Want a sleeper to make the final roster? Remember this name...
The Buffalo Bills value versatile offensive linemen. This isn’t something new. Anyone who has followed the team closely for the duration of general manager Brandon Beane’s time with the club knows this, as the Bills try to prioritize people who can play multiple positions in reserve roles so as to minimize the number of spots on the 53-man roster dedicated to the offensive line. It also helps the team to keep more players active at other positions on game day.
With that in mind, one of the first things we need to do when examining offensive linemen, especially those fighting for backup jobs, is to see whether those players have experience at multiple positions. Ryan Bates was that guy when he first arrived from the Philadelphia Eagles via trade, and last year, it was Alec Anderson sneaking on the roster thanks to his versatility.
Is there a player who can make like George Harrison and be that Dark Horse candidate to fill out the offensive line depth chart? In today’s installment of our “91 players in 91 days” series, we discuss a player who could be that guy.
Name: Gunner Britton
Number: 61
Position: G
Height/Weight: 6’6”, 312 pounds
Age: 24 (25 on...well, his birthday is February 29 — Leap Day! — so he’ll either celebrate on 2/28/2025 or 3/1/2025)
Experience/Draft: R; signed with Bills as UDFA following the 2024 NFL Draft
College: Auburn
Acquired: UDFA signing
Financial situation (per Spotrac): Britton signed a three-year contract worth a total of $2.845 million. Of that total, the Bills guaranteed $100,000 of the contract, so that total represents the dead-cap charge the team will carry if he’s released. If he makes the roster, Britton carries a cap hit of $800,000 for the 2024 season.
2023 Recap: Britton transferred to Auburn after playing at Western Kentucky, and he made an immediate impact up front for the Tigers. He started in all of Auburn’s games, and showcased his versatility in Week 1 by playing three different positions up front. He mainly played at left guard, but he also played at left tackle and at right tackle. Britton was named All-SEC by multiple outlets (First-Team All-SEC by the AP, Second-Team All-SEC by Athlon, and Fourth-Team All-SEC by Phil Steele).
Positional outlook: Britton is one of a plethora of interior offensive linemen vying for space on the 53-man roster. Keaton Bills, David Edwards, Conor McGovern, Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, O’Cyrus Torrence, Will Clapp, La’el Collins, and Kevin Jarvis are the others.
2024 Offseason: Britton is healthy and participating in OTAs to date.
2024 Season outlook: With all the veterans on the depth chart, it’s hard to fathom that an undrafted rookie has a chance to make a roster as tight as Buffalo’s; however, Britton’s contract suggests that the Bills value him more than your average UDFA. A $100,000 contract guarantee doesn’t make cutting him an impossible task, but it certainly gives me pause in immediately dismissing his chances at making the roster.
With that said, the starting group seems set, or at least close to it, with Dion Dawkins, David Edwards, Connor McGovern, O’Cyrus Torrence, and Spencer Brown slotting in from left to right up front. That means that Britton is fighting for one of either four or five reserve spots, and I’d assume the team will keep nine up front to make sure that they can fill out the roster elsewhere.
Van Pran-Granger feels pretty safe as a sixth lineman/backup center, as do Alec Anderson and Ryan Van Demark as low-cost, high-upside players in their second year on the squad. La’el Collins is a veteran presence with the same level of versatility as Britton, and his contract includes $1.5 million in guarantees.
Britton is someone to watch closely this summer because strong play out of him could make someone else expendable via trade. If the Bills keep 10 offensive linemen, it wouldn’t surprise me if Britton is that 10th man. However it shakes out, Britton is someone to keep an eye on this summer.