Buffalo Bills Over/Under: 39.0 team sacks
By Ryan Brennan
The Buffalo Bills will use a 4-3 defense this season with an aggressive defensive front. Could this mean more sacks from them this season?
The Buffalo Bills actually did a pretty good job of getting to the quarterback last season. Largely due to the emergence of Lorenzo Alexander, the team managed to total 39 sacks on the season. It was good enough to rank them 8th in the league.
When you look at the improvement this defense made in their sack total from 2015 to 2016, it’s quite incredible. This is a team that only managed 21 sacks in 2015, ranking 31st in the league that season. 18 sacks makes a huge difference and there could be even more improvement coming in 2017.
Last year, 10 players chipped in with at least one sack. Here’s a list of everyone that contributed to that 39-sack total:
- Lorenzo Alexander: 12.5 sacks
- Jerry Hughes: 6.0 sacks
- Kyle Williams: 5.0 sacks
- Zach Brown: 4.0 sacks
- Marcell Dareus: 3.5 sacks
- Adolphus Washington: 2.5 sacks
- Shaq Lawson: 2.0 sacks
- Leger Douzable: 1.5 sacks
- Preston Brown: 1.0 sack
- Corey Graham: 1.0 sack
Looking at that list, 7 of them will be returning to the team this season — 6 of them in a starting role. The only three not returning are Zach Brown, Leger Douzable and Corey Graham, who contributed a total of 6.5 sacks.
My first though taking a look at the list is that it’s definitely possible to improve on that number and maybe even crack the top-five in the league when it comes to sacks. There will be several things working in the Buffalo Bills’ favor in making that a reality.
4-3 Defense
Sean McDermott and Leslie Frazier met up in Buffalo this offseason to create a pretty scary coaching staff on the defensive side of the ball. They will be switching the Bills to a 4-3 defense that will include an aggressive defensive line. The new defense will no doubt work in everyone’s favor this season.
The 4-3 defense was the Bills’ bread-and-butter before Rex Ryan came in and screwed everything up. It’s the same defense that saw Jerry Hughes, Marcell Dareus, Preston Brown and Kyle Williams all thrived in — which brings me to the next point.
Old Cats
Jerry Hughes, Marcell Dareus, Kyle Williams and Lorenzo Alexander will be the veterans of the group and will need to lead the way with high intensity and hard work ethic. There’s a lot of young talent on this roster and it will be up to these four to make sure the defensive front finds a way to get to the quarterback.
Hughes will return to the defensive line, Dareus is buying into the coaching staff and is distraction-free for the first time in 2 years, Kyle Williams is looking for one last hoorah before hanging the cleats up and Lorenzo Alexander will do what he did last season from the outside.
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New Cats
Joining those four will be a group of young players looking to make a splash in their first real opportunity to shine. That group will include Shaq Lawson, Adolphus Washington and Reggie Ragland, all entering their second season in the league.
Lawson only enjoyed half of his rookie campaign due to shoulder injury that kept him out of his first offseason/training camp. Ragland missed his entire rookie campaign last year due to ACL tear. Washington was in a limited role last season, but will be one of the main backups this season.
These three players were the first three players the Bills selected last year in last year’s draft — they will finally be ready to go hard.
As far as Adolphus Washington goes, he will be looking to impress the coaching staff in hopes of a starting position next year if Kyle Williams decides to retire. And don’t forget about Preston Brown, who will look to add pressure and will likely be a starter on this defensive front.
Stay Healthy
As mentioned above, the Bills’ defensive line saw several injuries last season, including Ragland, Lawson and Dareus. Without much depth behind them, the team struggled to apply consistent pressure. The fact that the team is healthy again will help wonders, but Buffalo also has a much better depth scenario this season.
Players like Ryan Davis, Jerel Worthy, Washington and whichever rookies/UFA’s make it to the roster will give a security cushion in case of injury.
Final Take
When you look at the roster and compare it to last season, it should be a no-brainer that this team will sack the quarterback much more often. Then again, when you see that Buffalo managed 39 sacks last season and ranked 8th in the league, you second guess yourself.
I think many people forgot how much pressure this defense applied last season. Still, I see improvement happening again in 2017. It won’t be an 18-sack difference, but I think this defensive front will crack the top-five in sacks this season.
That starting defensive line of Lawson, Williams, Dareus and Hughes should be able to combine for around 26 sacks, with backups chipping in for another 4 — totaling 30. As far as linebackers go, I think Alexander can find a way to get AT LEAST 7 sacks, with Ragland and Brown getting several throughout the year.
That seems pretty do-able, with that totaling well over 43 sacks on the year. That number would’ve ranked the Buffalo Bills third in the league last year.
Check out the other two posts in the ‘Over/Under’ series here at BuffaLowDown — with more pieces coming soon!
Over/Under: 29 rushing touchdowns
Over/Under: 3,250 passing yards
Next: 5 players that could surprise everyone in 2017
How many sacks do you see the Buffalo Bills getting in 2017? Leave your thoughts below!