The Bills’ offensive line has been one of the steadier parts of the roster lately, and Connor McGovern has been right in the middle of that stability. Even with free agency forcing Buffalo to hunt for a new left guard, the expectation doesn’t seem to be that McGovern will be moved around again. He came to the Bills as a guard, but over the last two seasons he has locked down center and made that spot his own.
McGovern is listed as C/OG, but the center label feels like the one that matters now. He signed with Buffalo on 3/16/2023 after being drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the third round, No. 90 overall, in 2019 out of Penn State.
He’s 6’6”, 318 pounds, and will be 29 on 11/3/2026. His deal is a big one, too: a four-year, $52 million contract with $31.44 million guaranteed.
For 2026, his cap hit is $5.25 million, and releasing him would leave Buffalo with a $26.2 million dead-cap charge. His base salary is $1.89 million and becomes fully guaranteed if he’s on the roster for Week 1.
What McGovern gave the Bills in 2025 was exactly the kind of reliability teams crave up front. He started every game that counted at center for the second straight season and played nearly 92% of the offense’s snaps while dealing with some bumps and bruises along the way.
Only right guard O’Cyrus Torrence logged more snaps. Penalty-wise, he kept things clean, drawing just two holding calls and one false start.
The numbers from Pro Football Focus backed up the eye test. McGovern was graded as the 15th-best center overall with a 69.1.
His pass protection was the real standout, where he ranked sixth at the position with a 73.4 grade and did not allow a sack all season. In the run game, his 65.3 grade placed him 20th among centers.
Buffalo’s depth chart still lists him at both center and guard, alongside Austin Corbett, Alec Anderson, and Sedrick Van Pran-Granger. Lloyd Cushenberry is listed only at center. But the way things look now, McGovern isn’t heading back to left guard, even though that was his original role with the Bills.
That makes sense. He has not missed a start because of injury in three seasons with Buffalo, and his only missed games came in Week 18 over the last two years, when playoff positioning had already been settled. He’s also built strong chemistry with Josh Allen, and that kind of connection matters when the offense is trying to stay on schedule and keep the pocket organized.
There will be a new face at left guard after David Edwards left for the New Orleans Saints, which means McGovern’s voice up front could matter even more. Edwards was often the one handling blitz calls and protection adjustments, so that responsibility may shift to McGovern.
The Bills believe he can handle it. They’ve seen enough by now to know he’s smart, steady, and good in space, with the leadership to match.
In a summer full of change, center looks like the one place Buffalo can count on staying the same. McGovern has become a fixture there, and for a team chasing a Super Bowl, that kind of anchor is worth every bit of what they’re paying him.
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