Buffalo Bills: Breaking down the options to replace Lorenzo Alexander

These are the players currently on the roster that could replace Lorenzo Alexander in 2020.

One season after the Buffalo Bills lost a key veteran leader in Kyle Williams, they saw outside linebacker Lorenzo Alexander also announce his retirement. Alexander joined the Bills with little fanfare in 2016 after nine years in the league primarily as a backup and special teams contributor.

However, that all changed once he got to Buffalo as he had a breakout year in Rex Ryan’s defense and finished with a career high 12.5 sacks that first year. He also earned his first Pro Bowl appearance as a defensive player.

As the Bills shifted from Ryan’s defense to Sean McDermott’s more traditional 4-3 base defense, Alexander didn’t have the same level of success but still was a valuable piece in this defense. He saw his snap count decrease over the years, due in part to the Bills utilizing more nickel but the coaching staff was creative in finding ways to get him on the field. The coaching staff would move Alexander around, plugging him in on the defensive line, both inside and on the edge in addition to the traditional linebacker spot.

This was an example of the coaching staff building a scheme to utilize a player’s strengths so this role likely will not be as multi-faceted as when Alexander manned it. These are the three players currently on the roster that will likely have a chance to replace Lorenzo Alexander this coming season.