Who will lead the Buffalo Bills in defensive stats for 2024?

2024 is a transitional season for the Buffalo Bills, a fact well known to anyone who has paid even the slightest attention to the team over the past six months. Bills general manager Brandon Beane used that term to describe the upcoming season, which remains true even though the top position is as strong as it’s ever been in franchise history .

However, the transition brings with it the arrival of new leaders. Not just new leadership with a “C” on their chest, but also opportunities for new statistical leaders for Buffalo. When you have stalwarts like Jordan Poyer, Tre’Davious White, Micah Hyde and Stefon Diggs, the question of who will lead the team in interceptions or receiving yards becomes a little easier.

This transition therefore offers the opportunity to see new names at the top of the rankings at the end of the season. Which Buffalo Bills will lead the team in each relevant raw statistic for the 2024 regular season?

Let me give you an idea of ​​the defensive side of the ball – although I’ll leave the actual stat predictions to you in the comments.

Buffalo Bills fire leader: DT Ed Oliver

Running from the edge is one of the concerns for the Bills’ defensive line in 2024, with defensive ends AJ Epenesa and Gregory Rousseau expected to fill starting roles in a rotation-heavy system hoping to get the boost of a healthier Von Miller. , free agent acquisitions Dawuane Smoot and Casey Toohill, as well as fifth-round selection Javon Solomon. It’s important to note that Ed Oliver played the highest percentage of Buffalo’s defensive snaps in 2023 (68.10%) among defensive linemen.

Coming off a career year that included 11 sacks, 65 pressures and 48 quarterback hurries along with the historic precedent of a Sean McDermott defense that had a defensive tackle who led all defensive linemen in snap percentage all three In recent years, Oliver seems ready for another heavy workload compared to his linemates. With DaQuan Jones returning on a two-year deal, Oliver seems likely to thrive again in an environment that should allow him to lead the team in QB kills.

Buffalo Bills leader in tackles: Terrel Bernard

Bernard or Matt Milano were the two obvious top candidates for this prediction. Milano is recovering from a broken leg suffered against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 5 of the 2023 regular season, and Bernard has emerged as a star over the past 12 months (despite fantasy analysts not watching the team saying the opposite), bringing impact plays to a defense that was looking for periodic splashes in Milan’s absence. For the four full games Milano and Bernard played together, Milano totaled 27 combined tackles compared to Benard’s 29.

Since the 2018 season, the middle linebacker in Buffalo’s defense, regardless of plays called by Leslie Frazier or Sean McDermott (Tremaine Edmunds), has outplayed the overhang-centered Milan. Although the Bills will have a new defensive coordinator in 2024 (with Bobby Babich also appearing to take over the running), with the re-signing of nickel corner Taron Johnson to a new deal that makes him the highest-paid player at his position In football, it does not seem likely that a sufficiently drastic change in defensive philosophy will occur to push Bernard out of the “likely to be the most profitable tackle on the roster” spot.

Buffalo Bills interception leader: Rasul Douglas

Bills cornerback Christian Benford may be one of the best-kept secrets in the National Football League (which seems to be a trend among Buffalo’s back-seven defenders, given the lack of publicity by Terrel Bernard). But Douglas’ aggressive playing style and length will simultaneously lead to big games with impact defensive plays (three games with a passer rating against his coverage under 60, two games with multiple interceptions since he joined the Bills for Week 9 in 2023) and games where the offense can get a few (four games with a passer rating over his surplus above 90).

With a whole new set of safeties replacing stalwarts Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer, the other members of the Bills defensive backfield may have to shoulder the playing load for the new faces, and Douglas seems a reasonable choice to continue his strong production of ball. as he considers a new deal in Buffalo or elsewhere in the final year of his contract.

…and that’s how the cookie crumbles. I’m Bruce Nolan with Buffalo Rumblings. You can find me on Twitter and Instagram @BruceExclusive.