Buffalo Bills guard O’Cyrus Torrence agrees contract extension: Source
The Buffalo Bills have issued several significant contracts to their offensive linemen over the years, and now they have one more to add to the list. The Bills have agreed to terms with starting right guard O’Cyrus Torrence on a new deal that extends his contract through 2030, according to a league source who spoke on condition of anonymity Friday because the deal had not been officially announced.
Torrence has played every game and started all but one since the Bills drafted him with the 59th pick in 2023. He joins right tackle Spencer Brown and center Connor McGovern as the team’s most recent long-term offensive line deals. Brown is signed through 2028, while McGovern, whom the Bills re-signed this offseason, is under contract through 2029.
Torrence, who turned 26 in January, arrived in Buffalo in 2023 as the Bills’ second-round pick. He became the team’s starter to begin his rookie season after a brief competition in the summer, and has since been one of the most dependable and available players on the roster.
Through his first three seasons, Torrence has taken 3,801 out of a possible 3,812 snaps in games he started. The only game he did not start during his three years came in Week 18 of the 2024 season, in which Torrence and the rest of the starting offensive linemen were given the week off to rest before the playoffs. Torrence helped the Bills’ offensive line pull off the rare feat of blocking for an MVP quarterback one season and the NFL’s rushing leader the next.
Offensive line continuity has been a hallmark of the Bills for years, but they have gone through some transition recently. Longtime assistant coach Aaron Kromer retired after last season, and they lost veteran left guard David Edwards in free agency. He joined the New Orleans Saints on a four-year, $61 million deal.
The Torrence deal is yet another example of the Bills getting ahead on a player’s contract before the final year of his rookie deal begins. Brandon Beane, president of football operations and general manager, has a long history of doing so in Buffalo. Most recently, the team did so with Brown ahead of the 2024 season, and went on a spree of such deals last offseason, extending wide receiver Khalil Shakir, defensive end Greg Rousseau, linebacker Terrel Bernard, cornerback Christian Benford and running back James Cook.
With Torrence, Brown (28 years old) and McGovern (28) all in their prime and under contract for several seasons, quarterback Josh Allen will have familiar faces blocking for him for the long term. However, the newest contract could signal an inflection point as early as next offseason for one of the team’s longest-tenured players.
Left tackle Dion Dawkins, who has been the Bills’ starter since the 2017 season, has only two years remaining on his contract, which takes him through the 2027 season. He’s been one of their best starters for most of his Bills career.
However, Dawkins is entering his age-32 season, and the Bills declined to restructure his contract this offseason to free up more cap space. That could signal a future exit strategy by not adding more dead cap onto a player’s deal for when the two sides part ways. If the Bills were to move on from Dawkins after the 2026 season, they would save $7.6 million in 2027 cap space immediately. If they used a post-June 1 release next offseason, they would save $18.47 million in cap space that would become available on June 1.
However, Dawkins, Torrence, Brown and McGovern will all be together for at least one more season in 2026 as the Bills attempt to have one of the best offensive lines in the league for a fourth straight campaign. With Edwards’ departure via free agency, the Bills will look to one of veteran Austin Corbett or longtime reserve Alec Anderson to complete the offensive line unit as the starter at left guard this coming season.