ORCHARD PARK — The numbers O’Cyrus Torrence reads on the scale don’t match the image he sees in the mirror.
Torrence maintains a weight between 340-345 pounds during the spring and summer when the heat can wither away a body, but on game day, he’s never lighter than 335 and never heavier than 340. But when Torrence returned for minicamp, he appeared slimmer.
The Buffalo Bills right guard didn’t necessarily lose any weight, but it’s been distributed more evenly throughout his body from the time he left Orchard Park after the season to when he returned for spring workouts, a few months at home in Louisiana nestled in the middle.
All his offseason work comes in the name of a continuous effort to set the bar higher for himself every day. An immediate starter since entering the NFL two years ago, Torrence is looking to become one of the most dominant all-around guards in year three.
“I set the standard high for myself and I feel like I’ve reached that and then some,” Torrence told GNN Sports. “I’m just looking to do the same thing. I look at it as me versus me every day. So if I can be better than myself yesterday, today, I know I’m going in the right direction.”
Torrence is never going to be small. His 11 ¼-inch hands engulf a normal human being’s during a handshake, while his 33 ⅞-inch arms keep defensive tackles away from his 6-foot-5 frame.
Growing up in Greenberg, Louisiana, population 629, about 75 miles from New Orleans, Torrence was always a big kid and grew up around big people. He was 6 feet by sixth grade and weighed 420 pounds in eighth grade.
He had quit football after switching schools and the insidious Louisiana heat battered his body. Aided by big meals late into the night, Torrence’s feet and ankles ached, as did his chest.
Badgering from his high school coaches finally got Torrence to return to football at St. Helena Central. By the time Torrence reached Louisiana Lafayette in 2019, he weighed 342. He played at 347 during his final college season at Florida and was 330 at the 2023 NFL scouting combine.
During his first two NFL seasons, Torrence could be called top-heavy. So a lot of his extra offseason work is geared around his lower half. From unloading on a heavy bag, to extra StairMaster time and pool workouts, Torrence wants to keep his powerful legs pristine.
“These guys all mature,” Bills offensive line coach Aaron Kromer said. “In college, they try to fatten them up like steers going to slaughter because it’s bigger the better. Some guys can’t move as well when they gain that weight and some guys, it doesn’t affect them. … O’Cyrus has been good at all weights, but he feels he can play more consistently when he’s leaned out.”
Thus far, Torrence, Buffalo’s heaviest player, has been the team’s iron man. He played all 1,164 offensive snaps as a rookie and 1,013 of the team’s 1,052 snaps last season.
But this offseason it was important for Torrence to take a short break after the season. He didn’t have much of an offseason ahead of his rookie year because of the draft and then didn’t take much time off last summer, so he took a short three-week rest after the season ended.
“I felt like I couldn’t. I felt like I needed to get right back into it,” Torrence said. “After my rookie season, I took a week off and went right back into the workout program. This year I took almost a month. … But I started back slowly. I started walking and biking instead of going right back into field drills.”
Torrence made the all-rookie team in 2023, but he’s yet to make the Pro Bowl or get an All-Pro nomination. Part of taking the next step is understanding the offense at a higher level so he can make calls more frequently at the line of scrimmage like the veterans, something Kromer says comes with time.
In the run game, Torrence is already a mauler. Just like their run-pass ratio last year, the Bills were also relatively equal in how frequently they ran to the left or right, but they did slightly favor running to the right side.
Running behind Torrence and right tackle Spencer Brown, the Bills racked up 898 yards and 10 touchdowns on 187 attempts, compared to 781 yards and 12 scores on 178 attempts. The Bills also averaged 4.8 yards per carry going right, while posting 4.4 to the left.
But postseason awards for offensive linemen are often based on team success and pass protection. Torrence has allowed three sacks (none last year) and 77 pressures in 588 pass-blocking situations.
“When you get your one-on-ones in pass rush, those are the ones that guys look at,” Kromer said. “He already dominates in the running game. And he just needs to continue to play, and as people gather more information on him and understand who he is and see him more, they’re going to start appreciating that.”