Buffalo Bills: Understanding the decision to re-sign Jeremiah Sirles

We break down the pros and cons of the Buffalo Bills’ decision to bring offensive lineman Jeremiah Sirles back for next season.

On Wednesday, most of the focus for Buffalo Bills fans was understandably on the news that Lorenzo Alexander will return to the team next season. It fulfills Alexanders’ desire to play one more year in Western New York, before likely retiring.

However, this wasn’t the only roster move the Bills made on Wednesday. As confirmed by Buffalobills.com, the team also re-signed Jeremiah Sirles to a one-year deal.

Financial terms of the new contract had not been revealed at the time of writing. However, as a point of reference, Sirles had a salary of $650,588 during the 2018 season (together with a signing bonus of $90,000 from when he joined the Carolina Panthers in March last year).

The question is, does re-signing the 27-year-old represent a good or bad decision? Let’s consider the pros and cons of bringing him back for the 2019 season.

Pros:

Sirles’ number one pro is his versatility, having played at every position along the offensive line. Buffalobills.com sum it up best, by describing him as the Swiss-army-knife of the o-line. (Heck, he’s even lined up as a tight end.)

Given his adaptability, the Lakewood, Colorado native will serve as one of the main backups for the Bills next season. However, he is capable of starting, having started 20 of the 42 games he has appeared in during his five years in the NFL.

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This includes starting five games for the Bills during the 2018 campaign. For what it’s worth Sirles also has invaluable playoff experience, having appeared in two games for the Minnesota Vikings during the 2017 season, albeit not as a starter.

Sirles is renowned for being quite disciplined when he plays. Even taking into account his lack of overall playing time during his professional career, he only has two holding penalties and seven false starts against his name.

Cons:

For some, the decision to re-sign Sirles came as a surprise. Count Zach Links of Pro Football Rumors, among those who didn’t expect this move by the Bills.

The main reason for Links’ surprise, comes down to Sirles’ productivity when he was on the field, or lack thereof. Links writes that the undrafted o-lineman’s 140 snaps were not enough to qualify for Pro Football Focus’ rankings, but if they were, his score would have placed him in the bottom 25 percent of guards.

The reason for rating the former San Diego Charger as a guard, is because he took the majority of his snaps at right guard for the Bills. Regardless, no matter how you approach it, ranking in the bottom quarter is not a positive.

People might point to Sirles starting 10 games for the Vikings in 2016, as evidence he is capable of stepping in and doing the job when required; and it is…to a certain extent. However, those starts only happened because of injuries; once other linemen returned, he was demoted to backup duties again, having not done enough to justify remaining in the starting lineup.

Overall:

It’s clear Sirles is not someone who can be considered as starter material. Even when he does start, he doesn’t perform consistently enough to earn/keep a starting job.

However, there is still a lot of value in someone who can play in any position along the offensive line; he works hard and is well-liked by his teammates. He provides invaluable depth at a cheap price and overall, it makes sense why the Bills re-signed him for next season.

What is your take on how Sirles played during the 2018 campaign? Do you agree or disagree with the Buffalo Bills’ decision to bring him back next season, and why? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.