By: Jeremy Trottier

The Buffalo Bills have had one of the NFL’s best defenses over the past few seasons. However, they have been seemingly lacking a certain spark to really make that side of the ball scary to opposing teams. While they have some extraordinary talent on defense already, they were able to solidify it even more in the 2022 offseason, bringing in some top tier talent to truly make this unit a force to be reckoned with. In this article, I will cover 3 reasons why the Bills could have the best defense in the league this year.

Addition of high quality CB2 via the draft

The first notable addition on this list is the Buffalo Bills first-round pick this year, who was CB out of Florida Kaiir Elam. Elam has really strong upside as a cornerback in the NFL, and his press man coverage is something impressive to witness. Elam has all the physical traits, at 6’2″ 197 pounds, and with exceptional athleticism (4.39 49-yard dash, 37.5″ vertical, 6.98 3-cone) he has all the makings of an elite prospect. Let us not forget that the Bills traded down in the 2017 draft to pick 27 which allowed them to select their premier CB1 Tre’Davious White, and with Elam being taken in a similar range (pick #23) it would be wise to not overlook him just because he was not top 15.

Bringing in a top OLB in Von Miller

The next addition to the Bills defense, and likely the most well-known, was outside linebacker Von Miller. Miller is coming directly off a Super Bowl win with the Los Angeles Rams, which gives the Bills some of the pedigree that comes with a player who understands what it takes to win. Not only should his mentality be a boon to the Buffalo defense, but also his on-the-field production which has been some of the best in the league lately. His ability to get to the QB, and put pressure on them/get in their airspace is one of the most amazing things about him, and his “ghost move” is one of the most intriguing in the league.

• 15 games played & all 15 games started
• 9.5 sacks, 17 QB hits, 30 pressures
• 50 total tackles (33 solo & 17 assisted)
• 19 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble, 1 pass deflection

Von will be an amazing addition to the Bills defense, and will be the core of their defense & linebacker unit for the near future without a doubt.

Defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier

Leslie Frazier is one of the more intriguing defensive coordinators in the league, primarily because of how he runs defensive schemes. Frazier runs a base 4-3 style with cover 2, but prioritizes the blitz relatively heavily, which bodes extremely well for Von Miller as he took 71 blitzing snaps in 2021. While Leslie has been heavily criticized at times for his defense faulting against the Kansas City Chiefs this past playoffs, he has been a relatively stout coach to date and one game does not necessarily define his tenure with the team.
We should have a great chance to see what Frazier is able to whip up for the Bills in the 2022-2023 season, as he has some amazing talent to work with at every level now, and much the ability to run a wide variety of play types due to this. With this stated, this is why I believe the Bills will have a top defense in 2022, if not the best.

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By: Caleb Holfoth (@cmhfilm)

The Buffalo Bills entered the 2021 offseason knowing that they are closer to the Super Bowl than they have been the whole 21st century. After falling to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship game Buffalo looks to build even more for the 2021 season. Under head coach Sean McDermott, offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, and young star quarterback Josh Allen the Buffalo Bills have made huge progress each season together. The next step for Buffalo is to the Super Bowl. Going from a perennial non-contender to a contender is what the past three seasons were for. Now, Buffalo is attempting to move from perennial contender to champions. This offseason is so important to Buffalo because it will help decide if Buffalo can continue this high level of growth. This offseason has not been as exciting as the 2020 offseason where general manager Brandon Beane pulled off a blockbuster trade for star receiver Stefon Diggs. Regardless, this offseason remains important to the success and future of the Buffalo Bills. Here are the most overrated and underrated moves of the 2021 offseason by general manager Brandon Beane.

Underrated: Resigning Matt Milano and Daryl Williams

During the season a hot topic of conversation was how Buffalo was going to retain linebacker Matt Milano and right tackle Daryl Williams. Many analysts and fans believed that retaining one of Milano and Williams was the Bill’s only option. However, Brandon Beane pulled off what everyone thought was impossible. Beane was able to sign Williams and Milano to very team-friendly deals to keep them in Buffalo for at least the next three seasons. While their deals were very friendly for the team both players also now are compensated justly for their play. Williams was signed to a one-year prove-it style deal coming off a poor season and played like one of the best right tackles in the AFC for Buffalo. Milano is arguably the Bill’s best defender in the front 7 and makes a huge impact when he is healthy. 

One thing that is so underrated about these deals is that Buffalo never had to use the franchise tag and defer these contracts to next year where the price of both players may have inflated just like the salary cap. In addition to that, Beane now has elite-level players at left tackle, right tackle, cornerback, linebacker, and wide receiver all under contract for at least three more seasons. One thing Beane wanted to do when he came to Buffalo was draft, develop and resign. While Williams is more of a free agent gem Milano is the perfect example of what Beane wants to do. A former 5th round pick Milano developed into one of the league’s best overall linebackers and Beane was able to keep him in Buffalo for more than just a rookie deal. Something that many general managers before him failed to do.

Overrated: Restructuring Mario Addison 

The move of restructuring Mario Addison is not the really overrated thing. It’s not the move itself but more of the fact that this was the move instead of cutting him outright. While Addison did lead the Bills with 5 sacks in 2021, he was very disappointing considering his salary and hype before the season. The Bills should have cut Addison just because of the pure number of pass rushers they brought in this offseason. In the draft, Buffalo added pass rushers in rounds 1 and 2 as well as signing Efe Obada who had 5.5 sacks while playing nearly half the number of snaps as Addison. 

Cutting Addison would have been a better move for Buffalo as it would have saved the team just over six million dollars on this season’s salary cap. Cap space that could later be used on free agents. While at the time of Addison’s restructure it seemed like a good deal since then Buffalo has added three pass rushers who all have higher potential than Addison. Addison will have to fight for his role on the team and could be a veteran cut candidate considering the amount of young talent Buffalo now has at the position. If Addison gets cut Beane likely will regret letting him stay for the summer when instead his cap space could have been used at the height of free agency.

Underrated: Drafting Defensive Ends in Round 1 & 2

The Buffalo Bills pass rush was not that effective last season. Combine that with the type of damage that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were able to do against the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl with their pass rush. You get Brandon Beane’s understanding that the Bills need a better pass rush. Buffalo is great in the secondary and even has very talented linebackers. The defensive line is more of a project. Beane addressed that significantly by drafting defensive ends in the first and second rounds. Gregory Rousseau and Carlos Basham look to come into Buffalo and infuse the defensive line with some young energy and high potential. This move seems like a weird one at first considering teams usually do not draft the same position back-to-back that early in the draft. What makes these picks so interesting is the versatility of both players. While both are defensive ends first, we could see them all over the Bills line. 

This tactic is slightly genius by Brandon Beane. Buffalo already has key young stars at every position group except for the defensive line. Add that with the fact that the franchise quarterback is about to paid and the two next highest-paid positions in left tackle and cornerback already have elite players who are being paid a significant amount of money having not one but two defensive ends on rookie deals for the next four seasons could be a game-changer. While Basham and Rousseau are different styles of defensive ends both have really high potential in their own unique ways. If Buffalo can get one elite defensive or even just two really good ends from this tactic it will be a game-changer for the years coming forward. This move may not pay off instantly but in three seasons it could be the move that made Buffalo a championship-caliber.

Overrated: Drafting Offensive Tackles in Rounds 3 & 5

Using a similar tactic to his first two rounds of the draft Brandon Beane doubled up on tackles right after defensive ends. While you would think that you can use the same theory for defensive ends here it does not quite work. It doesn’t work because Buffalo has a left tackle and right tackle both under contract for the next three seasons and both are so good that their jobs are untouchable. That means that both Spencer Brown and Tommy Doyle will spend most of their time on the bench for the next three seasons. While either could see some spot action if someone gets hurt, they both are strictly tackles with little to no position flexibility. 

While you can never have enough good lineman, this drafting tactic works more when it is at a position of need as opposed to a position of strength. The Bills are strongest at tackle along the offensive line so it is slightly redundant that Beane not only drafted one but two players who likely will sit for a while instead of attempting to improve other areas of the team that may have weaker players or depth.

Underrated: Signing Matt Haack

A punter? Yes, a punter is an underrated signing. First, letting Corey Bojorquez walk was a smart yet difficult thing for the Bills to do. Bojorquez has one of the biggest legs in the league and was open to flip the field several times for Buffalo even ending up second the whole league in yards per punt. However, letting Bojorquez was smart for Buffalo because they do not need to flip the field often because of how good their offense is. It still is hard to see a powerful leg like Bojorquez leave the Bills after such a good season. However, what leaves in power now comes to Buffalo in a different form. Finesse. Matt Haack is essentially the opposite style of punter as Bojorquez. While Bojorquez will boom the ball down the field full-strength every time Haack likes to hang the ball super high in the air with precise accuracy. 

The swap of punters may look like nothing to the outside fan. But Matt Haack and his ability to be so precise and accurate punting the Ball will help the Bills so much in 2021. Haack tied for the second-lowest touchback rate at 2.9% which will replace Bojorquez’s rate of 15.4% which landed him last place leaguewide. The reason why this move will be so beneficial for Buffalo will be because due to their offensive ability they will punt around the 50-yard line much more often than close to their own end zone. Haack gives the Bills a weapon when it comes to pinning teams with bad field position. While Buffalo may not be able to reverse fields as easily signing Haack makes Buffalo considerably better at controlling field position.

Overrated: Offensive Line signings 

While there were several signings of offensive lineman in the offseason none of them are big impact type players. Buffalo did not necessarily need a superstar at guard or center but a player who can be a top 20 player at either position would have helped the Bills. Instead, Brandon Beane opted to sign several depth options who likely will find their way back to free agency or a practice squad. None of these signings were bad because of how little the Bills are tied financially but with Buffalo recently opening up extra cap space by converting Stefon Diggs salary to a signing bonus it is confusing why this was maybe not done earlier by Beane to go after better lineman. 

The offensive line is not a huge weakness for Buffalo but after seeing how Cody Ford, Ike Boettger, and Mitch Morse played in 2020 other options need to be explored. None of those players are bad but none of them give you major confidence when they play either. The best signing that Beane made was Forrest Lamp who is a former high draft choice that played some solid years for the Los Angeles Chargers. The rest of the offensive line signings by Beane likely will not even make the team. On the surface, depth signings are low risk and are done by every general manager. What makes these signings overrated is that they do not make the 2021 Buffalo Bills any better and make them essentially meaningless offseason paperwork.

Final Thoughts

While all of this is written before the season starts a good portion of this article will be relevant as the season goes on. Just because a move is overrated does not mean that it still provides value to the Bills. Same goes for underrated signings. Just because a signing may be underrated does not mean that those players will play above their skill levels. Regardless, Brandon Beane had a very good offseason for the Bills. The Bills were able to retain all their important talent while added a large number of young players who have really solid high potential. In addition to the quality signings that Beane has made he has kept the coaching staff intact and kept the Buffalo Bills out of and tough salary cap implications.

The post 3 overrated and 3 underrated offseason moves by the Buffalo Bills appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Louis Damiano

The Buffalo Bills knew that they were going to have to be patient during night one of the NFL Draft, and they were as they stayed at 30 and selected Gregory Rousseau, who they believe was the best player available. The first thing that stands out with Rousseau is his size and length. Rousseau’s measurables are everything you look for when you select a raw player at 30. He comes in at 6-foot-6 1/2, 266-pounds with 11-inch hands, arm length of 34.375 inches, and a ridiculous 83 1/4-inch wingspan.

Rousseau will not be a finished product day 1, and it may take a year or two to reach his full potential, but it was his sack production that Bills General Manager Brandon Beane said you just can’t ignore. “You don’t just luck into 15.5 sacks,” Beane said. It’s hard to find the perfect pass-rushing prospect if you are not picking in the top 5, and it’s even more difficult if you are picking at 30. This is a calculated risk for Beane and his staff, and it is one that he is willing to take if it means they find the feared pass rusher that everyone knows this team has lacked on the defensive line. 

How Rosseau Fits

Leading up to the draft I mentioned that the Bills needed to add to their edge-rushing room and taking Rousseau fulfilled that need. The Bills also used their second-round pick on Carlos Basham who looks to be more NFL-ready than Rousseau. But now with the Bills using their top two picks on pass rushers, what was once a position that lacked youth, looks now to be set for the foreseeable future. So, with an overcrowded room, how will the man nickname “Groot” fit? 

Rousseau will enter day 1 as a situational pass rusher with the hope that he and A.J. Epenesa can be the future starting defensive end pairing after 2021 with Jerry Hughes and Mario Addison getting up there in age and on expiring contracts. Rousseau was never going to get 100% of the snap share in year 1 even if he were NFL ready, and probably won’t in his career as a Buffalo Bill because Sean McDermott and Leslie Fraizer use a defensive line rotation. Rousseau, who welcomed himself onto the scene in 2019, with 15.5 sacks, 19.5 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles in just 13 games played, will have the opportunity to pick the brains of the veterans on the team and not be pressured to make an immediate impact right away. 

Rousseau opted out of the 2020 season because his mother is a nurse and was working on the frontlines, so he wanted to be able to help his family. In his time off he was able to add 20 pounds to his lean body and remained in close contact with his teammates and coaches. Rousseau is a swing for the fences pick, his traits jump off the screen, but he is still underdeveloped as a pass rusher which comes as no surprise since he mainly played safety and wide receiver in high school. 

Patience. The Bills know that they need to be patient with Rousseau to let him reach his full potential. He will be in a position where he won’t be asked to play more than 40% of the snaps. The hope is that he can continue to learn from the vets in the room and that he will make his true impact as a pass rusher in years two, three, and four. 

The Bills entered the draft with no real glaring needs, but they knew that if they weren’t smart, they would have some big needs to fill with not a lot of money to spend next year with Josh Allen and Tremaine Edmunds ready for huge contracts. The Bills were smart, and sometimes it is hard to be discipline at the draft when you go for big boys at the line of scrimmage on defense and offense instead of the sexier positions like running back or wide receiver. 

Now with the arrival of Rousseau and Boogie Basham, Buffalo now has five significant resources at the defensive end position. Hughes and Addison will enter camp as starters, with the youth of Rousseau, Basham, and Epenesa right behind them, and then you have guys like Darryl Johnson who they like and Efe Obada who they signed this offseason as a free agent and had success at the end of his season in Carolina. 

The Bills will be able to keep five of those guys on the roster, a sixth would be a big number to keep, but they can probably find a way to do that. But that still means that one or two of the names I mentioned above will not make the roster. Maybe the Bills will trade one of them to get more assets in the draft or they can trade one for a player at a position they did not address in the draft like tight end Zach Ertz. Beane admitted at his press conference that this team would think more long term than short term and Rousseau along with the rest of the 2021 draft class for the Bills shows that Beane was telling the truth.

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By Evan Zinger (@evan_zinger)

During the month of August in 2017, if you were a Bills fan you would have woken up in the morning every couple of days and expected a new trade to happen that would be signaling one thing – the Bills are tanking. That month, the Bills shipped off wide receiver Sammy Watkins and cornerback Ronald Darby, two cornerstones of the team of the time, both on their rookie contracts. It was clear that recently hired general manager Brandon Beane was trying to offload large contracts like defensive tackle Marcell Dareus as well, so he traded him to the Jaguars. The first year of Beane’s Bills tenure was spent undoing all of the previous general manager Doug Whaley’s moves. The Bills were ready for a large tank and a proper rebuild.

Then they made the playoffs after Andy Dalton threw a historic touchdown pass to Tyler Boyd, and broke a drought that had lasted since 1999. This showed it was clear that the Bills had their coach in Sean McDermott, but overall the team was still average and had a clearly defined ceiling.

Brandon Beane moved a variety of picks and players in order to trade up and take the Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen in the 2018 draft. Since then, Allen has been a showcase of how a general manager should build around a young project quarterback, and it recently culminated in Beane winning the Sporting News Executive of the Year award for the 2020-21 season.

Brandon Beane was able to bring in receivers to help Allen progress in his development coming into the 2019-20 season: John Brown and Cole Beasley. Each had their own set of skills, with Brown mainly being a deep threat and Beasley being a slot receiver able to gain immense amounts of separation in the short and intermediate passing game. Both ended up being solid additions as Josh Allen saw improvements to his adjusted completion percentage (completion percentage removing drops, throwaways, and spikes), passer rating, and a touchdown to interception ratio. He saw a minor improvement in PFF passing grade from his rookie season, going from 58.0 to 61.4, but it still wasn’t good enough to be consistently successful, even though the Bills did make it back to the playoffs that season going 10-6; however, a solid argument could be made that was in spite of Allen, not because of him.

The short version of why Brandon Beane deserved the Executive of the Year award for the 2020-21 season is because he took bold risks, and they succeeded. Hence, why they locked him up a contract extension, per Buffalo Bills.

Stefon Diggs was a disgruntled Vikings receiver fed up with how he was being used in their offense, seeing a lack of targets and the offense shifting to more of a run-oriented one. Beane proceeded to trade the Bills 1st round pick among others for the receiver, and now the Bills had a true #1 to pair with one of the best slot separators and a solid deep threat.

Josh Allen proceeded to then have arguably the biggest improvement of any quarterback in his third year, going from comparisons to Mitchell Trubisky and Blake Bortles amongst some NFL viewers to being in the MVP conversation. He finished top 5 in passing yards, passer rating, passing touchdowns, and PFF grade, where he improved it by 26.7 points to 90.9, the largest increase in one season since 2006. Diggs was a large reason of that, as he proceeded to make First-Team AP All-Pro while leading the league in targets, receptions, and receiving yards. 

Part of Brandon Beane’s genius this season was having faith in Josh Allen, as it would have been easy to give up on him; Aaron Schatz of Football Outsiders noted that out of quarterbacks who were below replacement level their first two years (like Allen) since 2000, only Alex Smith has managed to do much for himself.

Beane also made some notable re-signings in left tackle Dion Dawkins and All-Pro cornerback Tre’Davious White, notably, he made the smart move in signing him just before the other larger names were paid like Jalen Ramsey and Marlon Humphrey, making him the highest paid corner for a couple days in order to make him essentially a bargain now. Late season acquisitions of receiver Kenny Stills and running back Devonta Freeman have also helped out with depth should any more injuries affect the Bills.

Running back Zack Moss and wide receiver Gabriel Davis have helped the offense in their own right, both being mid round picks that were good finds by Beane and his scout team. Davis, in particular, has become a solid downfield threat, tied for the league lead in touchdowns over 20 yards since Week 9 with Antonio Brown and Tyreek Hill. Fairly solid company.

The biggest diamond in the rough finding in arguably the entire league in the past offseason was right tackle Daryl Williams, formerly of the Panthers. He struggled with the team his last couple of seasons, missing one entirely due to an ACL tear and dealing with nagging injuries as well as position shifts in the other one. Williams started solely at right tackle all season, and his consistency returned, but being better than he ever was, even moreso than his 2015 breakout season. He finished with a career high PFF pass-blocking grade of 80.0, run-blocking grade of 76.9, and cut his pressures allowed down from 35 in 2019 to 21, while playing roughly 200 more snaps. Beane signed him to a one-year deal, so time will tell whether he will be able to re-sign Williams. The chance Beane took on Williams definitely made Williams some cash.

Brandon Beane played all three facets of player acquisition amazingly this past season, in free agency, through trades, and through the draft. All of this led to the breakout of his handpicked quarterback and his team winning their division for the first time in 25 years. He was properly recognized as Sporting News Executive of the Year, and he himself was rewarded mid-season with a five-year contract extension.

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