Getty Former Cowboys left guard Connor McGovern at AT&T Stadium on December 04, 2022.
The biggest free agency move the Buffalo Bills made this offseason was securing former Dallas Cowboys guard Connor McGovern. whom they signed to a three-year, $23 million contract in March.
The 6-foot-5, 318-pound lineman spent the first four seasons of his career in Dallas after the Cowboys selected him in the third round of the 2019 NFL draft.
While moving to a new city and learning a new playbook is no easy feat, McGovern told The Buffalo News, “Within the first day, I felt like I was part of this group. Like I’ve been here for five years.”
The left guard said his house in Western New York is almost finished, which means he and his wife, Delaney, can soon start hosting pizza parties for the offensive line. Unhappy with the pizza selection available in Dallas, the couple started cooking their own.
Every few weeks, McGovern invited the Cowboys’ offensive line over, cooking 12-inch pizzas made to order, from meat lovers to Buffalo chicken. The pizzas were such a hit in Dallas, that his teammates made one last request before he moved away.
“I remember after I signed here, all the guys in Dallas (were like), ‘You got to make one last pizza party, one last pizza party,” McGovern said. “So, I did it, and I think I ended up making 16 or 17 pizzas, all different kinds, and calzones.”
McGovern plans on making this a tradition in Buffalo, as well. “Hopefully within the next few weeks, maybe a month, I can start having the guys over and start doing it here,” McGovern said.
The Penn State alum will face his former team when the Cowboys head to Highmark Stadium to take on the Bills on December 17.
Connor McGovern Said Buffalo Is a ‘Complete 180’ From Dallas
Bills LG Connor McGovern was absolutely awesome in Week 3 and may have played the best game of his career considering the reps he put on tape vs. Jon Allen.
– First three defeating Allen’s signature ‘bear’ move
– Next two vs. Allen in the 2i
– Independent hands vs. Allen’s…
In late August, McGovern told The Buffalo News that working with the Bills staff, in particular offensive line coach Aaron Kromer, was a “complete 180 (degrees from Dallas).”
“It’s been the best (coaching) I’ve had in my career from college all the way up. (Kromer) gets into the small, little details, and I’ve never really had somebody pick things apart. It’s not, ‘Hey, just block your guy.’ It’s, ‘Get your punch (block) up a couple inches to the V-neck of the jersey.’ Just those little things.
“In my four years in Dallas, I maybe jump-set four times – I do that four times here in one (practice), period. Now, instead of sitting back and waiting and waiting and waiting (for the defender), I go after them.
“I knew if I put the work in, I could go out and do whatever I needed to,” McGovern continued. “It was just a nice change of pace and just how he coaches, I understand it. And he’s not just going to yell at you just to yell at you. He’s trying to coach you to get you better.”
McGovern has started all six games in Buffalo thus far this season. While he’s earned an overall 56.7 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, he has an impressive 75.8 pass-blocking grade, allowing just one sack on quarterback Josh Allen.
Connor McGovern Admitted He Grew Up a Patriots Fan Ahead of the Bills Week 7 Matchup
While McGovern, originally from Larksville, Pennsylvania, grew up in a family full of Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers fans, at 4 years old, he chose to be a New England Patriots fan. Being a member of the Bills, McGovern finds the coincidence funny.
“Once I came here, I was like, ‘Oh, of course,’” McGovern said. “Like the biggest team they hate, I go to next.” However, the guard traveled to Gillette Stadium in 2021 and got a win, so his childhood fanmanship won’t be a problem.
“I got the experience out of the way,” McGovern said. “Like, ‘Oh, this is my first time in Foxborough, it’s cool.’ So now, I can just take it in a whole new perspective. Like been there, done that. Like already beat them once there, so hope to do it again.”
While the Patriots dominated over the Bills for years, following Tom Brady’s exit, Buffalo has gone 6-1 against their AFC East rival. The Bills (4-2) are considered 8-point favorites to defeat the Patriots (1-5) on Sunday, October 22.