Buffalo Bills: Bryan Bulaga vs. Mike Iupati

The Buffalo Bills made a huge splash when they acquired LeSean McCoy from the Philadelphia Eagles in what has still been by far the most shocking moment of the offseason despite all the moves that have done down over the past 48 hours, including the Ndamukong Suh signing by a different AFC East franchise. With McCoy on board, the Bills priority will be to build a competent offensive line in front of him after fielding one of the worst run blocking units last season.

According to FOX Sports’s Ross Jones, the Bills are still looking to make some big moves in free agency under new head coach Rex Ryan, and they are unsurprisingly zeroing in on arguably the top two impending free agent offensive linemen in San Francisco 49ers guard Mike Iupati and Green Bay Packers right tackle Bryan Bulaga.

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While there’s still a chance of Bulaga sticking around in GB, Iupati is guaranteed to leave. Both play different positions and bring even more different skill-sets to the table, but the Bills could use either of them as a new key part of an offensive line that is desperately in need of upgrading after only having a single rusher above four yards per carry last season (Anthony Dixon).

In order to make the most out of their big financial and Kiko Alonso investment in Shady McCoy, the Bills have to get the most out of the five guys in front of him. In all honesty, nobody on the line played well outside of franchise left tackle Cordy Glenn, who has been one of the best in the business ever since coming into the league, and while a couple of veterans should have bounce-back years, they need difference-makers.

While the Bills could sign both Iupati and Bulaga in a bold double-swoop that would leave them without questions on the line, it’s more realistic for them to be able to sign just one of them. The Bills added a hard-nosed run blocker in veteran Richie Incognito earlier this offseason in what I termed as a “necessary evil” of a signing, but that was the most basic and desperate of first steps to add a run blocker of some competence at guard.

If you think Incognito is good at setting the tone in the running game, then I’m sure you also appreciate the work Iupati has done during his career with the San Francisco 49ers. This guy just does not stop grading the road, and he and Alex Boone formed the most formidable guard duo in the running game. Unfortunately, his pass protection leaves plenty to be desired, and that’s the main reason why the 49ers haven’t prioritized him at all.

Meanwhile, Packers right tackle Bryan Bulaga quietly emerged as one of the league’s better pass blockers last season, as he went from being a decent starter to the best free agent available at the tackle position this offseason. Bulaga played the best football of his life in 2014 despite never taking a snap in 2013 due to an injury, and the Packers immediately saw his value.

While Bulaga isn’t a franchise tackle by any means and has only one season of high-level play under his belt, he’s a very valuable lineman who can help the running game and is assured in pass pro. It will be interesting to see how interested the Packers are in keeping him after re-signing Randall Cobb (though it was obviously at a discount), because he is a key part of the Packers offense as the team’s second-best pass blocker (Josh Sitton is easily No. 1 as one of the game’s elite guards).

Sep 28, 2014; Chicago, IL, USA; Green Bay Packers tackle Bryan Bulaga (75) during the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

Between Bryan Bulaga and Mike Iupati, I think Bulaga is the superior player despite the fact that the latter of the two is more proven, and that’s because Bulaga plays a more difficult position and is clearly the better pass blocker. Again, he isn’t a stellar pass protector, but he shined last season for the Packers, especially in critical moments (such as the in the playoff game against the Dallas Cowboys with Aaron Rodgers injured).

That said, it’s hard to tell if the Bills need a guard or a tackle more, because that depends on how much they like second-year right tackles Cyrus Kouandjio and Seantrel Henderson, who started last season. Neither of them impress me, but Henderson showed signs of improvement after being thrust into a tough spot.

I have a feeling they aren’t high on either of them, otherwise why would they seemingly be in hot pursuit of the top impending free agent tackle? Bulaga would give them one of the league’s best bookends with Glenn and would greatly boost their pass protection (he’d also help them in the running game, though that wouldn’t be his main impact).

Guard is still a black hole for the Buffalo Bills even after the addition of Incognito, and Iupati would be a massive upgrade for this offense in the running game. Ryan is a big fan of running the ball, and Greg Roman seems to feel the same way despite what happened last season in San Francisco.

The Bills figure to be very run-heavy next season with McCoy and host of credible backups, so it makes an awful lot of sense for the Bills to add a high-impact run blocker like Iupati despite his possibly deleterious impact in pass pro.

In short, Bulaga is the better player, but Iupati is the better fit.

Next: Looking at the Jerry Hughes deal

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