The Buffalo Bills under general manager Brandon Beane often try to build depth along the offensive line. Whether it’s through the draft or by signing overlooked free agents, Bufflao likes to have a vast array of options up front.
One thing in particular that the Bills look for in their offensive linemen is versatility, especially if that lineman profiles as a reserve. If an offensive lineman can slot in at multiple positions, it increases his chances of making the roster.
In today’s edition of “91
players in 91 days,” we discuss a rarity in Bills Land: a veteran offensive lineman competing for a reserve role who doesn’t project at multiple positions. _____________________________________________________________________________
Name: Lloyd Cushenberry
Number: 53
Position: C
Height/Weight: 6’4” 315 lbs.
Age: 28 (29 on 11/22/2026)
Experience/Draft: 7; selected by the Denver Broncos in the third round (No. 83 overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft
College: LSU
Acquired: Signed with Buffalo on 3/26/2026
Financial situation (per Spotrac): Cushenberry signed a one-year contract with Buffalo this offseason. That contract is worth $1,402,500 in total. Thanks to the veteran’s salary benefit, his cap number is $1,262,500 if he makes the roster. Buffalo is on the hook for the totality of that cap number in the form of a dead cap number if Cushenberry is cut.
2025 Recap: Cushenberry began training camp with the Tennessee Titans on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list thanks to continued rehab from an Achilles tear he suffered during the 2024 season. However, he was activated on August 11, and he managed to start 15 games for the Titans. He was called for five penalties on the year, allowing six sacks, four QB hits, and 25 total pressures. If Pro Football Focus grades are your thing, Cushenberry’s performance was not good. He ranked 36th out of 40 qualifying centers with a 55.2 overall grade, and was 39th in run-block grade (51.2). He was average in terms of pass block grade, earning a 65.5 overall grade from PFF, good for 20th out of 40 centers.
Positional outlook: Cushenberry is the only player listed exclusively at center on the current roster. Alec Anderson, Connor McGovern, Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, and Austin Corbett are all listed at center/guard.
2026 Offseason: Cushenberry participated in offseason work, albeit in a red non-contact jersey as he recovered from offseason shoulder surgery. That surgery is what led the Titans to release him, as their official release was with a failed physical designation.
2026 Season outlook: On the one hand, Cushenberry was bad last year. Titans rookie quarterback Cam Ward took a league-leading 55 sacks, so that points to some ineptitude on the offensive line. On the other hand, one could also guess that Ward’s status as a rookie led him to take more sacks, whether as a result of misreading defenses or holding the football for too long as he adjusted to the pro game. This could imply that the “poor” performance of Tennessee’s offensive line wasn’t all the fault of the big fellas up front.
Cushenberry hasn’t started 80 NFL games by accident, as he has shown himself to be a reliable option at the pivot. An Achilles tear limited him in 2024, and then foot, ankle, and shoulder injuries hampered him during the 2025 campaign. Cushenberry isn’t a mauler in the run game, but he has always been a good to great pass blocker when healthy.
I don’t think the Bills are looking to slide Connor McGovern back to left guard, but if their starting center were to miss a game or two, the Bills could certainly do worse than Cushenberry filling in for a few games. The fact that he’s limited to center might work against him here, as the loser of the left guard battle—Alec Anderson and Austin Corbett are but two combatants—could very well end up the top reserve at center, as well.
In Cushenberry, Buffalo has a great insurance policy. He could end up a top reserve, and he could also be used to obtain draft capital via trade in August if a rash of injuries impacts other teams along the offensive line. He and Corbett have essentially the same contract, and while keeping both veteran options would be nice, I don’t think it’s likely to happen.
I think that Cushenberry will be the odd man out come September, but injuries and ineffectiveness from other players could necessitate a change. He’s going to be battling with three players for one spot, and ultimately, I think his lack of versatility is going to be what keeps him off the roster.
