Pittsford, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - Training camp continues for he Buffalo Bills at St. John Fisher University, with Day 6 of camp seeing the team practicing its second day in pads.
The Bills defense has a new face leading the group heading into the 2024 season, but one that should be familiar to many players.
Bobby Babich was promoted this offseason from his role as linebackers coach to defensive coordinator, taking over for longtime defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, who stepped away from coaching in Buffalo after the 2022 season.
Related
Babich has been a part of Sean McDermott's defensive staff since the beginning when the Bills head coach was hired in 2017. At that time, Babich was hired to serve as Buffalo's assistant defensive backs coach.
"[McDermott] came to me at early age and just talked about professional development. And if you really want to be a coordinator, you don't have to master the defensive line, per se, the furthest away from the DBS, but you've got to know enough to know what it looks like." said Babich on Tuesday when he appeared on WGR during the "Jeremy and Joe Show".
This offseason has seen a number of other notable changes on the defensive side of the football. This includes the loss of veterans and leaders like safeties Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer, along with cornerback Tre'Davious White.
However, Buffalo did add a key piece at cornerback at the NFL Trade Deadline last season in a trade with the Green Bay Packers, acquiring veteran Rasul Douglas.
The 29-year-old immediately jumped into the Buffalo defense, and despite adjusting to his new environment on the fly, Douglas made an immediate impact with 29 total tackles, four interceptions and a touchdown.
Babich has not been surprised at the progress Douglas has made heading into his first full season with the Bills.
"If you take the ball away, you take the ball away. That's what you do," Babich said with Jeremy White and Joe DiBiase. "We've seen that over the years with some of the players we've had here, and there was no doubt he was going to get his hands on balls."
The Bills will continue with a pair of practices at St. John Fisher University on Tuesday and Thursday before the team returns to Highmark Stadium for the Return of the Blue and Red practice on Friday.
