3 defensive position battles to watch

The Buffalo Bills won’t arrive at St. John Fisher University for their 2024 training camp until (most likely) late July, but there are plenty of battles within the team that we can examine as the he team is preparing to compete for its fifth consecutive year. AFC East title.

We break down the position battles across the roster to put your brain in football mode. To get started, here are three defensive contests to watch this summer.

At first glance, this seems like a strange battle of positions. Kaiir Elam was drafted in the first round in the 2022 NFL Draft by the Bills, while Ja’Marucs Ingram fell through the cracks in that same draft. Ingram has floated between the practice squad and active roster since he was signed, while Elam has made some spectacular plays since joining the Bills.

Where is the battle?

Well, Elam has always been considered by a few experts to be a draft bust, and there is evidence to prove he earned that unfortunate title. Elam only played in six games last season, due to a combination of a lingering ankle injury that placed him on IR and the coach’s decision to scratch him from the roster. matches. And when he played, he did a yo-yo, up and down. He made some crucial plays, like his interception of Patrick Mahomes during the regular season of his rookie year, or his interception against the Steelers in the 2023 playoffs. But he was also exposed in media coverage and was reported on several occasions for putting his hands on receivers on the field.

The reason this is a battle is due to Sean McDermott’s ability to develop underrated cornerbacks. Ingram only played three games last season, making appearances in Elam’s absence. He totaled…zero statistics.

So, who will win this match? We will give Elam the green light. Yes, he’s not perfect, but he has more potential and more experience in this Bills defense. And if reports that the Bills are going to play more man coverage this season are true, Elam should adapt well to this new style of play for the Bills defense.

Related: Bills’ ‘final offseason move’ expected to be at this position

Let’s stick to secondary school. Another interesting battle we’ll see during training camp is who will line up next to free agent signing Mike Edwards in the defensive backfield: veteran Taylor Rapp or rookie Cole Bishop?

The Bills signed Rapp during the 2023 offseason to a one-year contract to add depth and youth to an aging secondary unit, as well as the ability to put three safeties on the field at the same time. Rapp’s first season as Bill went well. Rapp’s profile is similar to Jordan Poyer, a hard-nosed defender who plays in the box but is flexible enough to line up as a free safety if necessary. General manager Brandon Beane and HC Sean McDermott were quite pleased with his performance last season, with Beane giving him a three-year extension in March. This agreement should mean him as a starter for the coming season.

But, in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft, the Bills selected safety Cole Bishop, who, get this, has a similar profile to Jordan Poyer: a hard-nosed safety who plays in the box but is flexible enough to play. line up as a free safety if needed. Beane and McDermott are incredibly excited about the addition of Bishop, who can be seen in the YouTube series Bills Embedded.

What Bishop lacks in experience, he makes up for in size, athleticism and youth. We’ll give Bishop the green light. Based on everything Beane has said about Bishop, he should quickly get back into the playbook, and we think he could make an instant impact on a revamped Bills defense.

Related: ESPN thinks this Bills rookie found himself in a ‘perfect landing spot’

We now get to the heart of the battles.

The Bills have invested heavily in their defensive line since the Beane-McDermott regime took over in 2017. This is largely due to the fact that McDermott likes to rotate his defensive linemen to keep them fresh throughout the game. match in the hope that they succeed. more plays down the stretch. This system worked for the most part, with Buffalo’s pass-rushing production often coming from multiple contributors.

We’ll be looking at another rookie vs. veteran matchup for this upcoming training camp.

AJ Epenesa has grown throughout his NFL career; he was selected in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, and during his time in Buffalo, he accumulated 15.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, and 15 pass deflections at the line of scrimmage. However, each season he improved his numbers and began to become a more consistent presence on the defensive end. Once known as a power rusher, Epenesa has refined over his time in the league, now fitting more of the “speed rusher” prototype while still having solid playmaking strength.

While his rookie teammate, Javon Solomon, is almost the exact opposite. He’s a bit small (6-foot-2 to Epenesa’s 6-foot-6), but what he lacks in speed he makes up for in toughness. He’s a solid athlete who has a solid blend of speed and power, but it’s his motor that allows him to be a consistent playmaker to the tune of an FBS-leading 18 sacks last year. He probably projects as a situational passer, but we could see a scenario where it would simply be difficult to keep him off the field; in this case, could we see him pushing Epenesa for shots against Greg Rousseau?

For this battle, we entrust him to veteran Epenesa. His development should allow him to take another step in the right direction, and with his size, it’s less likely he’ll get swallowed up by bigger linemen in the running game. That doesn’t mean we won’t see Solomon at all, though, due to the aforementioned heavy rotation McDermott likes to implement.

Honorable mention:

Bettors are very often underestimated by those who watch and write about the NFL. But we believe they are an incredible asset to the team and should be treated as such because one snap of the ball can change the course of an NFL season.

This Gunther vs. Sheamus vs. Drew McIntyre triple threat battle is going to be an interesting one to watch during training camp. Undrafted free agent Jack Browning has a powerful leg, he ran for 68 yards in college last season and averaged 42.3 yards. Matt Haack has been with the Bills before and joined the team after starting punter Sam Martin was injured last playoffs (only to be cut and then re-signed). Then there is Sam Martin, his leg isn’t as powerful as the other two, but he is incredibly accurate and can usually get a favorable roll after the ball drops. A staggering forty-seven percent of his punts last season landed inside the 20-yard line, usually giving the opposition poor field position for their drives.

So who will be the winner of this triple threat? We think it will be Martin. The Bills offense will still be able to generate yards with a Josh Allen-led offense, meaning when their drives stall, they’ll be closer to the fifty-yard line, so they’ll need an accurate punter instead that powerful.

These are just some of the battles that will take place during training camp; there are questions about backup linebacker and additional questions about the defensive line, but these four will be among the most interesting to watch unfold at St. John Fisher this summer.