After a delay of nearly two years, the Chicago Bears have finally acquired Ryan Bates. The Buffalo Bills announced on Monday night that they have traded the versatile offensive lineman to the Bears in exchange for a 5th round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. In March 2022, the Bears signed Bates, a restricted free agent at the time, to an offer sheet, but the Bills chose to match the contract and keep Bates on their team.
Since then, Bates has started 15 games for Buffalo in the 2022 season, but was eventually pushed out of the starting lineup in 2023 by Connor McGovern and OâCyrus Torrence. While he provided valuable depth at guard and center, the Bills ultimately decided to trade him to Chicago in exchange for a draft pick. In his five seasons with the Bills, Bates appeared in 73 games and made 19 starts.
According to reports, the trade has also freed up around $1.4 million in cap space for the Bills. While not a significant amount, it could potentially be used to sign younger players at lower contracts. The official confirmation of the trade is expected to happen on March 13.
With this trade, the Bills now have 10 picks in this year’s draft and are likely to have 11 when compensatory picks are announced. This opens up opportunities for the team to add more young talent to their roster.
