The Buffalo Bills drafted Offensive Lineman Cyrus Kouandjio in the 2014 second round with the expectation that he would one day become a starter. The Alabama graduate hasn't filled that role in his time with Buffalo and dealt with numerous issues throughout his time there. Now the Buffalo Bills have decided to part ways with him. Let's take a look at his past seasons in Buffalo.
Rookie Season.
When the Bills drafted Kouandjio, they knew that he would be a project from the start. Because of that and other problems, the offensive lineman played in only one game for Buffalo in his rookie year, a far cry from what was expected of the second round pick.
The Bills instead chose to play Seantrel Henderson, a later draft pick who had fallen due to character issues, and he held the starting job over Cyrus. Henderson has had character issues of his own and was suspended for 10 games in 2016 due to weed usage, but the situation is more complicated. Henderson has a rare medical condition called Crohn's disease, and claims that he used weed to treat it.
2015 and 2016 Seasons.
Cyrus Kouandjio started two games for the Bills in 2015 and five in 2016. Normally, this would be a sign of progression. Unfortunately, the play was so poor that the Bills had to use Jordan Mills more than Kouandjio. A player who was once considered a likely starter had become a role player in three short years.
Now the Bills have almost no choice but to part ways with a player who wasn't nearly productive enough to remain a member of the Bills.
Future for Cyrus.
Kouandjio's NFL career isn't over, even if pass rushers did blow by him on a regular basis. There is a dearth of quality offensive linemen in the NFL and teams are almost always looking for some.
Rookies still need to learn the ropes, and Cyrus, even though he wasn't a starter, now has some experience in the NFL. He can easily act as a mentor for upcoming rookies on another NFL team.
So don't feel too bad for Kouandjio, as his NFL career is likely nowhere close to over. He will just land somewhere else and with another NFL team.
With the Bills luck, he'll probably become a star offensive lineman on the New England Patriots.
Bills Drafts.
The fact that the Bills released a second round pick less than three years after drafting him is a reflection of Doug Whaley's poor drafting in his tenure. Kouandjio was always going to be a risky pick and would take time to develop. In a time of need, it made no sense to draft a player like Cyrus. New head coach Sean McDermott is in control of the process now and is attempting to eliminate any poor decisions from the old regime.
