The Buffalo Bills have put together one of the league’s top defenses over the past five years, though often struggled to contain opposing offenses once the playoffs start.
That was the case this year, as the Bills relied heavily on a “bend-but-don’t-break” style of defense during the regular season that gave up yards but generated turnovers and got key stops. The approach ultimately fell flat against the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship game, where Patrick Mahomes led the Chiefs to a 32-29 win thanks to a game-winning drive in the fourth quarter.
The Bills could re-tool this defense this season, with one outlet predicting they will add a “freak athlete” to the defensive line.
Bills Add Former Top Recruit in Mock Draft
In a mock draft published on Thursday, Fox Sports predicted the Bills would use their No. 30 overall pick on Oregon defensive lineman Jordan Burch, who was once the top-ranked defensive lineman in his high school class ahead of NFL starters Gervon Dexter and Jalen Carter.
The report noted that Burch had a strong conclusion to his college career and showed off some strong raw talent at Oregon.
“While his three seasons at South Carolina weren’t the most impressive, Burch’s last two seasons at Oregon were enough for a team to draft him in the first round as a project player — especially considering he had 8.5 sacks in 2024 and is a freak-athlete at 6-foot-6, 295 pounds,” the report noted. “His teammate Derrick Harmon could also be a potential pick here, as Buffalo could look to bolster their front seven, which already boasts the likes of Greg Rousseau, A.J. Epenesa and Ed Oliver.”
Bills Face Another Major Decision
The Bills could already be looking at another major change in their defense this offseason, with veteran Von Miller identified as a potential cap casualty. Ronnie Eastham of SI.com noted that the Bills could part ways with the struggled edge rusher and find significant savings.
“If the Bills decide to release Miller, they can do it before June 1 and create a cap savings of nearly $8.4 million, and take on a dead cap of $15.4 million,” Eastham wrote. “They can choose to spread that dead money over the next two seasons if they release him after June 1. Doing so would net an immediate cap savings of approximately $17.4 million. If somehow they did successfully trade him, the numbers would all be the same.”
Miller came to the Bills as one of the biggest free agency additions in 2022 and had a strong start, recording 8.0 sacks in his first 11 games with the team before suffering a season-ending ACL tear. Miller returned the next season but struggled to regain his explosiveness off the line, recording no sacks with just three total tackles in 12 games in the 2023 season.
Miller did have a bigger impact in 2024, making 6.0 sacks in 13 games, but lost four games due to a suspension. The team could choose to move on from Miller this offseason and use the cap savings to fill other holes on defense or give a bigger role to players like Burch.
