91 Buffalo Bills Players in 91 Days: OT Alec Anderson

The Buffalo Bills value versatility in their backups on offense. If you can play multiple positions up front, then you’re much more valuable to the Bills. Especially considering that having fewer offensive linemen on the 53-man roster opens up opportunities elsewhere, it makes sense.

The Bills cross-train several players during their offseason. Sometimes those experiments go well and players discover they can handle multiple positions. Sometimes the experiment doesn’t go well and the Bills discover they need to look elsewhere. Of course, there are also times when a player is so good at one position that it becomes ridiculous to consider trading him. That’s a less common problem, though when it does arise, it’s never a bad thing.

In today’s installment of our “91 Players in 91 Days” series, we profile a versatile young offensive lineman who can play all five positions on offense if needed.

Alec Anderson

• Number: 70
• Position: T
• Size weight: 6’5”, 305 lbs
• Age: 24 (25 on 10/03/2024)
• Experience/Draft: 2; signed with Buffalo following the 2022 NFL Draft
• College: UCLA
• Acquired: Signature of the UDFA

Financial situation (according to Spotrac): Anderson is entering the final year of a two-year, $1,673,500 contract. He signed it at the end of the 2022-23 season, and while it was originally a reserve/futures contract, it became his true contract once he was signed to the roster last season. For the 2024 season, Anderson has a salary cap hit of $919,250 if he is signed to the roster. Buffalo will have a salary cap hit of $4,250 if he is released, which is the second half of his $8,500 signing bonus.

2023 Recap: Anderson was selected last year as the backup offensive lineman, a necessary designation after former offensive lineman Ryan Bates was promoted to starting left guard. Anderson has not played in a single game, serving as an inactive player each week.

Positional perspectives: Anderson is among a host of offensive linemen vying to make the final roster. He can play every position, so he’s really competing with everyone for roster space. Including Anderson, Buffalo currently has 17 offensive linemen in camp. Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, Will Clapp, Kevin Jarvis, Richard Gouraige, Mike Edwards, Spencer Brown, Dion Dawkins, La’el Collins, Connor McGovern, O’Cyrus Torrence, Ryan Van Demark, Tylan Grable, Travis Clayton, Keaton Bills, David Edwards and Gunner Britton are the others.

Off-season 2024: Anderson is healthy and has participated in all offseason workouts. He is ready for training camp.

Outlook for the 2024 season: Barring injury, Anderson is expected to be back in the lineup as a primary backup. While he’ll likely be inactive on game days, he received positive reviews from teammates about his performance last season in camp and practice.

With such a low contract, Anderson’s versatility is extremely valuable. Given that he’ll be an exclusive free agent at the end of the season, he can also be kept at a low price. I’m guessing he’ll be the last lineman on the roster come September.