Getty Germain Ifedi started 23 games over his two seasons with the Bears.
The Buffalo Bills are planning to add some veteran depth to their offensive line before the season starts, an insider reports.
Just hours after making their final cuts and naming the 53-man roster, the Bills moved to grab former first-round pick Germain Ifedi following his release by the Detroit Lions. The NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on Twitter that the Bills hosted Ifedi for a visit and planned to bring him on board quickly.
“Veteran OT Germain Ifedi, who visited the #Bills today, is expected to sign to their 53-man roster, source said. Ifedi has made 83 starts in his career and the former first-rounder most recently was with the #Falcons,” Rapoport wrote.
The move adds depth to an offensive line that saw some unexpected changes in the final weeks of the offseason.
Germain Ifedi Brings Veteran Depth
Ifedi came into the NFL as a first-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks in 2016, playing mostly at right tackle and also on special teams last season for the Atlanta Falcons.
Though Ifedi gained a reputation as a reliable starter during his career, he struggled last season and earned a 45.4 grade from Pro Football Focus, among the 10 worst scores for NFL tackles.
RT Germain Ifedi (#70) is a guy I could see the Bills targeting…
Ifedi signed with the Lions this offseaon, but faced an uphill battle to make the final roster. The Athletic’s Colton Pouncy predicted in an August 14 story that Ifedi would likely not be among the nine offensive lineman making Detroit’s final roster.
Bills Needed Help at Offensive Line
The Bills faced some adversity at offensive line this offseason, starting with the unexpected retirement of veteran Brandon Shell on August 15. Shell was an offseason acquisition and expected to compete for a starting spot on the line, but his departure left a hole.
“Bills OL Brandon Shell was not at practice today and intends to retire, I’m told,” ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg reported. “Shell signed with the Bills in late May. He was a fifth-round pick in 2016 by the Jets and has played in 83 games, starting in 72, throughout his career.”
The Bills suffered another loss days later when lineman Tommy Doyle suffered a season-ending injury in the team’s August 20 preseason loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Doyle came to the Bills as a fifth-round pick in 2021 and had a strong start to his career, appearing in 11 games his rookie season and catching a touchdown in the team’s playoff win over the New England Patriots, but has been plagued by injury since then. Doyle tore his ACL in a September 2022 loss to the Miami Dolphins, wiping out his sophomore season.
McDermott hinted after Doyle’s injury that the Bills would need to bring in more help.
“We remain confident in the guys that we have. That said, there’s certainly a numbers issue. Let’s start there,” McDermott said, via John Wawrow of The Associated Press. “So we’ve got more practices ahead. And it’s an area that we’ve got to continue to look at it and analyze.”
The Bills filled the immediate hole by signing lineman Garrett McGhin, but he failed to make the final roster. Ifedi’s signing to the active roster now gives the Bills another depth option.