Seven months after signing him to a three-year, $15 million extension, the Buffalo Bills have parted ways with former starting left guard Quinton Spain, releasing the sixth-year veteran on Wednesday the team announced. The Bills have struggled up front on both sides of the ball at times this year, with Spain moving to the bench in favor of second-year reserve Cody Ford following Week 2. Now, Buffalo will move forward without Spain entirely, with Ford set to man the left guard spot and veteran Brian Winters on track to remain at right guard.
As ESPN noted Wednesday, Spain did not necessarily have a clear path to playing time with fellow guard Jon Feliciano also expected back from a torn pectoral. Spain himself was designated as "week-to-week" following Buffalo's Week 6 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs because of a knee injury.
Still, the veteran's departure marks a sharp turn of events for the interior lineman. Originally undrafted out of West Virginia in 2015, Spain spent the first five years of his NFL career with the Tennessee Titans, carving out a job as a full-time left guard, then had arguably his best season to date with the Bills in 2019. Signed to a one-year contract, he took every offensive snap and did not allow a single registered sack while helping keep Josh Allen upright, earning the $15 million extension in March.
Spain could have several immediate suitors as a free agent, with teams like the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles in obvious need of reinforcements up front.
