NFL Free Agency 2019: Predicting the Buffalo Bills biggest moves

Mitch Morse, C

On paper, signing Mitch Morse may seem like an odd fit for the Buffalo Bills. They already signed a center this off season, bringing in Spencer Long after he was released by the New York Jets. Also, Morse has played his entire career with the Kansas City Chiefs who run a zone based rushing scheme, while the Bills primarily use a power rushing attack. However, if we look a little deeper, I actually see Morse as a strong fit for this team.

Morse is not a power based player. He relies more on mobility, intelligence and technique to succeed in the NFL. He is a high-level pass protector at the center position, consistently protecting pocket integrity, showing the ability to dig in and anchor extremely well against power rushers on the inside. Obviously, this is a major plus for the Bills as it would only help with the development of Allen as an NFL quarterback.

His run blocking skills aren’t quite as impressive, but Morse uses his quickness and great pad level to be a strong contributor in that area as well. Kansas City runs mostly zone schemes, but they run some gap principles as well. When digging into Morse’s play from last season, I personally thought that he held up well when the Chiefs ran gap scheme. No matter the scheme, Morse is a solid run blocker who consistently gets the job done.

Having Long on the roster does complicate this a bit, but it’s not like he’s a top-tier NFL center. Morse is clearly the better player in this scenario and Long has some experience at guard, giving the team strong versatility on the interior offensive line.

In this free agency scenario, the Bills add three more talented offensive linemen to the mix, each of who fit their scheme well. Assuming health, these moves would significantly improve their ability to protect Allen and create lanes in the running game, drastically improving their offensive upside in 2019.