Bills Lose 65-Game Starting OL After Being Poached by NFC Contender

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost guard Cody Mauch to what is believed to be a season-ending knee injury, then looked to the Bills to add more depth at the position.

“Bucs are expected to sign C/G Dan Feeney off Bills practice squad Thursday,” reporter Rick Stroud shared in a post on X. “Substantial starting experience in the league. In eight years, he started 65 of his 120 games played.”

Bills Must Find New Offensive Line Depth

The Bills had added Feeney to the 90-man roster in August. Though he missed the final cut, Feeney was added to one of the veteran slots on the practice squad. Feeney has spent time with four teams during his nine NFL seasons, starting with the Chargers in 2017.

Feeney will be headed to the active roster in Tampa, where he is expected to provide depth behind a changing offensive line. As ESPN’s Jenna Laine noted, the Buccaneers are still waiting for All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs to return from offseason knee surgery and could be without starting right tackle Luke Goedeke this week as well.

“Wirfs’ absence already resulted in a reconfigured offensive line that has seen starting center Graham BartonÂ move to left tackle, starting left guardÂ Ben BredesonÂ move to center and newcomerÂ Mike Jordan step in at left guard,” Laine wrote. “The Bucs will have to do more tinkering to account for Mauch’s absence, with Goedeke’s status this week unknown.”

The Bills don’t have any immediate needs at offensive line ahead of Thursday’s game against the Miami Dolphins, but could look to the practice squad for some depth on defense after defensive tackle Ed Oliver and linebacker Matt Milano were both ruled out.

Bills Have Options for Open Practice Squad Spot

Feeney’s move to Tampa leaves the Bills with an open spot on the depth chart, which could be filled with another lineman. The Bills now have just one lineman on the practice squad who is eligible to be called up to the active roster, center Kendrick Green.

The Bills also signed tackle Travis Clayton to their practice squad, but he is part of the International Player Pathway program and occupies an exempt spot on the practice squad. That means while the Bills get an extra roster spot for the practice squad, Clayton cannot be added to their active roster.

The team could bring back Richard Gouraige, who spent the 2024 season on the practice squad and was elevated for a November win over the Kansas City Chiefs. He returned on a futures contract but missed the final cut and remains a free agent. The Bills also signed undrafted lineman Jacob Bayer, who was with the team through training camp and the preseason before being released at final cuts.

As Bleacher Report’s scouting report on Bayer noted, he has shown some promise and could perform on the active roster in a pinch.

“Overall, Bayer has below-average movement skills but brings the size, play strength, and demeanor to compete for a backup role at center with the upside to get onto the field during his rookie contract if he can clean up his footwork,” the report noted.