The Buffalo Bills made one of their quieter but important offseason housekeeping moves by tendering restricted free agent offensive lineman Ryan Van Demark with the original-round tender, locking in his 2026 salary at $3.52 million.
For Buffalo, this is a practical roster protection move. The original-round tender, often described as right of first refusal, allows another team to sign Van Demark to an offer sheet, but the Bills retain the right to match it. Because Van Demark entered the league as an undrafted free agent, there is no draft compensation attached if Buffalo declines to match an outside offer. In other words, the Bills maintain control of the situation.
The tender amount rises annually alongside the NFL salary cap, which is why this year’s number lands at $3,520,000. For a team constantly working through cap decisions, it remains a reasonable number for an offensive tackle with starting experience and familiarity in the system.
Van Demark has quietly become one of Buffalo’s more reliable depth pieces along the offensive line. He started four games last season and has now appeared in more than 40 games across the last three seasons, giving the Bills valuable insurance in the trenches.
He may not generate major headlines, but these are the types of moves that matter in the offseason. Buffalo knows exactly what it has in Van Demark, a dependable backup who has already shown he can step in to provide meaningful snaps when needed.