Injuries have been an uphill battle for the Bills through the preseason. That includes the offensive line. Spencer Brown missed a good chunk of work at St. John Fisher with a back injury. Connor McGovern picked up a hamstring issue just last week.
The unit still appears healthy for week one. Healthy is usually where they live. The Bills starting five has missed a total of one game over the last two seasons. Put another way, Sean McDermott started the offensive linemen he wanted 169 out of 170 times since the start of 2023.
That should provide the Bills with a significant advantage heading into this season. It starts with communication.
“Some of that is non-verbal and (learned) just being out there (with each other),” Brady said. “When we have that continuity with our starting five, we know what they bring.”
Dion Dawkins, as usual, had a more vivid explanation of how well the offensive line works together after so much shared experience.
“It’s like have a choir and being able to sing or play the right instruments to sing the right song,” he said. “The consistency is the key.”
It’s not just with the starting five, as Dawkins points out. Alec Anderson is back in the 6th offensive lineman role. Ryan Van Demark is a top swing tackle for a third season. Tylan Grable and Sedrick Van-Pran Granger add to the list of returning depth.
“It puts us all on the right beat,” Dawkins said, continuing the music metaphor. “We know exactly who we are when we touch a football field. It gives the coaches a comfortability of calling calls. They know exactly who Dion is. Exactly who Cybo (Torrence) is. And Connor and Dave (Edwards) and Spencer. They know exactly who the guys are.”
Backups are getting plenty of extra opportunity. Anderson got some time at center recently. He’s played all over the line and Brady appreciates his unique brand of intensity.
“He’s an absolute psycho. And I mean that in the best way,” Brady said.