Everyone that consistently watched the Buffalo Bills last season knows that their run-defense was by far the weakest unit on the team, and quite frankly it wasn’t debatable. Sure, you can talk about the wide receiver room, and there is a strong case for it. At the same time, Buffalo couldn’t stop the run at all.
They allowed opponents to average 136.2 yards per game, and over 5 yards per carry. That is completely unacceptable and opponents knew that they always had the advantage over Buffalo.
There were only six games last year where the Bills didn’t give up more than 100+ yards on the ground, per Pro Football Reference. Then there were four games where the Bills gave up over 200+ rushing yards. Overall, it was atrocious and you can make the case that it’s the reason why some games were closer than they should have been.
Now with the new defensive scheme change from a 4-2-5 to a 3-4 under Jim Leonhard, the Bills will have a new looking defense that should be focused on rushing the quarterback and being very aggressive. Stopping the run is going to be something that Leonhard has to fix immediately.
Bills' run-defense must heavily improve (but it won't be easy)
The only problem that Leonhard is going to have with trying to improve this run-defense is the fact that Buffalo didn't add a ton of new help on the defensive line front. Their only notable addition was drafting Penn State defensive tackle Zane Durant.
However, Wynston Wilcox from FanSided.com pointed out Durant as a rookie for the Bills that no one should be ignoring.
"Ed Oliver has been the core of the interior of this defensive line. The Buffalo Bills drafted T.J. Parker, though he may be more of an edge-setter rather than an interior defensive lineman in Buffalo’s 3-4 defense. That means Zane Durant could be a player to watch that turns into the perfect complement to Oliver. The Bills ranked 28th in the NFL in rushing defense, 31 in rushing touchdowns allowed and 30th in rushing yards per attempt. They need as much interior defensive line help as possible." said Wilcox.
Zane Durant has chance to make an impact that no one is talking about
In four years at Penn State, Durant recorded 89 total tackles, 10 sacks, 1 fumble recovery and he also managed to get an interception as well. Obviously, he won't be going above someone like Deone Walker or DeWayne Carter on the depth chart, but the Bills should be looking to use a heavy rotation to keep guys fresh.
With that, Durant will need to take advantage of his reps that he gets in order to help this run-defense. Throughout training camp, Durant is going need to prove that he doesn't just deserve a roster spot, but that he also deserves time on the field to make the impact that Bills want him to.
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