Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) - The 2023 NFL season is officially underway following Thursday night's opener that saw the Detroit Lions take down the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs, 21-20, at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.
Fans in Western New York will have a chance to enjoy some extra football action on Sunday, as the Buffalo Bills will actually kick off their season on Monday night when they take on the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Ahead of Monday's kickoff, the Bills needed to finalize some key position battles that have been ongoing since the start of training camp in late July. Head coach Sean McDermott announced on Wednesday three young first- or second-year players as starters for this season: Terrel Bernard at middle linebacker, Christian Benford at cornerback, and O'Cyrus Torrence right guard.
"It's a new team every year, in the case with some of those younger players that are gonna play some roles that they didn't play last year necessarily," said McDermott during his first appearance of the season on the "Extra Point Show" on WGR. "They need to step up. There's gonna be growing pains, but we'll grow with them, through them, together. We're excited to watch them."
Along with some youth supplanting themselves in the lineup this year, others are returning to form this year after battling through injury last year. The most notable player in this category is All-Pro cornerback Tre'Davious White, who appears to be as close to 100% from a torn ACL suffered in 2021.
McDermott says he has a ton of confidence in the veteran cornerback as he hopes to have a normal and healthy season for the first time since 2019.
"He's had a lot of highs, and had some things that he's had to deal with, the latest being the ACL injury. He's worked extremely hard to comeback off that injury," McDermott said with Sal Capaccio and Joe DiBiase. "Last year, he really pushed through it, pushed through some things where he was still getting back. He's really worked hard again this offseason, and continues to get himself where he wants to be, and that's at an All-Pro level."
Hear more of McDermott's comments from his appearance on the "Extra Point Show" available in the player below:
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