The Buffalo Bills‘ offensive line has been a staple of their roster for years, yet there are some question marks this season.
Swing tackle Ryan Van Demark signed with the Minnesota Vikings. Tylan Grable now takes over that role, while rookie Jude Bowry is the other option.
So, ahead of the 2026 NFL season, the Bills are urged to add a veteran offensive tackle to take over as the swing tackle and add more experience.
Buffalo Bills Urged to Sign Former Patriots OT
Although Buffalo selected Bowry in the fourth round and has had Grable on the roster since 2024, the Bills are urged to replace them as their swing tackle.
Grable has played in just five games, while Bowry is injured and had mixed results in camp. With that, Bills analyst Randy Gurzi of SI urges the team to sign Thayer Munford to be the team’s swing tackle.
“Buffalo feels good about their starting tackles with Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown on either side. Behind them, there are more questions than answers. Their current swing tackle is Tylan Grable, who has played in just five games in his career. Their other option is Jude Bowry, who struggled during his preseason appearances,” Gurzi wrote.
“That’s why the Bills should be willing to bring in someone such as Thayer Munford, who has 20 starts in 51 career games. Munford spent 2025 with the Patriots and had knee surgery in the offseason, but is healthy and ready to contribute. Adding Munford would give Buffalo a far more experienced option in case one of their starters suffered an injury.”
Munford was a seventh-round pick of the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022. In his rookie season, he appeared in all 17 games and started four; the next season, he started 10 and appeared in 15.
However, the Raiders opted to release him, and he then signed with the New England Patriots practice squad. The Cleveland Browns then signed Munford off the Pats’ practice squad. After being waived by Cleveland, he re-signed to the Browns’ practice squad. But New England then signed him to their active roster.
Munford ended the season on the Patriots roster and ended up playing 100 offensive snaps, according to PFF.
Buffalo Signs Former 1st-Round Pick
The Bills already signed a veteran offensive tackle to the practice squad.
Buffalo signed former first-round pick Jedrick Wills Jr. after his release from the Chicago Bears. Wills was selected 10th overall by the Browns in the 2020 NFL Draft out of Alabama.
Wills has dealt with injuries in his NFL career and is currently dealing with one. However, Bills GM Brandon Beane felt like he was a good fit in Buffalo.
“I talked to him about it a little bit [on Monday], just what the year off was like,” Beane said. “He was like, ‘Man, it killed me. I missed ball and missed being with my teammates.’ This time of year, like everyone, there’s tough days in this business that you don’t miss. But he missed the grind, being out there with his teammates, and is excited to be back.”
Beane, meanwhile, believes there are some small technical things to fix, and if he does, he expects Wills to get back to who he was.
“I watched his tape at Chicago. I told him, I said, ‘Your feet looked really good, I just thought there were some technique things to clean up,'” Beane said.
Buffalo opens its season on Sept. 13 against the Houston Texans on the road.
Bills Urged to Sign Former Patriots Offensive Lineman in Key Move