The big man has been a valuable, if little-used, reserve over the last two seasons
The Buffalo Bills have built a stable of quality depth along the offensive line. Whether we’re talking about guards, centers, or tackles, the Bills have plenty of players who not only can fill the positions, but fill them well.
That sometimes leads to questions regarding which players will ultimately make the roster. While continuity up front is certainly something the Bills strive for, continuity for continuity’s sake can’t be the only reason the team built the roster the way it does. General manager Brandon Beane has to be willing to improve even on the fringes of the roster.
In today’s installment of “90 players in 90 days,” we discuss a solid offensive lineman who finds himself in a dogfight for his place on the roster.
Name: Ryan Van Demark
Number: 74
Position: OT
Height/Weight: 6’6”, 307 pounds
Age: 27 (28 on 3/22/2026)
Experience/Draft: 3; signed with the Indianapolis Colts following the 2022 NFL Draft
College: Connecticut
Acquired: Originally signed with Buffalo practice squad on 9/6/2022
Financial situation (per Spotrac): Van Demark signed a one-year deal worth $1.03 million. There is no guaranteed money on the deal, so if he makes the 53-man roster, his cap hit will be $1.03 million, and if he’s released, the Bills will not carry a dead-cap charge.
2024 Recap: Van Demark made the 53-man roster for the second straight season. However, unlike the 2023 season, he was a healthy scratch for the first three games of the 2024 season, as the Bills chose to use rookie sixth-round pick Tylan Grable as the active swing tackle on game days. Grable suffered a core muscle injury in Buffalo’s Week 3 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, which led to Buffalo placing him on Injured Reserve. That cleared the way for Van Demark to be active on game days for the rest of the regular season.
Van Demark filled in at right tackle for an injured Spencer Brown during Buffalo’s 30-21 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, making his first career start. He also started Buffalo’s 24-21 loss to the New England Patriots in the regular-season finale. Van Demark was a healthy scratch for all three of the Bills’ playoff games, as Grable was healthy once again.
Positional outlook: Van Demark is one of eight players listed at offensive tackle on the 90-man roster. Chase Lundt, Richard Gouraige, Dion Dawkins, Spencer Brown, Alec Anderson, Tylan Grable, and Travis Clayton are the others.
2025 Offseason: Van Demark is healthy and participating in offseason work to date.
2025 Season outlook: I would assume that Van Demark will make the 53-man roster based on the fact that he’s been with the team for three years and performed well in limited opportunities to see game action. However, given the logjam of players at tackle, it’s not a guarantee that he makes the team.
If we assume that Van Demark is behind Anderson and Grable like he was last year, that puts him no higher than eighth on the offensive line list overall. The seven players I think are ahead of him include some interior linemen (O’Cyrus Torrence, Connor McGovern, and David Edwards), an interior lineman listed as a tackle (Alec Anderson), the two starting tackles (Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown), and last year’s swing tackle (Tylan Grable).
That puts Van Demark squarely in the eight-ten range , and the other two players I’d put in that mix are rookie Chase Lundt and second-year center Sedrick Van Pran-Granger. If the Bills keep 10 linemen, then Van Demark is clearly on the roster. If they keep nine? That picture isn’t as clear anymore.
Ultimately, I think the Bills would like to keep 10 offensive linemen, with two remaining inactive on game days. However, talent an injuries at other positions could lead the team to a tough choice between three solid young offensive linemen this summer.
Perhaps a lineman will be flipped for draft compensation in August, or maybe they’ll just release one and call it a day. Van Demark is a good young player who could be squeezed out of the final roster due to a numbers game and not his ability.