Now with a year on the practice squad under his belt, the former Florida Gator looks to crack the final roster
The Buffalo Bills have a penchant for building strong depth along the offensive line. Through quality under-the-radar free-agent deals, late-round draft choices, and undrafted rookie signings, Buffalo often stockpiles enough depth up front where they feel comfortable trading it for draft capital late in the summer.
The Bills also keep some of these depth pieces around on the practice squad. This is all standard practice, but general manager Brandon Beane has been particularly good in his dealings along the offensive line. There have been missteps along the way (Wyatt Teller and Roger Saffold, for example), but Beane has made it clear that he’ll continue to ensure that the offensive line has plenty of quality pieces.
In our latest installment of “91 players in 91 days,” we discuss one of Buffalo’s depth pieces along the offensive line.
Name: Richard Gouraige
Number: 75
Position: T
Height/Weight: 6’5”, 305 pounds
Age: 25 (26 on 10/15/2024)
Experience/Draft: 1; signed with Bills as UDFA following the 2023 NFL Draft
College: Florida
Acquired: UDFA signing
Financial situation (per Spotrac): Gouraige signed a reserve/futures contract with the Bills at the conclusion of the 2023 NFL season. That two-year deal is worth a total of $1.764 million, of which $9,000 is guaranteed in the form of a signing bonus. If Gouraige is released, that’s the dead-cap charge Buffalo will carry this season. If he makes the 53-man roster, Gouraige carries a cap hit of $799,500 this season.
2023 Recap: Gouraige spent all of camp and the preseason with Buffalo. He didn’t make the final roster, but he signed with Buffalo’s practice squad after final roster cuts. He wasn’t called up once during the season, so he remained a member of the Bills’ practice squad all season.
Positional outlook: Gouraige is one of quite a few offensive tackles vying for space on the final roster. Spencer Brown and Dion Dawkins are locked in as the starters, so Gouraige is up against Tommy Doyle, Ryan Van Demark, Alec Anderson, Mike Edwards, Tylan Grable, and Travis Clayton are the others. La’el Collins has experience at both tackle and guard, as well.
2024 Offseason: Gouraige is healthy and participated in OTAs.
2024 Season outlook: Barring injuries to other more experienced players, Gouraige (pronounced like the place you park your car) is likely fighting to once again be included on the practice squad. Anderson and Van Demark both made the team last year and performed well in spot duty, and Collins’ contract guarantees suggest a player who will be on the roster come September. Gouraige is likely fighting with Doyle, Grable, Clayton, and Edwards for a spot or two on the practice squad.