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Part 3 of our annual Buffalo Bills’ season review deals with the defense. Coach Sean McDermott made a major change here in 2023. Former coordinator Leslie Frazier was eased out, and McDermott took over calling the defense on game days. The regular season results of that move were positive. The Bills maintained a high ranking, but at the same time finished second behind the Ravens in sacks and ranked high in turnovers produced, producing more “splash plays” that McDermott desired. However, in the playoff loss to the Chiefs, the unit was once again gashed, in many ways due to a rash of injuries, especially at linebacker.

Here is a position-by-position look at the defense and special teams:

Defensive Line

Defensive line play was spotty, but mostly adequate, in 2023. On the interior, Ed Oliver signed a new contract and showed that he deserved it with All Pro-caliber play all year. With almost no players signed beyond this season, this is another area that might require an infusion of youth through the draft. A priority should be put on trying to re-sign Oliver’s running mate, DaQuan Jones. He’s a valuable run stuffer whose presence is sorely missed when he’s not on the field. All of the other spare tackles – Tim Settle, Poona Ford, Linval Joseph, Jordan Phillips and practice squad player Eli Ankou – are replaceable. On the outside edges, the team has to live with Von Miller’s contract, so they can only hope he returns to some semblance of his former self in 2024. At his advanced age that might be a big ask. Greg Rousseau is a solid edge rusher who also is good against the run. The club would be wise to try to re-sign A.J. Epenesa, who flashed in a limited role at end. One of Beane’s free agent one year gems, Leonard Floyd, led the team in sacks and might price himself off the Bills’ roster next season. Like his running mate Phillips, Shaq Lawson has probably worn out his welcome, and would only be brought back as a depth piece at a minimum contract. The coaching staff seems to like the future possibilities of Kingsley Jonathan, so he could move into a more prominent role next season.

Linebackers

This group was a MASH unit at season’s end in 2023. They were heavily victimized by Pat Mahomes in their season-ending playoff loss. However, the pairing of Matt Milano and Terrel Bernard bodes well for the 2024 season. Milano is an All Pro and Bernard is trending in that direction after a stellar campaign this year. An unknown to start the year, he took on the “green dot” role of calling the defense and excelled at it. As for backups, having to step into major spots this year will help players like Tyrel Dodson, Baylon Spector and Dorian Williams next year. Old friend A.J. Klein will likely be sent back out on vacation in 2024, and Tyler Matakevich is strictly a special teams player. His role could easily be transitioned to another player like Spector or Williams if the team needs to free up a roster spot for another position.

Defensive Backs

Suddenly, the back end of the Bills’ defense is growing old. Starting cornerback Tre’Davious White will be entering his 8th season next year, and he has become injury-prone. The Bills would be smart not to count on him returning, at least not at the beginning of the year. The safety tandem of Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer has served the team well since 2017, but their partnership may be coming to an end as both are well into their 30s. Dane Jackson, like Levi Wallace before him, has been a serviceable corner for years. He is a free agent and like Wallace, may be allowed to walk. With Hyde and Poyer aging out, it would behoove Beane to try to bring Taylor Rapp back again. Even without White, the Bills have 2 adequate starting corners for 2024 in Christian Benford and trade deadline add Rasul Douglas, who is a ballhawk. In reserve there is still Kaiir Elam, who has struggled but still has plenty of potential to revive his career next season. The Bills have an All Pro at slot corner in Taron Johnson, an invaluable member of their defense. Cam Lewis has established himself as a versatile piece. He can play safety or nickel corner, and is a core special teamer. In my opinion the team may be underutilizing Siran Neal. A vet who can play both safety and CB and is a top gunner on special teams, he should see more time on defense, especially when injuries happen. With possible openings at safety next year, can Damar Hamlin make a push to get into the lineup?

Special Teams

The Bills’ special teams were not special in 2023. Deonte Harty’s punt return touchdown that changed the momentum of the division-clinching win over Miami was the highlight.

Lowlights:

• Allowing a game winning punt return TD against the Jets on opening night
• 12 men on the field vs. Denver
• Blocked field goal in wild card game that resulted in the punter getting hurt
• Missed field goal to end the divisional playoff game

Placekicker Tyler Bass had an alarmingly mediocre season in 2023. At the very least, the team has to bring in competition for him next season. No free pass to the roster as he’s had so far in his career. Punter Sam Martin was equally inconsistent, bad to start the year, then hit a very strong stretch late, only to fail in the playoff loss coming off a hamstring injury. Competition for him would be a smart move also. Long snapper Reid Ferguson is a keeper. I can’t recall any bad snaps for him in his career here. Buffalo could look to add some zip to their return game next year. Harty gave them one amazing and very important lift in the season ender, but overall the return game was below par. Maybe the return of Nyheim Hines will help, but a late round flyer on a speedy return guy might be an option.

The offense is the focus of part 2 of our annual Bills’ season review.  The change of coordinators from Ken Dorsey to Joe Brady produced positive results for the most part, the biggest being an improvement in the run game. If Brady is retained as OC, it’ll be interesting to see what ideas he adds to the attack as he takes full control, rather than just tweaking the team’s existing playbook . Here’s a position-by-position look at the offense:

Quarterbacks

Josh Allen is the unquestioned leader of this team. His teammates all claim they would do anything for him and support him 100% even when he comes up short occasionally. He should spend the offseason continuing to find ways to cut down on costly turnovers, while still maintaining his swashbuckling style of play. Kyle Allen’s role as backup QB mainly consisted of taking kneel downs at the end of games and being Josh Allen’s buddy. Will practice squad quarterback Shane Buechele get a fair shot at taking that spot in 2024?

Running Backs

After Brady assumed the OC duties, it became apparent that James Cook is now the Bills’ bell cow running back. He is an elusive runner who also seems to have an even bigger upside if he can add some longer chunk plays to his arsenal and improve his pass catching ability. Damien Harris was signed to a one year deal but injuries derailed him and his contributions were minimal. Latavious Murray added some leadership to the squad, but I don’t see him back next year. The best of the backup backs was easily Ty Johnson, a waiver wire pickup who should figure in their plans for 2024, should he be re-signed. This is a spot where a young, hard running short yardage back, preferably found in the late rounds of the draft, would be a good addition. 2022 trade acquisition Nyheim Hines, who excelled as a kick returner, should be back in 2024 also. Fullback Reggie Gilliam is a solid special teams guy and blocker, so he is almost sure to be back.

Receivers

This is an area of glaring need going into the offseason for the Bills. Their top receiver, Stefon Diggs, saw his production drop off dramatically the second half of the season. “Big Play” Gabe Davis was very inconsistent, wavering from 100 yard games to no catch games. He is also a pending free agent, and it seems unlikely the Bills will re-sign him. One positive was the emergence of Khalil Shakir, who thrived when Joe Brady took over as offensive coordinator. Free agent additions Trent Sherfield and Deonte Harty contributed very little outside of the AFC East-clinching win over Miami. Sherfield won’t be back and Harty will surely face stiff competition, most likely from the draft, next year. Out of desperation, Andy Isabella was elevated from the practice squad late in the year, but didn’t provide any help in the passing attack. An unknown is Justin Shorter, like Shakir a fifth round draft pick who spent the entire 2023 season on injured reserve. Wide receiver may be lacking, but the Bills are set at the tight end position. Dawson Knox is a reliable target who always seems to make his biggest plays in the playoffs, while rookie first round pick Dalton Kincaid is a superstar on the rise. Comparisons to the Chiefs’ Travis Kelce have already started for him. An unsung but valuable third tight end is Quinton Morris, a former undrafted player who has battled his way into a contributing role each year he’s been here.

Offensive Line

Once a question mark, the offensive line was a stable bright spot for Buffalo in 2023. Anchored by veteran Mitch Morse at center, the group stayed intact as a starting 5 all season. GM Beane added 2 new guards to reinforce the interior line – free agent signee Connor McGovern from Dallas and rookie second round draftee O’Cyrus Torrence, who looks like a second day steal. Left tackle Dion Dawkins had a Pro Bowl level season, and much-maligned right tackle Spencer Brown quietly locked in at his position and played well. Buffalo also has a bevy of capable backups who were hardly used in 2023. They are versatile Ryan Bates, who can play every position on the line, swing tackle Ryan Van Demark, Alec Anderson, another undrafted gem who is being groomed to man all spots like Bates, and David Edwards. Edwards will be a free agent and it’s up in the air whether he’ll return or not. He did play a valuable role this past season as the extra “eligible” lineman on running downs. That role was previously played by Tommy Doyle, who will be back after spending the year on IR.

The Buffalo Bills’ 2023 season once again ended in disappointment, as the team lost in the playoffs to Kansas City for the third time in four years. So it’s time for our annual four-part Bills’ season review, where we dissect what happened and peer into the future with suggestions as to how to improve the product and finally reach the ultimate goal of a Super Bowl title. As always, Part 1 of the review deals with the front office and coaching staff.

General manager Brandon Beane’s draft choices have sometimes been questioned, but he was somewhat vindicated this year. Rookies Dalton Kincaid and O’Cyrus Torrence were immediate starters and huge contributors, and a couple of past picks, Ed Oliver and Terrel Bernard, blossomed into Pro Bowl-caliber players. His annual plan of signing low-cost free agents produced Leonard Floyd, who led the team in sacks. Beane also added veteran cornerback Rasul Douglas at the trade deadline, and he was a major addition to a defense hampered by injuries.

As for the coaching staff, head coach Sean McDermott faced a mid-season controversy when some ill-advised comments he made about 9/11 years ago surfaced. He not only survived but the team rallied around him and fought back to reclaim the AFC East title. He also did an admirable job coordinating the defense, especially when the unit was depleted due to injuries. Offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey was replaced mid-season also, but his replacement, Joe Brady, revived that side of the ball. Special teams coach Matt Smiley’s units were a liability much of the season, and he may be the next assistant shown the door.

I expect the Bills will promote Brady to the OC job permanently, removing his interim tag, and it would be wise to take a burden from McDermott by naming a full time defensive coordinator also.