The Buffalo Bills saw themselves lose in heartbreaking fashion for many years in the postseason, and it was mainly due to their defense letting them down in crucial moments. A lot of the focus has been on their run-defense, which gave up 136 yards per game last season. However, while their pass-defense was solid (only giving up 159 yards per game), they fell apart in the Divisional Round against the Denver Broncos.
With the revamp that the Bills made on their roster, part of it involved their secondary. They brought in two safeties in free agency (C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Geno Stone), brought back Damar Hamlin, and then drafted Jalon Kilgore in the 5th round. They also drafted two cornerbacks in Davison Igbinosun and Toriano Pride Jr., while also signing Dee Alford from the Atlanta Falcons.
This secondary returns notable players like Christian Benford, Maxwell Hairston, and Cole Bishop. However, the additions that Buffalo made to the unit will look new, and there are some quality wide receivers that they will face.
Some of the notable star receivers that Bills will face include Amon-Ra St. Brown, A.J. Brown, Puka Nacua, Justin Jefferson, and Jaylen Waddle. It’s not just the stars that the Bills have to worry about though.
Bills' secondary set to face 2 sophomore WRs primed for big seasons
Moe Moton from Bleacher Report listed five 2nd-year receivers who could breakout in their second season in the league, with two of them facing the Bills this season. Those receivers are Jayden Higgins of the Houston Texans, and Luther Burden III of the Chicago Bears.
The Texans offense only goes as far as C.J. Stroud takes them, and lately it hasn’t been far as they had hoped. At the same time, Higgins showed flashes last season which included 6 touchdowns in an offense that also featured Jaylin Noel and Nico Collins. If Stroud is able to perform better than he has the last two seasons, the connection between him and Higgins is something that no one would have expected.
When you look back at the Bears drafting Luther Burden III, it was actually the start of the end for DJ Moore’s tenure with the Bears. In an offense where there are a ton of playmakers, Burden III still managed to reach 652 yards and he averaged 13.9 yards per reception. With the Bears trading Moore to the Bills, they will be expecting Burden III to step up in his second season.
The Bills will see Higgins in Week 1 down in Houston, and then wait until mid December to see Burden when the Bears come to Buffalo. Both sophomores could easily emerge as go-to targets for their receivers, but Bills fans better hope that they don’t have their best game against them. Not to mention, Houston and Chicago are already tough opponents so Buffalo is already going to have their hands full.
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