Cordy Glenn Franchise-Tagged by Bills: Latest Contract Details, Reaction

The Buffalo Bills want to be a power-running team, so re-signing star offensive tackle Cordy Glenn was a top priority this offseason.   

The Bills decided to give themselves some more time for a new deal by announcing they had used the franchise tag on Glenn. Albert Breer of NFL.com and Pro Football Talk originally reported the move.

Teams had until 4 p.m. ET on March 1 to decide whether to use their franchise tag. Breer noted Glenn will be paid $13.7 million as part of the tag. 

Glenn's representatives at SportsTrust Advisors told Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports that Glenn signed his tender Friday.

A second-round pick in 2012, Glenn has become one of the Bills' most important offensive pieces. He's started all 16 games in each of the last three years and 61 of a possible 64 games in his career. 

The 26-year-old was among the NFL's best offensive tackles in 2015, with Pro Football Focus ranking him ninth at the position (h/t BuffaloWins.net). 

Expanding on that, following the Bills' Week 9 victory over the Miami Dolphins, John Breitenbach of Pro Football Focus was complimentary of how effective the left side of Buffalo's offensive line was:

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The combination of Cordy Glenn (+4.0) and Richie Incognito (+3.4) is downright nasty. Glenn is our fifth-ranked tackle, Incognito is our second-ranked guard, and Wood is our fifth-ranked center. They played almost perfect games against the Dolphins, recording perfect games in pass protection and a combined +8.4 grade in the ground game. 

"

Even though the Bills had a disappointing 8-8 season after coming into the year with a sense of optimism for the first time since making the playoffs in 1999, they have a talented young core to build around. 

However, the team is facing big decisions this offseason. According to Over the Cap, it entered the offseason nearly $3.5 million over the salary cap. Giving Glenn the franchise tag will make the cap even tighter. Even though that will require the Bills to let some talented players go, identifying key pieces of the future will help them reach the postseason.

Glenn certainly falls into that mix, especially with his ability as a run- and pass-blocker. The Bills aren't a dynamic offensive team—they attempted the second-fewest passes in the NFL last year—so having a potent offensive line will allow head coach Rex Ryan to utilize the running game to the best of its ability.