On Monday, NFL Network’s Ian Rapaport announced that the Buffalo Bills had signed free-agent offensive linemen Russell Bodine and Marshall Newhouse.
The #Bills have signed C Russell Bodine to a 2-year deal, and they signed T Marshall Newhouse to a 1-year deal. … Instead O-line depth.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 19, 2018
Rapaport shed some more light on Bodine’s contract in a subsequent tweet.
Bodine got a 2-year deal for $5M… He turned down a long-term deal from Cincy with low guarantees, opting for a deal he believes is best for his future https://t.co/8UWCmRPSSm
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 20, 2018
With the unexpected retirement of Eric Wood, the loss of Seantrel Henderson to the Houston Texans in free agency, and the recent trade of Cordy Glenn to the Cincinnati Bengals, the Bills naturally had vacancies to fill within their offensive line. The question is, were these the right signings?
Breaking Down the Buffalo Bills Signings of Russell Bodine and Marshall Newhouse
Russell Bodine
On paper, Bodine seems like an ideal successor to Wood at the center position. He is 25 years old and stands at an impressive 6’3″, 310 pounds. He has started every single one of the 64 games he has played in since being taken in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL draft. The only other center with a longer streak is Dallas Cowboys All-Pro Travis Frederick – who has started a whopping 80 in a row.
The problem is that, despite being incredibly strong (Combine-best 42 bench press reps), Bodine is not stout at the point of contact, is stiff-bodied and tends to overextend due to less than ideal arm length (32.5 inches). The end result is the North Carolina grad routinely being pushed into his own backfield or becoming a turnstile to nimble defensive tackles. As a result, Pro Football Focus had Bodine ranked as the 25th best starting center in the league.
Bodine’s competition on the existing roster is in the form of incumbent interior lineman, Ryan Groy. Although Groy is highly thought of by his peers and Bills fans alike, he has only started 11 games in his four years of service in the NFL. Thrusting him into action doesn’t seem like a gamble that head coach Sean McDermott would want to take.
The Verdict
Although Bodine is serviceable depth for a team that was very much in need, he becomes a liability when he is not masked by gimmicky play-calling that is laden with quick screens and rollouts. Whether the team decides to give newly signed quarterback, A.J. McCarron, a chance to prove he can be a legit NFL starter or they roll the dice with one of the top flight prospects in this April’s draft, an improvement at center should continue to be a priority. Given that the Bills are seemingly tapped out this off-season from a salary cap perspective, they will likely need to supplement the current center situation early in the draft.
Marshall Newhouse
Newhouse is a seven-year pro that has played in an even 100 games, starting in 70 of them. He was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round of the 2010 NFL draft and has bounced around to the league before settling in with the Oakland Raiders last year. Despite signing a two-year contract with the Raiders last off-season, he was unceremoniously released earlier this month. His natural position is right tackle but has shown the willingness to move to guard if called upon.
Much like Bodine, Newhouse is laden with deficiencies. Namely, his lateral agility is poor and his football I.Q. with respect to handling stunts and blitzes also leaves much to be desired. Unsurprisingly, Pro Football Focus ranks him as the 65th best tackle in the league.
With second-year tackle Dion Dawkins firmly holding things down on the left side, the right tackle position is very much up for grabs. Incumbent starter Jordan Mills and enigmatic reserve Connor McDermott serve as Newhouse’s main competition. Neither of those two has proven that they can be the impact right tackles that the Bills have been longing for.
One thing that Newhouse has working for him is the apparent “bromance” he has with fellow TCU alum and current Bills right defensive end, Jerry Hughes.
DIBS ON TOP BUNK @Iam_jerryhughes https://t.co/1hHTGC6ayV
— marshall newhouse (@MNewhouse73) March 19, 2018
The Verdict
Much like Bodine, Newhouse does provide some experienced depth that could be quasi-valuable should he be relied on for brief periods of time. If Mills and/or McDermott are sidelined for an extended period of time, the Bills are in trouble. Given the plenitude of draft picks the team currently owns, the team might be best served to pluck a talented tackle in the early rounds to help hedge their bets.
