The Buffalo Bills are keeping key impending free agents home before the market opens.
A day after retaining linebacker Matt Milano, the Bills have agreed to terms on a three-year contract with tackle Daryl Williams, the team announced. NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported the contract is worth $28.2 million, with nearly $14 million guaranteed.
Williams arrived in Buffalo via a one-year deal signed in April 2020 and proved to be a worthy investment, starting in all 16 regular-season games and three playoff contests for the Bills. He posted his best professional season in 2020, per Pro Football Focus, earning an offensive grade of 79.2, including a pass-blocking grade over 80. Both marks were the best of his six-year career, and his offensive grade landed him as the 21st-ranked tackle in the entire league.
The Bills are keeping a blocker who would have fetched significant money on the open market. Williams was the No. 25 free agent on Gregg Rosenthal's Top 101 list at the time of his signing.
His fellow tackle, Dion Dawkins, ranked 14th among all tackles in 2020, per PFF. Dawkins signed an extension that runs through 2024 last summer, and with Williams' new deal, the Bills have their tackles locked up through the 2023 season. Buffalo has its edge protectors for quarterback Josh Allen, and the Bills will continue loading up for their run at a Super Bowl in 2021.
