Buffalo Bills roster holes: Areas of need after the 2018 NFL Draft
By Dennis Moody
The Bills will need to potentially find one or two starters at cornerback next year
Buffalo’s secondary is probably their strongest overall position group so how could cornerback be one of the Bills top needs? The answer is that despite Tre’Davious White’s breakout rookie campaign, the Bills have question marks at the other two cornerback slots. Vontae Davis, who is coming off a season-ending surgery in November, signed a one-year contract with Buffalo.
This could be Davis’ only year with the team because if he’s healthy and plays well for the Bills, he might be too expensive, similar to how they let E.J. Gaines walk this past year after solid production.
The Bills have question marks when it comes to the nickel corner position as well. Currently, it looks like Phillip Gaines and fourth-round pick Taron Johnson will duke it out for the starting role. Neither option is that exciting as Gaines’ rating by Pro Football Focus last season was horrible and Johnson is an unproven draft pick taken in the middle rounds.
Even in the best case scenario that Vontae Davis plays great and Taron Johnson plays well enough in the nickel role to start on the outside next year, they will still need to find a starting nickel corner in 2019 if they don’t re-sign Davis.
In the worst-case scenario where neither Davis, Phillips or Johnson pans out, the Bills opponents will be able to pick apart their weak spots in the secondary on the right side and in the slot position, making for some very long days on defense.
The good news is Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane proved last year that they can identify talent in the secondary that was overlooked by other front offices. The bad news is it would be an incredible trick to pull off for a second consecutive season.
Next: Predicting the 2018 Buffalo Bills 53-man roster
In spite of these four holes, the team has done a good job of solidifying key positions on the roster with relatively low-cost free agent signings and smart draft picks. It’s nearly impossible for a franchise to address all of their weaknesses in one offseason but Brandon Beane and his staff deserve credit for a job well done so far.