By: Jake Rajala

The Buffalo Bills possess an infinite amount of explosion on offense. The Bills Mafia has the mega-arm and bull-dozing QB Josh Allen, the 2020 and 2021 Pro Bowler Stefon Diggs, and the electric Daven Singletary. The Bills ranked 10th in passing yards and seventh in passing touchdowns a season ago.

The Bills still showcase a fire-breathing defense with the future Hall of Famer Von Miller, potent Tremaine Edmunds, and Tre’Davious White (who is on the PUP list). As widely enunciated, the Bills defense allowed the fewest yards and fewest touchdowns last season.

Well, I’m going to untwine five x-factors on the Bills — ahead of their first battle on Thursday.

• James Cook

James Cook, also known as the brother of Dalvin Cook, has a Darren Sproles-like ability. He unveiled 728 rushing yards and 284 receiving yards in his last CFB season. In pre-season, he certainly hasn’t looked like a dud. He’s shown an excellent burst and vision for his age.

• Jamison Crowder

The Bills unsung wideout Jamison Crowder is certainly a great WR4 in Buffalo. Crowder ousted 833 receiving yards and 6 TDs in 2019. He then unleashed 699 yds and 6 TDs in 2020. The long-time Washington WR isn’t washed up just yet & I foresee him being an x-factor for the Bills on his one-year contract.

• Gregory Rousseau

It is time – Kevin Greene Jr.

The Bills 2021 first-round pick, Gregory Rousseau, has been a disciple under Bruce Smith & Von Miller this off-season. Rousseau notched four sacks, 10 QB hits, 8 tackles for loss, and 42 combined tackles a season ago. PFF also handed him a modest 70.2-grade. I expect him to undoubtedly shine with his opportunities across from Miller and Ed Oliver.

• Isaiah McKenzie

Defense wins championships and offense is more fun to watch. Still, let’s not forget to give special teams some love. Isaiah McKenzie had a punt return TD in 2020 and then was a consistent asset to the Bills kick return in 2021 – as he obtained 584 KR yards. McKenzie, who is set to return to practice after a minor injury, should have his best KR season in 2022.

• Kaiir Elam

The Bills first-round pick in 2022, Kaiir Elam, was a nightmare for opposing QBs in his junior season. Elam only notched an interception, but he did have 11 passes defended. He was quite superb at shutting down opposing wideouts.

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By: Jake Rajala

The NFL is full of surprises – which makes it entertaining year in and year out. With that said, I believe the 2022 DROY could be a surprise winner – as there are many talented rookies on defense. Hence, I’m going to simply untwine three darkhorse DROY candidates in 2022.

Quay Walker

I love the outlook for the Packers rookie LB Quay Walker, to say the least. Walker has been quite hard on himself already. Per 24 7 Sports, Walker stated, “That’s the main thing is trying to get my confidence back. Just believing there’s a reason I’m here as well”. Walker will showcase his talents for a Super Bowl contender and he also plays a position (LB) that has show-cased two DROY winners in the past four seasons.

Kaiir Elam

The Bills CB Tre’Davious White may be the best CB on the Bills, but the rookie Kaiir Elam will certainly have a key role in 2022. Leslie Frazier, who was named PFF’s best defensive play-caller by PFF, will help him routinely succeed against opposing WR2s. I also expect Elam to have a ton of opportunities – as opposing offenses “try” to keep pace with Josh Allen.

Andrew Booth Jr.

It’s safe to say that the Vikings had a steal in Andrew Booth Jr. (42nd overall). Booth is expected to shine early, according to CBS’s analyst Chris Trapasso. The first-round talent that was a Day 2 pick will have a pivotal role on a Vikings pass defense that desperately needed help this off-season. Booth should feel inspired to know that Marcus Peters (a popular Top-10 projection) slid to the Chiefs 18th overall and then went on to win DROY.

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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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