard, as well.

2023 Offseason: Edwards is healthy and participating in offseason activities to date.

2023 Season outlook: If not for the concussions, it’s likely that Edwards wouldn’t have been available for Buffalo to sign at a discount, as he’d graded out as a league-average guard in his two full starting seasons for the Rams in 2020 and 2021. However, as a result of the concussions, his career definitely has an air of risk to it. Edwards could be a reserve this year, he could be traded at the end of camp, he could be flat-out released, and he could end up a starter. None of these things would surprise me. The competition at guard is going to be fierce, with McGovern, Edwards, and Torrence all providing excellent challenge to the incumbent group of Bates and Morse. I think Edwards is going to see most of his work with the second team this summer, but he’ll definitely have chances to work in with the starting group. If he does well there, don’t be surprised if he not only makes the roster, but starts some games this year, as well. At worst, this is yet another good depth signing on the offensive line for general manager Brandon Beane, and at best, the Bills have added a starting-caliber player to the protection unit.