The Buffalo Bills lost a major piece of their defense when linebacker Tremaine Edmunds agreed to a four year $72 million contract with the Chicago Bears. Edmunds had been a model for what the Bills desire to accomplish under GM Brandon Beane and Head Coach Sean McDermott.
The Bills drafted Edmunds in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, as a raw, young prospect with a unique blend of size, speed and power. They developed him, letting him learn on the fly as he started 72 games over the course of his five years with the team. Failure to complete the third step in the plan of draft, develop and re-sign was not necessarily a surprise as Edmunds’ age (24 years old) and career year in 2022 priced him out of the range the Bills were comfortable giving him in a contract, and GM Brandon Beane has been very rigid with his valuations of players.
To address the huge hole that Edmunds leaves in the Buffalo Bills defense, they could go one of two routes. Since Bobby Wagner signed with the Seahawks, there are few quality options in free agency, meaning the most likely route is an internal candidate. They also will likely draft at least one linebacker in this year’s draft, however Brandon Beane has indicated that the Bills are comfortable moving forward with the players who are currently on the roster:
"“I mean sometimes your answer is on your roster and we think you know Tyrel, getting Dodson back on on a one-year you know him. Obviously we had the two draft picks last year in Bernard and Spector there and they’ve been in our program for a year. They’re going to be a lot more prepared for the pro game and higher defensive system going in.”"
With that in mind, let’s take a look at the options currently on the Bills roster to replace Edmunds:
Tyrel Dodson is the most experienced option on the Buffalo Bills roster
It does not seem coincidental that Beane mentioned Tyrell Dodson first when asked about replacing Edmunds, as he will likely enter training camp as the favorite to be named the starter. Like Edmunds, Dodson is just 24 years old, which is still pretty young for an NFL linebacker. He agreed to return to the Bills on a 1 year $2 million contract after playing 221 snaps for the Bills last season, or 18.5% of their total defensive plays.
He was trusted last season as the primary backup despite the Buffalo Bills heavy investment in linebacker in last year’s draft. This may speak to the Buffalo Bills desire not to rely on rookies in large roles, preferring to give them time to learn and develop. While the Bills value experience and development within their scheme, Dodson needs to continue to develop and show improvement, specifically against play action if he is going to win and hold on to a starting role.
Dodson’s spot on the roster is secure because of his impact on special teams. However, the Bills would ideally like to see one of the other options make a big jump forward this season allowing them to keep Dodson as an experienced backup with special teams value on a reasonable contract.
Terrel Bernard has the highest upside and could be the long-term answer
Terrel Bernard was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the third round of last year’s draft. Already 23 years old, the Bills hoped to see development out of Bernard last season that would make him the natural successor to Tremaine Edmunds.
His season last year was uneven at best, and left many questions, eventually leading the Buffalo Bills to claim A.J. Klein off of waivers from the Bears in November when Edmunds was questionable with a groin injury. Klein became a free agent after the 2022 season, pushing Bernard back up the depth chart.
Bernard played just 110 snaps last season, less than 10% of the Bills defensive plays, and struggled to find consistency during that time. The Bills decision to recycle Klein last season rather than give Bernard increased opportunities shows how they felt about his development at that point.
However, Bernard was thought very highly of by the Bills, leading to them drafting him in the third round despite established starters in Edmunds and Matt Milano ahead of him on the roster. Similar in size to Tremaine Edmunds at 6’4” 224 pounds he is extremely athletic and seems like the most likely option currently on the roster to take a major step forward this season. With continued development, he will have a chance to surpass Dodson into a starting role in 2023.
Baylon Spector is fighting to establish a defined role with the Buffalo Bills
Baylon Spector was the other linebacker the Buffalo Bills drafted in 2022, though he was a late round selection with the Bills waiting until the seventh round to take him. Also 24 years old, he played just 12 snaps last season, equating to 1% of the Bills defensive plays. Early in the season he was a contributor on special teams but ended up inactive for the last half of the season.
Entering the offseason, he seemed like he would have a shot to earn a more consistent roster spot in 2023 through increased special teams reps, however those opportunities seem to have decreased significantly with the Bills other signings, including bringing back their own free agent in Tyler Matakevich who provides direct competition for Spector as a linebacker depth piece as well as on special teams.
What may work to Spector’s advantage is that he has always been a good tackler. From his time at Clemson, throughout last year’s draft process, and early in the year when he was given opportunities on special teams, he has shown speed and reliable tackling ability. For a Bills team that often struggled, especially with downfield tackling, this skill may give him a leg up and provide opportunities for him as he continues to develop and learn the Bills system.
Tyler Matakevich is a key special teams player and valuable depth piece
Tyler Matakevich became a key contributor for the Bills on special teams in 2023, and seemed to have priced himself out of Buffalo when he became an unrestricted free agent after the season. However, he agreed to return to Buffalo on a 1 year $2.5 million contract. The Bills worked in a $1.335 million signing bonus and a void year in the contract, which helped decrease the salary cap hit for this season.
While Matakevich has played a majority of the Bills special teams snaps and was named the team captain in 2021 and 2022 on special teams, he has received very limited playing time on defense. He played just 3 snaps (0.3%) on defense in all of 2022. His role on the defense may increase in 2023, however he is just a depth piece and a backup at best. Look for Dodson, Bernard and Spector to compete for starting reps, with Matakevich continuing to excel on special teams and increase his role as a backup in 2024.
In all, the Bills could be in a much worse spot. With four solid roster options, three of whom they could project for further growth and development, they still have the option of resigning Klein or adding a rookie through the draft. For a defense that returns largely intact, this is a position to watch closely throughout the rest of the offseason and into the preseason.