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Brandon Spikes Must Be Kept In Buffalo Bills Uniform

Brandon Spikes was left to test the free agency market by Buffalo Bills GM Doug Whaley after not resigning him by the NFL deadline. Since that deadline, Spikes has generated no interest from other teams and the Bills supposed “replacement” for him in Kiko Alonso was traded to Philadelphia for a guy named LeSean McCoy. I heard he’s pretty good. Anyways, with Alonso gone and another potential replacement in David Harris resigning with what is turning into another dominant AFC East defense in the New York Jets, it is time for Spikes to be signed back to Western New York, even if it is for one more year.

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He would be the perfect role player that the Bills would need in a high-pressure, high-intensity defensive attack.

In the 3-4 defense that Rex will most likely be playing next season,

Mario Williams

and

Marcell Dareus

look to be edge rushers while

Kyle Williams

blocks up the middle. At least, that is how it was the last time the Bills ran with this set, with

Jerry Hughes

providing more pressure off the edges.

Now, to the weakness of this Bills defense, the middle linebackers. Where the “Legend of Kiko Alonso” was supposed to be is now a battle ground for Preston Brown, who excelled in the weak-side linebacker slot last season, Nigel Bradham, Ty Powell, and two soon to be second-year players in Jimmy Gaines and Randell Johnson.

What was looking to be a strength coming into the 2015 season has now turned into a weakness, and Spikes is going to be needed to fill the void, along with a linebacker in the draft most likely. The next best option that would be available to Buffalo would be Rolando McClain, but Dallas is trying to reel him back in.

]Spikes is not the every-down linebacker that Rex Ryan would want, but for the right price, he would be the perfect role player that the Bills would need in a high-pressure, high-intensity defensive attack. He is, however, that intense player that the first-year head coach in Buffalo loves in his defenses (see Harris, Ray Lewis, etc.).

Spikes finished the year with 32 solo tackles last season and assisting on 22 others.

What this comes down to is Spikes and Whaley coming to the table and realizing they’re both not going to get what they want. Spikes wants a three-down role, and being 27 does not help when you’re an attacker like he is, and Whaley wants that perfect 3-4 fit guy.

The truth is, both sides need to know that the best thing to do is to put Spikes back in a Bills uniform. He provides excellent snaps and is a run-stuffing type of guy, which is Ryan’s bread and butter on defense. Rex wants to create a bully in Buffalo, and Spikes helped create that mentality last year and would do the same again.

Next: Bills looking guard in 2nd round?

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