The Chicago Bears eventually acquired Ryan Bates, however it took nearly two more years than they had hoped.
The versatile offensive tackle was traded to the Bears on Monday night by the Buffalo Bills in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Bates was a restricted free agent when Chicago signed him to an offer sheet in March 2022. In the end, the Bills matched the contract to keep the lineman.
Bates would go on to start fifteen games for Buffalo in 2022, but after O’Cyrus Torrence and Connor McGovern emerged as the team’s starting guards last season, Bates was left off the starting lineup. Although Bates gave Buffalo good depth at guard and center, Brandon Beane was able to send Bates to Chicago for a fifth round choice. During his five seasons with the Bills, the offensive tackle made 19 starts and appeared in 73 games.
The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia reports that the Bills moved Bates to Chicago in order to free up roughly $1.4 million in cap space. Though Buffalo now has some young players on their roster who may eventually replace Bates on a reduced contract, it’s not a big salary cap space.
On March 13, the deal will be formally announced.
After the deal was announced, Buffalo now has ten selections in the current draft. Probably when the league releases the compensatory selections, that will go to 11.
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