After losing David Edwards in free agency, the Buffalo Bills are being urged to sign veteran guard and former All-Pro Joel Bitonio.
The Buffalo Bills offensive line is pretty set heading into 2026, but there’s one position that has some questions. The team lost left guard David Edwards this offseason, and it seems set to have a competition to fill the void.
Heading into on-field work and training camp, Alec Anderson looks to be the favorite to start at the position, with free agent signee Austin Corbett certain to get an opportunity as well. But at least one NFL analyst believes Buffalo shouldn’t be done trying to shore up the offensive line.
Kristopher Knox recently took a look at one move every NFL team should make before the season begins. For the Bills, he suggests signing veteran seven-time Pro Bowler Joel Bitonio.
“The Buffalo Bills face uncertainty at left guard after David Edwards departed for the New Orleans Saints in free agency,” Knox writes. “They may look to replace Edwards through a camp competition involving Alec Anderson and Austin Corbett. However, scooping up free agent Joel Bitonio might make such a competition moot.”
Joel Bitonio spent the last 12 seasons with the Cleveland Browns. A second-round pick in 2014, Bitonio quickly became a stalwart on the Browns' line. He made the Pro Bowl in seven straight years from 2018 to 2024. On top of that, he’s a two-time first-team All-Pro and a three-time second-team All-Pro.
He turns 35 this year, and there have been questions about whether he will continue playing. If he chooses to, the opportunity to play in a Super Bowl for a team that needs his position makes too much sense.
It would give Allen extra protection in a year when Buffalo will be facing some of the NFL’s top pass rushes. And after a season in which Bitonio gave up just two sacks and one QB hit, that would be music to the ears of Bills fans.
He won’t come in and be a long-term solution by any stretch of the imagination. What he will be, though, is another piece to a potential Super Bowl puzzle, while Buffalo can start preparing for the future with younger developmental players.
Bills Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Bills. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.
