Bills sign former Jets OL Brian Winters after surprise release

The former New York Jets guard has found a new home within the division.

It was quite obvious that New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas set his main focus on improving the team’s offensive line this offseason. The need was evident after watching quarterback Sam Darnold run for his life through his first two seasons in the NFL.

After signing the likes of center Connor McGovern and guard Greg Van Roten in free agency, it was a foregone conclusion that there was no spot remaining for Brian Winters, but it took them until this past Sunday to finally release him.

A full day later, the AFC East rival Buffalo Bills pounced and signed Winters to a contract. No financial details have been revealed as of this writing.

Brian Winters slides right into Buffalo’s starting lineup

The Bills were in desperate need for a new starting guard. This past Friday, right guard Jon Feliciano underwent surgery for a torn pectoral muscle, which will sideline him for 8-12 weeks. Prior to the Winters signing, general manager Brandon Beane didn’t rule out sliding right tackle Cody Ford to the inside to replace Feliciano. That plan appears to be off the table now.

Winters played in nine games for the Jets last year before being placed on season-ending injured reserve due to a shoulder injury. In that span, Winters allowed just one sack on 346 pass-blocking attempts, per Pro Football Focus. However, the site gave him a pass-blocking grade of 58.3 and run-blocking grade of 60.7, both of which are deemed average.

The Bills are never afraid to go to the offensive line well located in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Let’s not forget that Buffalo signed guard Spencer Long immediately after being released by the Jets. We can now add Winters to the list, but it will remain to be seen how effective he can be learning a new offensive playbook.