5 questions the Bills defense needs to address during camp

Last January, following the Buffalo Bills’ latest playoff flameout against the Kansas City Chiefs, coach Sean McDermott offered a candid assessment regarding the performance of his defense, not just in that game but the entire season.

“We’ve played really good defense for a long time here, that’s what we’re used to doing, but I would say this year probably not as good as we played in the years prior,” McDermott said.

Yes, that about sums it up.

The Bills were fantastic at taking the ball away from the opponent as they forced 32 turnovers, second-most in the NFL. But you can’t make a living solely on turnovers; sometimes you have to stop the other guys and the Bills didn’t do enough of that.

They ranked 21st in yards allowed per play (5.5) and 17th in yards allowed (341.3), they 29th in both first downs allowed per game (20.9) and third-down conversion percentage (43.8%), 16th in red zone TD percentage (allowed a TD 57.3% of the time), and in the category that counts the most, points allowed, they were a respectable 11th, but that came after years when they ranked fourth (2023), second (2022) and first (2021).

The fact that the Bills lost only four regular-season games was quite a feat given the play of the defense, and it was a clear example of how dynamic the offense was as it scored at least 30 points in 12 games. Buffalo won seven games where its defense allowed at least 20 points.

General manager Brandon Beane said at the conclusion of the draft, after his first five selections came on the defensive side of the ball that, “I can tell you 100% it wasn’t going into it, ‘Hey, we have to get X number of defensive players out of this draft.’”

Sorry, but no one was buying that. Beane knew he had to upgrade the defense and in addition to six of the nine total draft picks being defenders, he also signed six veteran free agents in an effort to revamp a unit that needed reinforcements.

Here are five questions I have about the defense heading into the start of training camp this week:

1. Can Greg Rousseau take the next step?

The 2021 first-round pick has played well throughout his first four years in the NFL. But every year, he leaves you wanting for more because he’s such a long (6-foot-6) and gifted athlete who seems to disappear for stretches, not only in certain games but multiple games.

Last year, he made three sacks on opening day against Kyler Murray and the Cardinals, and then over the next seven games, he was credited with a half-sack on 209 pass rush snaps. He had 34 QB pressures in that span, but 11 of those came in one game against the lowly Titans.

The Bills gave Rousseau a four-year contract extension with $54 million in guaranteed money. That’s actually a little less than the going rate for a 25-year-old edge rusher, but it’s an awful lot for a player who has battled inconsistency and has not become a game-changing pass rusher or player.

Last year he set career highs for total pressures (63), QB hits (24), tackles for lost yardage (16), solo tackles (36) and forced fumbles (three), and he tied his career-high with eight sacks. A nice season, no doubt.

Rousseau’s pressures have risen each of his four years and last year he ranked 10th among edge rushers in the NFL, but his lack of finish was apparent in a 1.9 sack percentage which was 22nd.

It’s not solely on him, but Buffalo’s pass rush has not been effective enough in recent years, and it has often been invisible in the postseason. Rousseau is now being paid like a star, and he has to play like one.

2. Will Tre’Davious White be a Week 1 starter?

The Bills selected cornerback Maxwell Hairston in the first round and the intention was clear: To be the replacement for departed starter Rasul Douglas opposite Christian Benford. He’s going to be given every opportunity to win that job, but something tells me that if White can prove he’s better than he was in 2024 when he was cut by the Bills and split time with the Rams and the Ravens, I think McDermott would rather slow play Hairston at the start of the season.

Now, given that the White is now 30 years of age, old for an NFL cornerback, and he’s not nearly the All-Pro player he once was thanks to two serious leg injuries, maybe he can’t win the job outright. But if the competition is close, I think White starts with the idea that he cedes to Hairston when the rookie is truly ready.

Listening to White, it might not take long for that to happen.

“The guy has some abilities that a lot of guys just don’t have coming out the womb,” he said of the rookie who ran the fastest 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine. “So when you mix that with the coaching that we have here and just all the resources that he have to be successful, like it’s going to come. It’s only a matter of time before he’s one of the best corners in the league.”

White was that guy several years ago, and the Bills would love it if his prognostication on Hairston comes true.

3. Which rookie linemen will emerge?

The Bills spent three picks in the first four rounds on defensive linemen - DT TJ Sanders in the second, edge rusher Landon Jackson in the third, and DT Deone Walker in the fourth.

It’s part of a much-needed overhaul up front which also includes the free agent signings of edge rushers Joey Bosa and Michael Hoecht and DT Larry Ogunjobi. However, with those last two players missing the first six games due to PED suspensions, the rookies - not to mention second-year players Javon Solomon and DeWayne Carter - have a chance to earn meaningful snaps during the first one-third of the schedule.

While the Bills would never admit it, Sanders is likely the long-term replacement for Ed Oliver, a player with the fifth-highest cap hit on the roster who does not play to that salary status. If he doesn’t have a great season, Oliver could become a cap casualty in 2026, opening the door for Sanders to be the No. 1 three-tech.

And Walker and Carter are vying to become the replacement for DaQuan Jones who’s in the final year of his contract. Jones is in decline and his snap count needs to be reduced, but Carter underwhelmed - partially due to injury - as a rookie, and Walker feels like a project at the start of his career.

On the edge, Jackson could definitely force his way onto the field while Hoecht sits out. Bosa is injury-prone, Solomon is undersized, and Epenesa has never been anything more than a rotational depth player.

4. What does Matt Milano have left?

In an interesting offseason move, Milano agreed to restructure his contract whereby he lowered his base salary for 2025 to help the Bills create cap space. He can earn the money back through reachable incentives, but it also lopped a year off so he can be a free agent in 2026.

That was a clear-cut message that the Bills have told Milano they’ll be moving in a new direction because he’ll be turning 31 next week, and injuries have limited him to nine regular-season games the last two years.

When healthy, Milano has been a terrific player for Buffalo, a fifth-round pick in 2017, the first year of McDermott’s tenure, who became a starter midway through his rookie season. If he can avoid getting hurt, he can still help the defense because he’s such a smart and athletic player with a nose for the ball.

But Dorian Williams, now entering his third season, played in Milano’s stead in 2024 and he wound up leading the Bills with 114 tackles and he recovered three fumbles. If Williams can improve his pass coverage technique, Milano may see a reduction in his playing time as the Bills begin the transition of moving on from the ninth-year veteran.

5. Are the Buffalo Bills sufficient at safety?

One of the biggest question marks for the second year in a row is at safety. Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer had that area on lockdown from 2017 through 2023, but both were gone last season so the Bills re-signed veteran Taylor Rapp and chose Cole Bishop in the second round of the 2024 draft.

There was never a concern about Rapp who had played four years with the Rams and started for their Super Bowl-winning team in 2021, then was a valuable backup for Buffalo in 2023. As for Cole, the intention was to throw him right into the fire as a rookie, but the plan went awry when he suffered a shoulder injury in training camp.

Damar Hamlin filled in well enough, but he’s a limited player so even though he chose to re-sign with Buffalo as a free agent, all eyes are on Bishop because the reasons why the Bills drafted him high - his athleticism and awareness, his range and ball skills, and being a willing and able tackler - are all the traits you want for the last line of defense, and now he must put those on display the way he did in college at Utah.

“I will say this, the jump we’ve seen from Cole from that first year as a rookies to this year has been really good so far,” defensive coordinator Bobby Babich said in the spring. “There is a consistency in there right now. I think it’s just the comfortability of what we’re doing. It’s the more reps he gets of one call, that you just see him taking more control.”

Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for four decades including 35 years as the full-time beat writer for the D&C, he has written numerous books about the history of the team, and he is also co-host of the BLEAV in Bills podcast/YouTube show. He can be reached at [email protected], and you can follow him on X @salmaiorana and on Bluesky @salmaiorana.bsky.social.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Bills training camp nears: 5 questions emerging for the defense