Predicting the winner for the Buffalo Bills top training camp battles
Defensive Tackle
Harrison Phillips vs. Vernon Butler vs. Vincent Taylor
The other position the Buffalo Bills were not planning on having to address this training camp is at defensive tackle. The starter, Star Lotulelei, elected to opt out and the coaching staff now has the tough task of finding the player to fill the role.
While Lotulelei did not fill up the stat sheet, he did the little things that allowed the players around him to be successful. He would command multiple blockers and allow players like Tremaine Edmunds and Matt Milano free lanes to get to the ball carrier.
Similar to right guard, the Bills have great depth at defensive tackle and will have plenty of options to replace Lotulelei.
The player that would be the best to replace him is Harrison Phillips, who was starting to surpass Lotulelei last year before suffering a torn ACL in Week 3. It remains to be seen where he is in the recovery process and if he will be able to return to a full workload right from the start.
As for Vernon Butler, the Bills added the former first round pick as a free agent. He knows this defensive scheme well from his days with the Carolina Panthers but didn’t have a breakout year until he moved to defensive end in a 3-4 scheme last year.
The player who may be consider a longshot may actually end up being the starter here and that is Vincent Taylor. A former sixth round pick by the Miami Dolphins, where he played two years, prior to joining the Bills practice squad last year. The scouting report by Matt Miller at Bleacher Report from 2017 when he comes out of college describes exactly what the Bills are looking for:
"A two-year starter at Oklahoma State, Vincent Taylor has a gigantic frame. He’s a brick wall in the middle of the defensive line. Taylor is rarely moved and can hold the point of the attack."
The Buffalo Bills likely take it slow with Harrison Phillips and this will be just enough of a window for Taylor to take the starting job this year.
Winner: Vincent Taylor