Buffalo Bills Offseason Simulation: Defense
In my first installment I discussed what the Buffalo Bills' off-season blueprint could look like on the offensive side of the ball, today we tackle the defense. The Bills have had one of the better defenses in the NFL since McDermott has taken over as head coach. We play smart, disciplined team defense that gives us a chance to win in every single game that we play, but no defense is ever truly complete. With an inconsistent rush defense, talent needed at pass rusher and impending free agents along the defensive line the Bills have plenty of work to do this off-season.
DEFENSIVE TACKLE
Most of the Bills major decisions will come along the defensive line and it starts right in the middle. As of this writing they have already restructured the contract of Star Lotulelei, pretty much guaranteeing his place on the roster. We also have Ed Oliver, Harrison Phillips and Vincent Taylor under contract headed into this season. This group leaves a lot to be desired with Lotulelei not playing up to his contract and Phillips coming off of a torn ACL. We also have a decision to make on Jordan Phillips who had a "breakout" season and is a free agent. Some team will convince themselves that his 9.5 sacks are a sign of an elite interior pass rusher for years to come. That team should NOT be the Bills. After looking at the film a lot of Phillips' sacks were of the "clean up" or "coverage" variety. Phillips is a very good rotational player who can create pressure in spurts. But he is not consistent enough to warrant the contract I think some teams will throw at him. Not to mention he wasn't very good against the run either. Now a player that can provide the Bills with that level of production is Chris Jones! As I stated before I do not expect Beane to do any big spending in free agency, but if there was one player I would want him to spend the BAG on, it would be Jones. Pairing him with 2nd year Ed Oliver would take this defense to an elite level. With a record breaking Patrick Mahomes contract looming for the Chiefs the Bills may be able to pry him away. To round out the group we could dip into the old Panthers well we love so much and bring in a guy like Vernon Butler. Or even resign Corey Liuget as a veteran depth option.
Tech Sports Take:
-Let Jordan Phillips walk
-Sign Chris Jones 5yr/19m per
-Sign Vernon Butler 1yr/2m
-Resign Corey Liuget 1yr/Vet minimum
DEFENSIVE END
Edge rusher is another spot I see many fans wanting us to spend big to add talent, most commonly in the form of Yannick Ngakoue. The issue i have is that pass rushers will all be overvalued simply because of the importance and need at the position. According to reports Ngakoue wants to be the highest paid pash rusher in the league. While the Bills absolutely need to add talent to the group, we should pass on spending top dollar for a player who hasn't been as dominant as his reputation claims he has been. Making a couple shrewd free agent signings and investing premium draft capital would be the smarter way to reshape this quietly aging group. We should start by cutting ties with Trent Murphy, who has had trouble staying healthy and has been solid at best when he has been on the field. Those cap saving savings can be used to sign his replacement, Mario Addison. Beane and McDermott Love adding their former players from the Panthers and Addison would be a welcome addition as he has had at least nine sacks in four consecutive seasons. We also have in house free agent Shaq Lawson who's "breakout" season consisted of only 6.5 sacks. Lawson is a good run defender who doesn't provide much in the way of pressure on the quarterback. Replacing him with a higher upside draft pick should be the play. Taking a flyer on a player like Vic Beasley who could regain his old form when surrounded by the talent we have on the line would be a wise risk to take as well.
Tech Sports Take:
-Release Trent Murphy
-Let Shaq Lawson walk
-Sign Mario Addison 2yr/7-8m per
-Sign Vic Beasley 1yr/7m
-Draft player (AJ.Epenesa, C.Weaver, Y.Gross-Matos)
LINEBACKER
The most important order of business at linebacker is hammering out an extension for Matt Milano, who is in the final year of his rookie deal. He has been a steal of a draft pick and is a huge part of what makes our defense so good, specifically in coverage. Keeping him in the fold is a must. Next up would be trying to replace Lorenzo Alexander who retired after seasons end. While his leadership probably had a bigger impact than his on field play, he was a versatile chess piece that we lined up all over the field. While trying to replace his versatility may be unrealistic, replacing his pass rush ability should take priority as you can never have too many. A player to target would be Bruce Irvin, who also happened to play for the Panthers this past season. Although headed into his age 33 season, Irvin is actually coming off a career high sack total with 8.5 and would give ur coaches another piece to put some scary blitz packages together with.
Tech Sports Take:
-Sign M.Milano to an extension 4yr/13m per
-Sign B.Irvin 1yr/5m
CORNERBACK
If I were running the Bills I would be trying to work out an extension with Tre White now. Yes he still has two years left on his deal (including the 5th year option). But he just turned in an all pro year and is just about to enter his prime. Whenever we do sign him, one thing we do know is that he is going to be the highest paid corner in football. The longer we wait to sign him the bigger that number is going to get. Especially with guys like Jalen Ramsey about to sign there contract extensions. Beyond White, cornerback is a big need for the Bills that I don't hear getting brought up much. Levi Wallace didn't take the jump slot of us thought he would. Taron Johnson has had trouble staying healthy, and Kevin Johnson is a free agent. So how should the Bills go about addressing this need. It has been reported that the Lions are very much listening to offers for Darius Slay. We should absolutely be on the phone seeing what it would take to bring him to Buffalo. Pairing him with White would give us arguably the best CB duo in the league. And his expiring contract wouldn't interfere with future extensions. Beane has already shown that his is more than willing to part with a draft pick if he thinks it will help the team. I mean he traded a 3rd for a WR who was "a popeyes biscuit away from being a TE" I also think we should dip into what is a pretty deep CB class and come away with a high end prospect. A group consisting of White, Slay, Wallace, Johnson and an early draft pick would be a scary sight for opposing QBs.
Tech Sports Take:
-Trade for D.Slay (3rd rd pick)
-Draft player (J.Gladney, J.Johnson, B.Hall)
SAFETY
Safety is a position that I think could see some change in the near future with Jordan Poyer's contract up after this season and Micah Hyde's after next. With so many extensions due for core players over the next few years I think Poyer could be the odd man out when it comes to getting his money. As I think we will view Hyde as the better and more valuable player. Ideally one of our previous draft picks (S.Neal, J.Johnson) will be ready to take over for Poyer if an agreement can't be reached. As for this season look for us to add a veteran to compete in camp with those younger players for a roster spot. Other than that I don't predict much change.
Tech Sports Take:
-Try to fit in extension for J.Poyer 3yr/5-6m per
-Sign veteran (M.Adams, K.Coleman) 1yr/vet minimum