A frustrating situation for both the Buffalo Bills and left tackle Cordy Glenn is officially over for the year. On Friday, the Bills announced that Glenn's 2017 season is now over after they placed him on Injured Reserve for his lingering foot and ankle injuries.
In addition to being placed on I-R, head coach Sean McDermott said that Glenn will undergo a procedure to correct the injury with renowned surgeon Dr. Bob Anderson. The hope, from what McDermott said, is that Glenn will be ready to go for offseason activities by having the surgery in the near future.
When asked if that meant that the Bills planned on bringing Glenn back next season, McDermott replied that he wasn't going to get into that at this time.
The move also means that the Bills, barring an injury, will have rookie Dion Dawkins play left tackle for the final three games of the season. Dawkins has started in eight of the team's 13 games so far this season, and has showed promise at the position.
Joe B's Take
Cordy Glenn was one of the most successful draft picks in recent memory for the Buffalo Bills, and with the news today, it could mean we have seen the last of the left tackle in uniform with the team. There are a lot of factors working against a potential Glenn return next season.
First, there's the obvious: his injuries. The foot and ankle problems have bothered him dating back to the offseason workouts, when he had a setback and had to wear a walking boot during some of the practices. They felt he turned a corner a couple of separate times in the season, but it never held, and they elected to have him get the procedure now.
Second, the presence of Dion Dawkins on the roster further complicates things for him. It's fairly clear that the Bills really like the long-term prospects of Dawkins at left tackle, and have the young player signed for each of the next three seasons at a fairly low cost for the position. Glenn also hasn't played right tackle a substantial amount in the NFL, which is likely where he'd have to move to get playing time.
Third, his contract is a bit of an albatross for this new Bills regime. They didn't draft him, they didn't re-sign him, and now don't have an immediate plan for where to put a left tackle that's coming off a major foot/ankle surgery. His cap number for the 2018 season, according to Spotrac.com, is $14.45 million -- and if the Bills were to cut him without the post-June 1 designation, it would mean they take on a dead money hit of $11.1 million.
Lastly, despite the upcoming procedure, Glenn still has some trade value. He's still only 28 years old, and NFL teams are desperate for starting caliber left tackles -- especially with the lack of hits in recent draft classes past a few exceptions. Glenn could help the Bills yield a draft pick, or be a part of a package to improve another one of their picks to land a player that can help them into the future.
And by trading Glenn, it would remove a large amount of the financial responsibilities that they would have to the player. From their persepctive, It just makes sense for GM Brandon Beane, McDermott, and the Bills -- where they are now -- to move on from Glenn this offseason if they can get some kind of return for him.
That said, when healthy, Glenn is a really good player at his position -- and even at his best this season, Dawkins hasn't had a performance to the level that Glenn played at for so many years for the Bills. Trading him is just as much of a risk as not trading him, because you could be moving on from a solid left tackle, where one of those two players could have slotted in as the right tackle next season and beyond.
With the way things had been trending with Glenn, today's news wasn't a surprise by any means. Now, get used to hearing his name associated with trade rumors as the NFL Draft draws closer, because he's likely one of the best player trade chips they have left for the coming months.
