4 defensive players who need to shine for Buffalo Bills in Week 1
By Brandon Ray
Sean McDermott has done a great job helping develop the defense for the Buffalo Bills since 2017. Even in 2018 (McDermott’s worst year as a head coach), the defense for the Bills was still ranked near the top in various categories. At one point, it was the defense that was helping Buffalo win games until their offense took off.
The Bills are heading into the 2024 season with a little bit of a new look defensively. The obvious big change is in their secondary, as Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer are no longer there. However, McDermott and Bobby Babich are a good duo who can help keep this defense among the top of the league’s units.
With the Bills kicking off their season this Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals, Buffalo will need to make sure that this doesn’t become a “trap” game. Maybe it’s too early to label this as a trap game, but the Cardinals did improve in the offseason more than the Bills, especially on offense. Arizona gets a healthy Kyler Murray back with a full offseason that doesn’t include dealing with a knee injury. They also drafted wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and added various pieces to add to the rushing attack.
The Bills’ defense will have their challenges when the Cardinals come to town, and these four players have to step up to keep Arizona from getting any momentum.
DT DaQuan Jones
The Cardinals had one of the best rushing attacks last season, even without Murray’s presence. They rushed for 2,365 yards which ranked 4th in the league behind only the Chicago Bears, Baltimore Ravens, and San Francisco 49ers. Arizona added running back Trey Benson in the NFL Draft to pair with James Conner. In addition, general manager Monti Ossenfort drafted multiple players to the offensive line, as well as a ferocious blocking tight end in Tip Reimen.
The Bills’ defensive line is going to have to establish dominance right from the start to take away any rushing advantage and it will start with DaQuan Jones. Since coming to Buffalo in 2022, Jones has been the run-stuffer for the Bills and he will need to step up to contain the rushing attack.