Bills head coach speaks on the Ryan Bates situation

Bears GM Ryan Poles has guaranteed to upgrade the offensive line, and the Bears signed Packers interior lineman Lucas Patrick to a two-year. Patrick said he expects to play center. They also signed veteran Dakota Dozier to a one-year contract. However, Poles still needs to find a replacement for James Daniels, who left for the Pittsburgh Steelers in free agency. Ryan is that answer.

Bates is only 25 and played in all 17 games for the Bills last year. He showed great promise and versatility playing both guard spots and could fit right in. The advanced metrics show that he is technically sound and could benefit from an increased snap count. Last season, he played 294 snaps and allowed 0 sacks and only had 1 penalty.

Today, Brad Biggs reported that Bills head coach Sean McDermott says the team is still working through a decision to match the offer sheet OL Ryan Bates signed with the Bears. Biggs also added that often when a team matches an offer sheet for a restricted free agent, it happens quickly. We'll see what shakes out with Bates but I imagine the Bears are optimistic they land him.

McDermott also added on Bates: "Ryan has done a great job for us. Every role he's been in, he's embraced it and put the team first so I really appreciate his influence on our team over the last couple years in particular."

Let me remind you that the decision needs to be made by tomorrow.

I think Bears nation has reasons to feel good about having Bates in Chicago next year. While it's still possible the Bills watched the offer, the most likely scenario is that he is playing in a Bears uniform come September.