Grading the Buffalo Bills defense through first four games of 2023
Cornerbacks
Tre'Davious White
The Buffalo Bills won against the Miami Dolphins in Week 4 but had a big loss with Tre'Davious White suffering an Achilles injury that will cost him the remainder of the season. The former first round pick was off to a great start and looked to be fully recovered from an ACL injury he suffered in 2021.
In four games, he had one interception while allowing only nine receptions and quarterbacks had a QB rating of 74.6 when throwing in his direction. The Buffalo Bills now have a big hole in the secondary that will likely be replaced by Dane Jackson moving forward.
Grade: A-
Christian Benford
The Buffalo Bills had an open competition during training camp for the other starting cornerback position with Kaiir Elam, Dane Jackson and Christian Benford competing for that spot. It would ultimately be Benford who won the job and has started all four games to begin the season.
He may not be the most physically gifted cornerback on the roster but he continues to make plays for this defense. A perfect example is in Week 1 when he would chase down Breece Hall who looked like he was on his way to a 95+ yard touchdown. Benford would make the tackle and the Bills held the Jets to a field goal and Benford essentially saved four points.
Now with Tre'Davious White done for the season, Benford likely will be matched up against better wide receivers and the question will be if he can continue playing at a high level but grading the first four weeks, the Bills couldn't ask for much more.
Grade: A
Taron Johnson
Taron Johnson is a key part of this defense but is often overlooked. The Buffalo Bills base formation is essentially the nickel formation and Johnson plays anywhere between 80-90% of the defensive snaps in a season.
This year is no different as he has played 81% of the snaps and has 13 total tackles, one pass defended and two forced fumbles (which is tied for the league lead).