Now in his third year with the club, can the former UDFA make the 53-man roster out of camp?
The Buffalo Bills have an enviable stable of offensive line depth, with “stable” carrying two meanings in this case. Not only do the Bills have plenty of bodies there, but those bodies have been on the roster together for quite some time. The stability of the stable makes for easy communication among the big men up front.
Does that mean that newcomers are less likely to make the team than those who have been with the club for a bit? Not necessarily. What it shows is that general manager Brandon Beane is always looking for ways to upgrade his team on the fringes of the roster.
In today’s edition of “90 players in 90 days,” we discuss an offensive lineman hoping that the third time trying to break camp with the 53-man roster is the charm.
Name: Richard Gouraige
Number: 75
Position: OT
Height/Weight: 6’5”, 306 pounds
Age: 26 (27 on 10/15/2025)
Experience/Draft: 2; signed with Buffalo following the 2023 NFL Draft
College: Florida
Acquired: UDFA signing
Financial situation (per Spotrac): At the conclusion of the 2024 NFL season, Gouraige signed a reserve/future contract with Buffalo. That two-year pact is worth $1.853 million in total. For the 2025 season, Gouraige carries a cap hit of $844,000 if he makes the club. If he’s released, Buffalo will carry a dead-cap charge of $8,000. That number matches the total signing bonus on the contract.
2024 Recap: Gouraige once again spent the offseason with Buffalo, and he once again was released as part of the final cuts before the regular season started. He re-signed to the practice squad for the second straight year, as well. This time, though, he was elevated for one game, and it was a big one: Buffalo’s regular-season matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs. Gouraige appeared on three offensive snaps, and he was pressed into duty for one huge play on what became the game-winning drive.
After Dion Dawkins was injured on second down, Gouraige played right tackle on a third-and-two Ty Johnson run that went for no gain. That brought the game to the two-minute warning, and Dawkins returned to the field for what Jim Nantz called “the play of the year in the NFL.” Gouraige did not appear in any other games.
Positional outlook: Gouraige is one of a host of offensive tackles on the current roster. Spencer Brown, Dion Dawkins, Tylan Grable, Ryan Van Demark, Chase Lundt, Travis Clayton, and Alec Anderson (who also plays the interior line) are the other listed tackles. Mike Edwards is listed as an offensive lineman (OL), but he mostly plays guard.
2025 Offseason: Gouraige is healthy and participating in offseason work.
2025 Season outlook: It’s unlikely that Gouraige is anything more than a practice-squad member at this point, as Buffalo returns all of its tackles from last season and added another player at the position through the draft in Lundt, as well. Gouraige knows the offense and the coaching staff knows him, so he’s a good player to have around just in case of injury. However, the competition for a spot on the practice squad will even be better than it was last season thanks to Lundt’s addition and Clayton having another year playing American football.
Gouraige’s best bet at making a 53-man roster is likely by going elsewhere. If he has a strong preseason, perhaps he’ll be able to parlay it into a role on another team. However, I expect that he’ll be on Buffalo’s practice squad again this year.