In our last post, we reflected on the 2024 Bills running game, concluding that Joe Brady revitalized a struggling run game, and utilized the strengths (literally) of every offensive position group, to create a unified approach to the run game that led to James Cook’s best season yet, as well as Ray Davis’ promising rookie season, and many other insights.

Today, we turn our attention to the Bills’ Defense. My casual viewpoint from watching the main telecast says that the best word to describe the defense was … disappointing. They seemed to always allow a first drive score, struggle in the 1st half, make half-time adjustments, and then lock down the opposing team in the second half. But did the defense really struggle as much as we thought?

Before the season began, we kind of knew this was coming. Kair Elam had been struggling, and we knew he would. We knew Christian Benford and Taron Johnson would be stellar, but what else would the CB room contribute? Would Rasul Douglas continue to take the ball away, or would Father Time begin to catch up to the former Packer/Eagle? Would Kair Elam finally learn to stop trying to drag himself along with a route running wide receiver and learn how to contribute to a zone defense?

What about the safeties? We all expected Damar Hamlin to have a good story and make a few good plays, but could he elevate his play next to Taylor Rapp, or would Cole Bishop make a good enough of a rookie impression to start stealing snaps? How much would they miss the near-decade of Pro Bowl level play of Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer?

To make matters worse, Bills fans knew the schedule looked difficult, but to have the 6th most difficult schedule based on opponents’ win percentage was over the top. Don’t forget, the Bills had to play the Chiefs, Rams, 49ers, Eagles, Dolphins (x2), Texans, Ravens, and Lions, all with proven high danger offenses. To dominate defensively seemed incredibly unrealistic, but hey… we’ve got a defensive-minded head coach, right? We’ve got Bobby Babich, the guy who elevated the play of everyone he coached. Could the D surprise us and actually … be good?

This blog series will take us through the following progression:

  • Identify Who We Were
  • Discover our Needs
  • Spring Cleaning (Roster Moves)
  • Retooling (Free Agency Prediction)
  • Investing for the Future (Draft Prep)
  • Coaching Adjustments

The Key Statistics

  • Totals Yards allowed per Game – 340.7 – Ranked 16th
  • Rushing yards allowed per game – 117 – Ranked 13th
  • Opponent’s rushing TD’s per game – .9 – Ranked 14th
  • Opponent’s first down per play – .346 – Ranked 31st
  • Opponent’s third down conversion percentage per game – 44% – Ranked 30th
  • Opponent’s fourth down conversion percentage per game – 54% Ranked 14th
  • Opponent’s yards per play – 5.6 – Ranked 25th
  • 1st Downs allowed per game – 21 – Ranked 29th
  • Opponent’s Completions per game – 22.3 – Ranked 26th
  • Opponent’s Completion percentage – 68% – Ranked 28th
  • Opponent’s Passing Yards per game – 223.1 -Ranked 21st
  • Opponent’s Average Passer Rating – 95.0 – Ranked 20th
  • Sack Percentage – 6.46% – Ranked 20th
  • Opponent Interceptions Thrown per Game – .9 – Ranked 10th
  • Opponent Fumbles per Game – 1.0 – Ranked 2nd

Surprisingly Terrible

The diehard Bills fan knows that the postseason losses by the Bills were not due to Josh Allen or the offense. They have played well enough in each heartbreaking loss, that with a good defensive performance, they had enough to win. But time and time again, the defense just couldn’t get off the field. From penalties to giving up third and longs to problems in the rush defense in years past, we knew the defense was the problem in the playoffs. The only bright spot was that they took the ball away.

I didn’t realize just how much of a problem they were in the regular season also. You don’t really expect a 14-3 team to have a lackluster defense.

Now the explanations are plenty. They had a tough schedule. Every opponent knows the Bills offense puts up points, so they are getting every other team’s fastball, from trick plays to advanced designs. Injuries also played a factor.

But honestly, with the resources the Bills have devoted to the defensive side of the ball. We should expect better.

Christian Benford

Christian Benford was great in coverage. PFF had him as the 5th highest graded CB (82.6) in the entire league out of 223 qualified players. He had the 6th highest coverage grade (82.8) with the 15th most interceptions (2), 4th most forced fumbles (2), 6th most sacks (1). He is a stud. As a 5th round pick in the same draft as Kair Elam, beating out the 1st round draft pick, Benford has developed and learned new techniques, mastering the Bills system. He is right up there with the best of the CBs in the league.

The only critique I can offer is that he wasn’t as involved in the rest of the game. He didn’t rush the pass often. He was good but not great against the run. He didn’t tackle often and he allowed a 72.3 passer rating. When the receiver he was covering did catch the ball, it was good for a full 9 yards on average, only 162nd out of qualifying backs, and he gave up 31 receptions against.

So if his stats were that middling, how could his grade be that high? Because he never lost his man. In coverage, he was always where he was supposed to be and had good coverage on the player he was covering. He was always in a position to make a play. It was good enough to make him only the 4th CB on the AP’s list for defensive player of the year, but not good enough to put him in the running.

He’s due for a huge payday as a great CB, and he deserves it. Spotrac has him ranked as having the 2nd or 3rd highest market value out of any of the CBs in the league behind only Derek Stingley and Daron Bland. At age 24, his best years are still ahead of him, and he could be even better with better help around him.

Taron Johnson

As much as Bills Nerds hate to admit it, stats fail to tell the whole story on Taron Johnson. A look at his stats and grades, have him as a playmaking slot CB who is beginning to schedule a fight with father time.

Comparing him with outside corners will reveal good turnover numbers: 10th in forced fumbles and 15th in Interceptions, only playing in 12 total games due to injury. His 73rd ranked passer rating allowed (100.9) might make you wonder how he could make this list of the best defensive players on the Bills Roster.

What stats miss, is that Taron was more than just a slot CB, much more. This nickel base only works because Taron plays just as much in the box as he does in coverage. He fills the role as a 3rd LB and slot corner at the exact same time. He covers WRs, RBs, TEs equally. He rushes the passer as the 5th rusher, while being the first DB to cover the run. It’s his versatility that makes him so valuable. When he misses time, the defense doesn’t work the same.

With his latest contract extension, Taron will be a mainstay for this defense for at least the next three years, carrying a cap hit of 8 M over the next two years, carrying him to his age 31 season.

Greg Rousseau

Greg Rousseau was huge (heh) for this defense. He flashed in a big big way in 2024, despite being part of a rotation with no less than 4 other players, including Von Miller and AJ Epenesa . His huge wingspan (34″) and height (6’7) fit the new Bills philosophy of big people doing big people things. He took a massive step forward this past season and looks to be a part of the foundation that this Bills defense needs to be built upon.

Rousseau was ranked 12th out of 211 Edge rushers by PFF, while being ranked 13th against the pass (81.9), and 60th against the run (67).Every Defensive stat put him at least in the top 20 in every category. Seriously, look at these stats.

  • Solo Tackles – 34 – Ranked 15th
  • Forced Fumbles – 3 – Ranked 3rd
  • Stops – 35 – Ranked 10th
  • Sacks – 9 – Ranked 19th
  • Hurries – 37 – Ranked 18th
  • Hits – 17 – Ranked 2nd
  • Total Pressures – 63 – 10th
  • Batted Passes – 3 – 11th

He had 16 tackles for loss, doubling the next-highest player on our team.

It begs the question… why wasn’t he on the field more? I know the defensive philosophy is based on keeping the D-line fresh, and yes, there is a danger that being more fatigued might actually hurt Greg’s performances.

But I’m not convinced.

The 12th ranked edge in the league was only on the field for 736 total snaps, 25th in the league. 461 of those were pass rush snaps, good for 17th, but only 252 run defense snaps, good for 32nd.

The latest gossip making the rounds is whether or not the Bills would be better if they traded for Myles Garrett, but Garrett was on the field for 822 total snaps, a full 86 more snaps than Rousseau. That’s the equivalent of a full game and a half more.

T.J. Watt played 939 snaps, including 576 pass rush snaps. That’s 203 more snaps than Greg and 115 more chances to rush the passer. He had 3 and a half more games worth of snaps than Rousseau did.

It violates the key tenet of sports. Don’t get cute. Play your stars. This isn’t hockey. The experiment needs to end. Rousseau is your best edge rusher right now. Let the man play.

How can the Bills’ Defense Improve in 2025?

There were no terrible glaringly bad players on the rest of the team. It was a decent roster with meaningful contributions from many players. Every player could be on the 90 man roster in 2025 and I wouldn’t blink an eye. But let’s face facts; if the Bills are going to take the next step and challenge for a Super Bowl, which is what every Bills fan truly wants, this defense needs to improve. If the Bills run back the same roster next year, why should we expect anything more than the poor performance we saw in 2024?

The roster needs more impactful additions through both the draft and free agency. Bobby Babich needs to grow in his second year as DC. Sean McDermott had better toss some chairs behind closed doors. 14-3 was an amazing season, but the offense carried the defense, no questions asked.

Look forward to young players like Javon Solomon, Cole Bishop and Dewayne Carter benefitting from a full off-season for the first time.

It’s reportedly a great season for Defensive Line, invest in it again and again until it improves. Infuse competition at every level. From the safety room, to the linebackers to the cornerbacks, I believe Brandon Beane will make the hard decision to let good people go for the sake of getting better player performances from a hungrier group of players.

Coaching decisions about personnel management, including the split of snaps between starters and backups, need a modern revamping. Do not double down on a bad result. Make the right changes. Find a way to be better in the first half and on the first series, instead of relying on half-time adjustments to lock down the opponent.

Look for our next installment coming soon, where we’ll look at the Special Teams performance before turning our sights to the future.

Statistics and financial information sourced from the following:

pro-football-reference.com, teamrankings.com, overthecap.com, spotrac.com, mockdraftable.com , draftsharks.com, statmuse.com