Buffalo Bills’ Ryan Van Demark is ready for anything at offensive tackle

Van Demark, 26, laughs when asked if there is any overlap between his aquatic interests and football.

“I guess it’s patience?” he jokes.

You certainly have to be patient when you’re in Western New York fishing for carp. And Van Demark has been patient on the field, too. Playing behind Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown, he has to be.

Van Demark has been a pleasant surprise for the Bills. He was closer to the bubble this time last season, but he not only got drafted, he proved he belonged. His focus now is on getting back on track.

“I just want to be the sixth man on the offensive line,” Van Demark said in June. “Obviously, I’ve got two great tackles in front of me, Spencer and Dion, who are good guys to learn from and good guys to rely on. And my goal is just to be that sixth man, wherever you need me — tackle, jumbo tight end — and be available.”

He played 47 snaps on offense last season in 12 games, but he was also ready to step in at any time. Even that real playing time gave Van Demark more confidence. Even the unnecessary snaps helped, he said. Now he’s building on that.

With Brown dealing with some injuries, Van Demark was able to play more first-team action this spring. He learned a lot from playing against the Bills’ defensive line.

“I know it’s having OTAs, but it’s the speed of the game,” he said. “Just going against Von (Miller), Greg (Rousseau) and AJ (Epenesa), and seeing how they get the ball, and then focusing on the number of shots and getting ahead of the pace.”

It’s not just the actions themselves that matter. Van Demark then takes time to chat with his defensive counterpart.

“I love talking to AJ after every rehearsal and seeing what I could have done better and what he saw,” Van Demark said. “We talk there and bounce ideas off each other. So it’s always like a good friendly battle. But we’re definitely competing. So he’s trying to help me win, and I’m trying to help him win, even though we’re just playing against each other. So it’s pretty good.”

Van Demark’s main goal is simply to be the Bills’ center, but to get there, he focuses on the little details every practice.

“Today, for my right tackle, I was more focused on getting (Josh Allen) snaps, so I can get off the ball earlier, and then my left foot and keep it on the ground, so I can step back more squarely,” Van Demark said in June. “That’s my goal.”

Whatever his interest, Van Demark has a theme.

“My favorite part of the day is looking forward to the next day, being better than the day before,” Van Demark said. “So it’s kind of like that growth mindset, focusing on the positive things and just coming out here and improving yourself 1 percent.”

“And I work on things that I didn’t do correctly the day before, I fix them and I build a castle, in a way.”