The five bills that must step up efforts in 2024 — Defense

Micah Hyde, Jordan Poyer, Tre’Davious White, Leonard Floyd… the list of former Buffalo Bills defensive stars is long. There’s no denying that there have been a lot of changes on defense for the Bills roster and that 2024 will mark the first year of a new version of head coach Sean McDermott’s (and new defensive coordinator Bobby Babich).

It’s not just former stars who won’t be there, but also players who have made solid contributions over the years, such as Dane Jackson, Jordan Phillips and Shaq Lawson, to name a few, who must be replaced by new faces this year. season.

With so many veterans leaving and the cap situation not allowing the team to replace them all with household names from free agency, it’s natural to expect some of the talent already on the roster to list are intensifying their efforts and taking advantage of the opportunity to become the new pillars of this always strong unit. The free agent additions and rookie class should help, but the players already on the roster have the advantage of knowing the defensive schemes and what their coaches expect of them.

So who are the five players who can make the most impact on the defensive side of the ball with an increase in production in 2024? Here are my choices…

5 – Ed Oliver, IDL

The former ninth overall pick is coming off his best year as a pro, finishing second on the team in sacks with 9.5 and consistently wreaking havoc in opposing backfields. Oliver has promised to outperform his new contract, which he signed last offseason, and his first season after re-signing was a good step in the right direction.

Despite the recent production, Oliver has the potential to do even more. We didn’t see the same scoring player from the regular season in the playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs, and for all the qualities he possesses, Oliver isn’t among the top 10 defensive tackles in the NFL – anything something I believe. he is capable of achieving.

The Bills desperately need a game-changer along their defensive line and Oliver is certainly one of the most talented pieces they have. He’s already very good, but it would be great for the team if he could become great.

4 — Kaiir Elam, CB

The former Florida Gator was drafted in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft to finally give the Bills a long-shot answer at the CB2 spot, opposite Tre’Davious White. Fast forward to 2024, and White isn’t even here anymore while it’s unclear if Elam is capable of securing a starting job on the team.

Entering his third season in the NFL, time is running out for the physically gifted but inconsistent pro. Elam struggled to fit into the Bills’ zone defensive scheme, but he also didn’t look particularly good when asked to play to his strengths. Hiding a leg injury and trying to overcome it early last season certainly didn’t help matters.

There is still hope. Kaiir played his best when it mattered most, given the opportunity to start in both Wildcard Round games for the Bills over the past two seasons – against the Dolphins and Steelers. He has all the physical tools to succeed and he said and did the right things during OTAs.

As a max depth option at CB, the opportunity should present itself again, although it’s up to him to finally make the most of it. If that happens, Elam is a player capable of raising the defense’s level with his potential. Production time has arrived.

3 — Greg Rousseau, EDGE

Rousseau has managed to establish himself as a good to very good starter for the Bills – big and strong, he’s a player who can set the edge like few people, and almost never allows anyone to get escape from his arms when he wraps and tackles. He also consistently closes down passing lanes, taking advantage of his long arms to intercept passes at the line of scrimmage.

Like Oliver, Rousseau is already an important part of Buffalo’s defensive line, and he is one of the few players with superstar potential who would benefit the team immensely if he could finally reach such a level. We’ve seen flashes of greatness, but foot and ankle injuries have slowed him down over the past two seasons, making one wonder if he’ll ever be able to stay healthy for an entire campaign . 2024 should be a big year for Groot, and his performance will be key to the Bills defensive unit.

2 – AJ Epenesa, EDGE

After back-to-back seasons with 6.5 sacks in a rotation role, the former second-round pick is back with the Bills, despite testing in the free agency market. This time, Epenesa should have the opportunity to fight for a starting place against Greg Rousseau, since Leonard Floyd is no longer in the group and Von Miller, his main competitor, has just had his worst season as a pro .

Since his selection in 2020, Epenesa has been through a lot. The team essentially asked him to completely change his body — a big defender who relied on his size and strength to succeed at the college level had to slim down and become a faster, more explosive passer, relying on technique to make work. .

Such a change takes time to work properly, with the athlete having to relearn how to use their body’s new strengths and manage new weaknesses. Epenesa finally seems comfortable with his new style of play and has been a good situational defender for the Bills over the past two seasons, and he could perhaps offer even more.

I don’t think he has enough play strength to become a good enough run defender – which is why I don’t see him taking the next step and becoming a starter. That said, I think he can continue to improve as a passer, and that should be more than enough to make him an even more valuable contributor to Buffalo’s defense in 2024.

1 — Von Miller, EDGE

No player on the Bills’ defensive team can have a bigger impact in 2024 than Von Miller if he plays at his best, and the reason is simple: after injuring his knee in 2022, he was not absolutely not a factor in 2023. Miller can add something significant to the table as his contract continues to be (even after a team-friendly renegotiation) one of the biggest hits on the Bills payroll.

Miller has looked good during OTAs and said he still wants to play and contribute. He feels more confident in his knee, to the point where a brace is no longer necessary.

It’s still early, but if Miller can somewhat return to his pre-injury form, he could become the role the Bills need on the defensive line. This is a group that has proven to be good without him, but could look entirely different with the future Hall of Fame passer winning faceoffs and drawing more attention in his own way, allowing the other pieces younger people to flourish in more favorable conditions. situations.

Final Thoughts

Overall, four of the five picks were general manager Brandon Beane’s high draft picks (three first-round picks and just one second-round pick), and Miller was Beane’s biggest free agent acquisition. When you see a team with so few blue-chip players high on the cap, it shows that some of them just haven’t lived up to expectations.

Beane has been good at finding gems in the later rounds, but the team hasn’t been able to develop other superstars to surround quarterback Josh Allen, and that includes the defense. It’s worth noting that four out of five picks play on the defensive line, and all four are key cogs in the team’s chances of generating enough passes – especially against top offenses and in the playoffs, to consistently impact these games and give Allen and the offense more opportunities to lead the team to victory.

Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images

Despite the question marks at both safety spots (who will start? Will they be good enough?) and the lack of proven depth at the cornerback position, generating enough quick passes without blitzing is the new defense’s biggest concern. McDermott and Babich have done an incredible job with the secondary over the years, and having a linebacker duo that can do it all, blitz and cover, certainly makes things easier.

However, at the end of the day, you have to constantly win one-on-one matches in the trenches, and the players mentioned above are certainly the most capable of elevating their game in the short term and changing the game. badly needed. If they do, everything else should be easier to adjust. Simply put: it all starts with them.