Bills to retain OL Ryan Bates by matching Bears’ offer sheet

PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane says the team will retain Ryan Bates by matching the four-year qualifying offer the offensive lineman signed with the Chicago Bears last week. The Bills had five days to match the offer or lose Bates without compensation. The third-year player was a restricted free agent, whose rights the Bills retained by tendering him a one-year, $2.433 million contract two weeks ago. In a separate move, the Bills re-signed offensive lineman Ike Boettger to a one-year contract.