The Buffalo Bills started the same five offensive linemen in every game that mattered last season. That’s something I’ve repeated multiple times in this series throughout the offseason. It’s also absolutely, 100% false.
The more accurate statement to make is that the Bills started the same five offensive linemen in almost every game that mattered last season. Of course, in true Buffalo fashion, the one game where they needed a substitute offensive lineman was one of the easy ones: Buffalo’s Week 11
game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Play without your starting right tackle against the two-time defending Super Bowl champs? Sure, that’s a cakewalk.
All sarcasm and mea culpas aside, the Bills had a remarkably consistent season from their offensive line group last season. One player, in particular, really built on the consistency he showed in 2023 after an up-and-down first two professional seasons. He went from being a project at right tackle to being among the league’s best in a rather short period of time.
In our latest edition of “90 players in 90 days,” we discuss the Bills’ $72 million man at right tackle.
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Name: Spencer Brown
Number: 79
Position: T
Height/Weight: 6’8”, 311 pounds
Age: 27 (28 on 2/28/2026)
Experience/Draft: 5; selected by the Bills in the third round (No. 93 overall) of the 2021 NFL Draft
College: Northern Iowa
Acquired: Third-round pick
Financial situation (per Spotrac): Brown enters the first year of the four-year, $72 million extension he signed last September. His cap hit this season is $8.181 million. Buffalo would be on the hook for a dead-cap charge in excess of $30 million if he were to be released.
2024 Recap: Brown made 15 starts last season just one year after making all 17 starts for the first and, to date, only time in his career. As mentioned above, he sat out the Chiefs game due to an injury to his ankle he suffered the week prior. Then, he sat out Buffalo’s final game against the New England Patriots as a healthy scratch.
Pro Football Focus graded him No. 32 out of all tackles in the league, scoring him at a 73.6 for the regular season. In the playoffs, he was even better, scoring an 83.8 in those three games. That was good for third among the 40 tackles in their grading system. While he allowed just one sack across 930 offensive snaps, he committed an absurd 16 penalties — which was among the highest totals in the NFL last season.
Positional outlook: Brown is the starting right tackle, and Dion Dawkins will line up on the opposite side of him as the left tackle. Alec Anderson is listed as a tackle, but the Bills’ first depth chart lists him as a backup along the interior. Chase Lundt is listed as the second right tackle, with Ryan Van Demark listed as the second left tackle. Tylan Grable is on Injured Reserve as he continues to deal with the effects of a concussion suffered during training camp.
2025 Offseason: Brown began camp on the PUP list thanks to a flare-up of his back injury that caused him to have surgery a few years ago. It’s a chronic issue that he manages. He’s ready to roll now.
2025 Season outlook: Barring injury, Brown should be the right-side protector for quarterback Josh Allen. He’s a nasty player who has always been good in run blocking, but he has improved tremendously in pass protection over the course of the last few seasons.
I’d love to see those penalties cut down, as many of them are of the mental variety. He was flagged for seven false-start penalties and three illegal formation calls last year. Those are things that a veteran player can work on and limit. Sure, it’s easier for me to say that from the comfort of my couch than it would be for me to practice it with a 280-pound mammoth lined up across from me, but the point remains.
When general manager Brandon Beane chose Brown back in the 2021 NFL Draft, we knew he was swinging big on a player with huge athleticism and traits that the team loved. Those traits gave Brown a chance, but it’s been his continued work with technique and this coaching staff that’s helped Brown develop into what he is today. The Bills made a bold choice, but it’s one that has worked out for them.
