4 ripple effects from the Buffalo Bills signing Leonard Floyd
Buffalo Bills have more versatility with their defensive front
The Buffalo Bills are expected to be a more aggressive defense with Sean McDermott calling plays this season. The hope is that this type of style can benefit a player like Ed Oliver, and may be one of the reasons the Bills extended the former first round pick over the weekend.
The Bills have typically operated in a nickel defense with four down linemen, two linebackers, and five defensive backs. This has worked well most of the time but when offenses go big, the Bills have struggled to slow down power running offenses.
Now with Floyd on the roster, the Bills can play more 4-3 defense with Milano and Floyd as the outside linebackers. However, that is not the only defensive front the Bills can show as they could line up in a 3-4 with Von Miller and Leonard Floyd as outside linebackers with Milano and whoever replaces Tremaine Edmunds as inside linebacker and three down linemen of DaQuan Jones, Ed Oliver and Greg Rousseau.
The point is that the Buffalo Bills may not be as heavily a nickel defense this season and the coaching staff can mix and match depending on the offense they are playing.