Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - Outside of takeaways, most of the statistics put up by the Buffalo Bills defense this past season won't wow you. But considering what happened with the roster on that side of the ball, they fared better than I anticipated.
First, there was the offseason which saw 2023 leading sack producer Leonard Floyd leave via free agency. Cornerback Tre'Davious White and safety Jordan Poyer were released for salary cap purposes, and safety Micah Hyde was home deciding whether or not to retire.
Then, late in training camp, the Bills lost, perhaps, their most important player on defense in every down linebacker Matt Milano to an injury. He wouldn't return until Week 13 of the regular season.
In the first quarter of the season-opening win over the Arizona Cardinals, Taron Johnson, one of the best nickel cornerbacks in the league, was injured. He would miss the next four games.
In Week 2, the Bills lost their other every down, playmaking linebacker when Terrel Bernard was injured against the Miami Dolphins. Bernard missed the next two games and was also unavailable in Week 8.
That is a lot for a defense to overcome.
The defense was very much a "bend, but don't break" unit, as their stats will show.
The Bills ranked 17th in the NFL in total yards allowed per-game, 19th in rushing yards per-carry and 24th in passing yards per-game. The Bills were 16th in the red zone, 23rd in sacks per-pass play and a woeful 29th in third down efficiency.
You would think they would have had more sacks since opponents were usually playing from behind in the second half and forced to lean on the passing game. The Bills ended up with 39 sacks, a sizable drop from the 54 they recorded the season before.
The Bills gave up an average of 21 points a game, the most by a Sean McDermott defense since 2020. Limiting big plays has always been a staple of McDermott-coached Bills teams, but this past season they gave up 62 explosive runs (10-or-more yards), which was an increase of nine from 2023. They also gave up 20 explosive passes (25-or-more yards), which was three more than 2023.
But the Buffalo defense was opportunistic this season.
The Bills took the ball away, and that was their saving grace. Their 32 takeaways (16 interceptions and 16 fumbles recovered) were third-most in the league. When push came to shove, more often than not, the Bills defense was able to come up with a big stop, and be a complement to one of the NFL's best offenses.
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From an individual standpoint, Greg Rousseau tied his career-high with eight sacks.
The Bills will have a big decision to make on Rousseau, who has 25 sacks over his first four NFL seasons. He is going into the option year of his rookie contract, and is scheduled to become a free agent (and probably a pricey one) in 2026.
Ed Oliver had an up-and-down year, which was another issue for the defense.
When Oliver is on his game, he can be one of the most dominant tackles in the league. However, consistency was lacking in 2024. Oliver, who played in two fewer regular season games than he did in 2023, saw his tackle numbers drop from 51 to 29, tackles for loss go down from 14 to five, and his sack total plummeted from 9.5 to just three.
On a positive note, Christian Benford is turning into one of the best cornerbacks in the league. Benford led the Bills in passes defensed with 10, and added a pair of interceptions, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and a sack.
The defense definitely needs more work than the offense this offseason. The Bills have to make cornerback a draft priority, and I'll bet they will attempt to add a linemen in one of the first three rounds. They have needs at both end and tackle at this point.
If the Bills are going to get to a Super Bowl, and if they still have to go through the Kansas City Chiefs to do so, they will need a much stronger defense.
Look at the four playoff losses to the Patrick Mahomes-led Chiefs. The Bills scored an average of 28 points in those four games and have nothing but losses to show for that, because they have given up an average of 34 points a game.
Last offseason was about losing big pieces from the defense. This offseason should be about adding big pieces to bolster that group.