The Buffalo Bills’ defensive situation remains murky

BUFFALO, NY — The basics are explained this month at One Bills Drive. This is what happens with roster and staff turnover, even the little things are new: directions to the cafeteria, meeting room locations, new roster numbers and new faces.

Nickel corner Taron Johnson, one of the secondary’s veteran mainstays, acknowledged that the roster change has a “definitely different (feel). But it’s exciting.”

Quarterback Josh Allen and linebacker Von Miller are the only remaining team captains of eight starting in 2023. Longtime staples who were here at the start of coach Sean McDermott’s tenure in 2017 – running back corner Tre’Davious White, safeties Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde. – are no longer part of the team. The signs that show it’s not the same thing. Bills have already appeared in various forms.

Allen noted how he put more intention and focus into “just sitting with different guys in the cafeteria and getting to know them and their families.”

“I truly believe, and again, I’ve said this many times over the years, that having that relationship off the field pays dividends on the field,” Allen said.

Allen isn’t the only one who thinks this. McDermott led an OTA bonding day so the group could get out into the community. On Wednesday, they split into mixed groups of all ages and positions and visited 12 schools in Western New York. They interacted in a variety of ways, from meeting middle and high school athletes to an elementary school reptile show.

“I have to believe a lot of it comes from them learning from the students and some of the questions they ask our players, ‘Hey, they’re going through the same thing we’re going through,'” McDermott said . “So I think it’s mutually beneficial here for both parties.”

Lingering questions remain on the field, however, particularly for the defense, a unit that saw depth added at all levels in the draft. At the highest level, McDermott still hasn’t determined who will run plays for the defense this year, whether it’s him, as was the case last year, or first-time defensive coordinator Bobby Babich. McDermott said the answers will come during camp, giving Babich an opportunity to practice playing with sessions early on that are largely scripted.

The question mark over a potential returning captain remains with Hyde, who said last week in the run-up to his charity softball game that he had not yet decided whether to retire or return to the Bills, but those are the only options. he thinks. He stayed in touch with McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane.

Meanwhile, the Bills addressed the issue in a big way throughout the draft, selecting safety Cole Bishop in the second round. He will have the opportunity to earn a starting role, with free agent signing Mike Edwards, who is currently missing time on the field due to a shoulder injury, and re-signed Taylor Rapp among those in the mix for the backfield roles that Poyer and Hyde filled over the past seven seasons.

“The first thing I saw (Bishop), I was like, this kid is big, you know what I’m saying,” Johnson said of the 6-foot-2, 207-pound Bishop. “And the way he moves, I watch them during drills, I’m like, he moves like he’s my size (5-11, 191 pounds), you know what I’m saying? So just having a guy Like this, I have the impression that it will help us a lot.”

The Bills addressed cornerback late in the draft with Daequan Hardy in the sixth round; however, he projects more as a return option. Cornerback is the most stable part of the team’s secondary with Christian Benford and Rasul Douglas projected for starting roles and 2022 first-round pick Kaiir Elam behind them.

At linebacker, the Bills drafted Edefuan Ulofoshio in the fifth round, adding depth to a position that dealt with various injuries last season – especially as Matt Milano continues to recover from his leg injury right of the fifth week at the end of the season.

Milan’s time on the field with Terrel Bernard, who became the team’s starting middle linebacker, was limited because of this. McDermott said Tuesday that athletic trainers have said Milan is “on schedule” but “it’ll probably be closer to training camp until we see him there.”

The draft also provided an opportunity for the Bills to address depth at defensive tackle – DeWayne Carter (third round) – and defensive end – Javon Solomon (fifth round). Carter is already off to a good start, hauling in a pass during 11-on-11 drills. Questions on the ends extend to how AJ Epenesa continues to grow after being re-signed to a two-year deal, and if Miller can show some of his old playing form.

With so many new faces, who McDermott described as bringing “kind of a new enthusiasm, a new energy,” Johnson, 27, who signed a three-year extension this offseason, is among the constants who will be vying to take over new roles to help guide and expand the culture that has been built.

“You just have to express yourself more,” Johnson said of his evolving leadership role. “A lot of times I would let Micah or Po talk, you know, but I’m doing this, and I want to make sure I do it. Because I mean, we have a lot of young guys, and they I haven’t been in the league for so long, so I feel like it’s my job to do that for them.