While the Buffalo Bills will once again be watching the Super Bowl instead of participating in the championship game on Sunday, February 12, fans should keep an eye on Philadelphia Eagles guard Isaac Seumalo as he tries to clear the path for quarterback Jalen Hurts to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs.
As Bills’ general manager Brandon Beane mentioned during his end-of-year press conference, the team is already roughly $20 million over the salary cap for the 2023 NFL season, but by restructuring a few of the monster contracts already on the books, moving money around in quarterback Josh Allen’s deal could free up about $20 million alone, they could figure out a way to afford the versatile guard.
Ahead of kickoff on Sunday, New York Upstate‘s Ryan Talbot named Seumalo as Buffalo’s No. 1 target of the free agents playing in Super Bowl 57. While Pro Football Focus projects that the 6-foot-4, 303-pound guard’s market value will earn him a three-year, $33 million contract, investing in beefing up the offensive line should be one the Bills’ biggest priorities this offseason.
“Seumalo will turn 30 in October, but he’s a player worth adding based on how well he protected the quarterback in meaningful games and his versatility,” Talbot wrote of the former third-round pick from the 2016 NFL Draft who earned a Super Bowl ring during his rookie year with the Eagles. “Seumalo can play at all three spots along the interior of the offensive line.”
Seumalo Came Back Strong After Suffering a Season-Ending Foot Injury Last Season
GettyIsaac Seumalo #56 of the Philadelphia Eagles looks on during the game against the Atlanta Falcons on September 12, 2021.
The veteran right guard underwent two surgeries last season to heal an injured foot suffered in Week 3 of the 2021 NFL season, and while there was initial doubt he’d be ready to return to his role as a starter this year, he’s a huge reason the Eagles have the No. 1 offensive line in the NFL.
PFF’s Brad Spielberger wrote, “Seumalo entered 2022 with some uncertainty after missing a ton of time with injuries over the 2020-21 seasons, and after the Eagles used a second-round pick on interior offensive lineman Cam Jurgens, but Seumalo logged more than 1,000 snaps in 2022 and had a huge bounceback year, earning a career-best 75.2 overall grade.”
“Seumalo was the model of consistency not just from a health standpoint, earning just one single-game grade below 60.0 on the season — and a 59.4 at that,” Speilberger added. “Seumalo’s pass blocking from Week 11 on — protecting two very different quarterbacks in Jalen Hurts and Gardner Minshew — was nothing short of spectacular, earning a 90.4 mark with zero quarterback hits and pressure allowed on just 1.8% of pass-block snaps.”
Eagles Center Jason Kelce Calls Seumalo ‘Incredibly Smart’ & ‘Physically Gifted’
GettyIsaac Seumalo #56 of the Philadelphia Eagles talks with Jason Kelce #62 of the Philadelphia Eagles against the New Orleans Saints on January 01, 2023.
While much of the media focus leading up to the Super Bowl is focused on another one of Philadelphia’s offensive linemen, center Jason Kelce, as he’ll be playing his brother, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce on Sunday, the Eagles veteran said Seumalo is incredibly underrated, perhaps because he’s so media shy.
“I keep telling him he needs to start a podcast and he’ll start making the Pro Bowl,” Kelce said, per SI. “It would be great for him… He doesn’t talk as much as I do which is good because when he does speak you realize how important it is and it comes with more meaning.”
“He’s a guy who can play any position up front,” Kelce continued. “That one year (Seumalo’s rookie season of 2016) he played tight end, tackle, guard, and center. He’s incredibly smart. He’s incredibly physically gifted. I think sometimes he’s so smart that he doesn’t get credit for the physical capabilities that he has which is tremendous.”
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Bills Predicted to ‘Splurge’ on $33 Million Eagles Guard: Analyst