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

Sean McDermott, during his seven years as head coach of the Buffalo Bills, established a reputation as a defensive back savant, a position specialist capable of “coaching” cornerbacks and fringe safeties and rise to the rank of reliable holders.

Think back to the masterclass he built during the 2017 NFL season; the then-first-year head coach transformed a secondary featuring Tre’Davious White, EJ Gaines, Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer — then an amalgam of youth, inexperience and hope — into one one of the league’s elite secondaries, a unit that would endure with White, Hyde and Poyer as its mainstays for most of the next decade.

Those stalwarts are gone, however, with the Bills moving on from all three defensive backs in the 2024 NFL offseason. It’s a changing of the guard in Buffalo’s defensive backfield, but it’s not one the Bills aren’t prepared for; the team has capable, proven players taking the reins, with McDermott serving as a reliable constant who could keep the production going.

Recently signed Mike Edwards and returning Taylor Rapp are expected to take over for Hyde and Poyer at safety, with second-round pick Cole Bishop expected to fit into the mix. Rasul Douglas and Christian Benford, who finished the 2023 NFL season as the Bills’ starting cornerbacks, will return to the boundary, with starting nickel back Taron Johnson filling the spot for the seventh straight year.

That said, Buffalo’s cornerback depth, particularly on the outside, is admittedly a bit concerning, even given McDermott’s prowess. The Bills did not add a single boundary corner via free agency or the draft, with 2022 first-round pick Kaiir Elam expected to serve as the team’s primary depth on the outside. A recent first-round pick as a depth option seems admirable, in theory, but Elam has struggled throughout his professional career; Benford, who is now firmly above him on the depth chart, was selected 162 picks behind Elam in the 2022 draft.

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Behind Elam on the depth chart are Ja’Marcus Ingram, Kyron Brown and undrafted free agent Keni-H Lovely; While it’s fair to have faith in McDermott’s coaching ability, one can be forgiven for not having blind faith in that corner room. That’s why Pro Football Focus writer Gordon McGuinness identified cornerback as a position of need for Buffalo; In a recent article for PFF, McGuinness wrote that adding a veteran cap option is “the final offseason move” the Bills should make.

“Christian Benford and Rasul Douglas are both good starters, earning PFF coverage grades of 83.3 and 75.0, respectively, in 2023, but the Bills are light at outside cornerback after releasing Tre’ Davious White earlier this offseason and lost Dane Jackson in free agency,” McGuinness wrote. “2022 first-round pick Kaiir Elam has yet to live up to expectations, totaling just 780 snaps in his two-year career. Adding a veteran on the outside would make a lot of sense for Buffalo.

This analysis is remarkably accurate; Benford shined throughout his two professional seasons and Douglas shined after being acquired from the Green Bay Packers at last year’s trade deadline, but it’s reasonable not to trust the depth of support from Buffalo.

Elam’s aggressiveness led to untimely penalties and a lack of confidence from the team’s technical staff; Combine that with his coverage struggles, and you have a consistently promising, but generally unreliable, depth option. Ja’Marcus Ingram was picked on in live games, while Kyron Brown, 27, hasn’t made a defensive decision in the NFL since 2019. Undrafted Western Michigan corner Keni-H Lovely , is a bullet-hawking speedster. with an interesting developmental profile, but he probably shouldn’t see any snaps this season.

Securing the position by adding a reliable depth option appears to be an advantageous opportunity for Buffalo despite McDermott’s ability to “coach” the position. Currently unsigned options that make some semblance of sense for the team include veterans Stephon Gilmore, Steven Nelson, and Josh Norman (half-joking).