In the Sean McDermott era, the Buffalo Bills had one of the better pass-defenses in the league. Sure, they couldn’t stop the run but they rarely ever gave up the big plays through the air. Through five games under defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard, the roles have been reversed.
Buffalo’s run-defense is giving up 108.2 yards per game which is much better than where they were at this point last season. However, the pass-defense has completely fallen apart as they are allowing over 280 yards per game. In their last two games, the Bills have surrended 269 yards to Drake Maye, and then 383 yards to Matthew Stafford.
With the Bills' secondary coming into this season fairly new, it was destined to have some growing pains. However, this is the kind of defense that you would never see under McDermott in terms against the pass. Maxwell Hairston has been heavily struggling, Christian Benford has been dealing with a toe injury, there is a lot of factors to consider.
Bills must make a move before trade deadline to improve secondary
Buffalo should be in the trade market to improve their defense somehow, and Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report has listed Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Donte Jackson as a possibility for the BIlls, should he be able to come back at full health from a hamstring injury.
"Donte Jackson resides at the bottom of our list because of his health. He's battling a hamstring injury and missed Week 5. He's currently considered week-to-week, according to ESPN's Anthony Gharib." said Knox.
"Jackson started 15 games for the Chargers last season and allowed an opposing passer rating of only 56.8 in coverage. Now that the Pittsburgh Steelers have dealt Joey Porter Jr., Jackson should be a top option for cornerback-needy teams." Knox added.
Donte Jackson is CB Bills fans must keep an eye on
The Chargers' 2026 season has been nothing but a disaster. Bills fans saw it first-hand in Week 3 as the Chargers forced five turnovers on the Bills, but still lost by 8 points. How does that even happen?!
If the Chargers continue to struggle, many people would expect them to be sellers at the trade deadline and Jackson could be on his way to a new team. If the Bills' secondary continues to have struggles, bringing in someone like Jackson (as long as he's healthy) would be a wise choice to make. It would be a similar move for the Bills just like they made in 2023 when they acquired Rasul Douglas from the Green Bay Packers.
Stability has to be found in Buffalo's backend of their defense, and maybe if Jackson does become available, he could help bring in a little bit of help to Leonhard's defense.
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