30 most important Bills players of 2026: No. 8 Connor McGovern
· Yahoo Sports
As the Buffalo Bills prepare for the 2026 NFL season, Bills Wire will take a look at the most important contributors on their roster. The team has some cornerstone players who will be returning for another shot at bringing a Lombardi Trophy to Buffalo, and they'll have help from some new additions as well.
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Leading up to the season, we will be counting down the top-30 most important players on the roster. We'll recap their 2025 season, look ahead to what they'll offer in 2026, and tackle the most pressing questions surrounding them this coming year.
Next on the countdown is Connor McGovern.
Background
Position: Center
Age at start of season: 28
Experience: seventh year
2026 cap hit: $5,250,000
2025 recap
Connor McGovern started 16 games for the Bills at center for the second consecutive year. He's only missed the Week 18 finale in both 2024 and 2025. He's been an important piece in the middle of the offensive line after making the switch from guard, which is where he played for the first four years of his career.
He had a good season in 2025 in the eyes of Pro Football Focus, receiving a 69.1 overall grade, which ranked 15th in the NFL among centers. He also posted their sixth-highest pass-blocking grade at 73.4.
2026 outlook
McGovern again returns to the starting center role for Josh Allen and the Bills offense in 2026. He signed a four-yer, $52 million extension in early March of this year. While the team has undergone major changes this season, things have mostly stayed the same for McGovern, aside from a new contract extension. He'll continue to be relied upon by Joe Brady and Allen to execute, and there'll be some new stuff added as well.
Biggest question: Is he healthy entering Week 1?
McGovern left the Return of the Blue & Red practice on August 8 after just one snap, coming up limping and then being escorted off the field. The undisclosed lower-body injury has held him out of action for the preseason, but signs are pointing towards him being ready to go in Week 1. On September 1, he was quoted as saying that he "feels great," and the Bills are hoping there are no setbacks, as the trip to Houston to face that defensive line would be a lot tougher without him.
30 most important Bills of 2026
Check back as we continue the countdown on our list of the 30 most important Bills ahead of the 2026 season.
This article originally appeared on Bills Wire: 30 most important Bills players of 2026: No. 8 Connor McGovern