'Desperate' Bills Commended For Roster Upgrades Toward Super Bowl Chase
The Buffalo Bills were outclassed during the AFC Championship Game last season, especially on the defensive side of the ball. It was the big reason why the team lost to the Kansas City Chiefs ... again.
Since that loss, though, Buffalo has done a great deal in an effort to upgrade and improve the unit once and for all ... in a chase for the Super Bowl.
The moves made have been largely celebrated. Free agents like Joey Bosa, Larry Ogunjobi, and Michael Hoecht were just a few of the new arrivals needed to bolster the entire unit. (Though the early suspensions of the latter two cast a shadow here.) The team also used six of its nine draft picks as a way to solve some of their bigger defensive holes as well.
Pro Football Focus writer Dalton Wasserman, in particular, praised the Bills for addressing their defensive needs in the draft.
"The Bills desperately needed cornerback help after they earned the second-lowest team PFF coverage grade in the NFL last season," Wasserman said. "Their Super Bowl hopes have been repeatedly dashed by an inability to make defensive stops in big moments. They used this year's draft to alleviate that problem."
"Desperate''? That's a bit much.
Josh Allen is the face of the franchise and that won't be changing anytime soon. Indeed, we believe as long as that goes unchanged, Buffalo is a contender.
But if the Bills want to win a Super Bowl? Yes, their defense must become more of a reason for the team to win ... creating a seesaw effect in which there is offensive and defensive balance for the opponent to deal with.
That balanced concept is the model the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles both followed over the last few years.
It seems that Buffalo is adopting that mindset as well.
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 17, 2025, where it first appeared.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Boston Globe
an hour ago
- Boston Globe
Patriots linebacker preview: Built in the image of Mike Vrabel, this group could help the defense take a big step forward
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up By the numbers: Advertisement 13: Elliss set a career high vs. the Bills on Jan. 5, with a 13 tackles, the most of the season in a game for any Patriot. 70: Tavai is the only NFL player in the last decade to play at least 70 percent of the snaps on offense or defense and 70 percent of the snaps on special teams, which he accomplished in 2023. The skinny: After an offseason of turnover, no area of the roster provides a better example of new coach Mike Vrabel's football philosophy than the linebackers. The Patriots acquired multiple players who might best be described as Vrabel guys in Spillane, Gibbens, and Landry. All of them played for Vrabel earlier in their careers. Advertisement Of the newcomers, Spillane figures to be a central figure. The former Raider was in the middle of the action at spring practices, and he saw his playing time increase when Tavai went down with a lower-body injury. Look for Spillane to wear the green dot on his helmet this season. Landry, who has 50.5 sacks in six seasons, should provide a boost off the edge in passing situations. Gibbens should provide depth in the middle, as well as special teams value. (He played almost 40 percent of the special teams snaps for the Titans in 2024). One new face that was a bit of a surprise this spring was Chaisson, as the former Raider and Jaguar flashed positively off the edge and could evolve into a nice depth addition. As for the impact returnees, it's a bit of a mixed bag. Jennings will be part of the conversation as an edge presence on early downs. Meanwhile, Tavai (who had a career-high 115 tackles in 2024) is looking to win back the fan base Elliss has had a career renaissance the last couple of seasons, going from fringe journeyman to every-down linebacker to being the subject of a mild bidding war between the Patriots and Raiders that saw him return to New England on a two-year, $13.5 million deal. He appeared to slot in nicely next to Spillane during spring practices, another sign his role will continue to grow. Advertisement In many ways, this is a group that is made in the image of Vrabel: not splashy, but smart, tough, and versatile. If they can be half as successful as Vrabel was when he played, it should help the defense take a big step forward. How does this position rate against the rest of the league? With the additions of Landry, Spillane, and Gibbens, this group probably went from the bottom third to near the middle of the pack. Quote of note: 'This is an exciting group to be around, and I'm excited going into this season. You just look at it, and you just feel the excitement and the production you could have going out there, and knowing everybody out there has that playmaking ability.' — Landry, speaking in June about the defense. Biggest story lines: Is Landry capable of delivering a burst off the edge as a complementary player for the likes of Keion White and Christian Barmore? In his first year with the Patriots, can Spillane grow into the leadership role that's usually asked from an inside linebacker? Will there be a battle for the other inside linebacker spot opposite Spillane? Christopher Price can be reached at
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Two Jets defenders make PFF's Top 50 rankings
Every year, before the NFL season begins, the analysts at Pro Football Focus put together a list of the 50 best NFL players. PFF's rankings are based mostly on a player's grade and on certain analytics, like wins-above-replacement. This year, their Top 50 list features two New York Jets, both of whom play defense: cornerback Ahmad 'Sauce' Gardner and defensive tackle Quinnen Williams. Both of these players appeared on last year's list but have slipped in the rankings. Gardner went from No. 16 to No. 23, while Williams fell from No. 27 all the way to No. 44. Somewhat ironically, Williams has already landed on the NFL's annual Top 100 players ranking, but on that list he lands all the way down at 87th, a drop of 50 spots from last year's rankings and more than 40 spots lower than PFF's list. Writing for PFF, analysts Dalton Wasserman and Trevor Sikkema have this to say about Quinnen William's ranking: 'With Aaron Glenn bringing a more aggressive, attacking front to New York, Williams is a strong candidate to rebound in 2025 and reestablish himself as one of the league's most disruptive interior defenders.' As for Gardner, his inclusion is almost a no-brainer. At No. 23 he is the highest ranked cornerback on this year's list. 'Since 2022, [Gardner] leads all cornerbacks with a 91.9 coverage grade and 2.10 PFF [wins-above-replacement]. While his interception total isn't eye-popping, Gardner's 43 forced incompletions lead the league over that span. In 2025, he could showcase his skills even more in a more aggressive scheme under new head coach Aaron Glenn.' You may have noticed similar remarks for both players, and it's a common theme when projecting any Jets defender in 2025: a belief in Aaron Glenn to turn this unit around after a slight regression in 2024, and make it one of the league's premier defenses. Whether that belief is well-founded will need to be proven on the field, though Glenn's track record speaks for itself. Glenn helped the Lions weather an unprecedented number of injuries to key defensive starters all throughout 2024 and still put a respectable unit on the field. It's easy to imagine how much better his defenses could be with the kind of talent that is in New York.


Newsweek
7 hours ago
- Newsweek
Shedeur Sanders Sends Clear Message About Browns QB Competition
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Cleveland Browns are just five days away from the start of training camp, and ultimately closer to an answer about who their starting quarterback will be in 2025. As things stand, former Super Bowl champion Joe Flacco, former first-round pick Kenny Pickett, 2025 third-round pick Dillon Gabriel, and 2025 fifth-round pick Shedeur Sanders are all deadlocked in a battle for presumably two spots, possibly three. On the surface, Flacco would seem to be the frontrunner given his experience and Pickett the backup for the same reason. Many fans are convinced Sanders and Gabriel are battling for one roster spot, with their performances during training camp and the preseason the likely deciding factor. Many expected Sanders to have a much easier path to an NFL roster when he was projected to be a first-round pick in April's draft. But after a five-round freefall, Sanders now has his work cut out trying to force his way up the depth chart in a crowded QB room — and based on what he told reporters after the draft, Browns general manager Andrew Berry wants the path to Cleveland's 53-man roster to be a challenge for Sanders. More NFL: JJ Watt Has Strong Reaction to Brother TJ Watt's Historic Contract Shedeur Sanders #12 of the Cleveland Browns throws the ball in a workout during rookie minicamp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 09, 2025 in Berea, Ohio. Shedeur Sanders #12 of the Cleveland Browns throws the ball in a workout during rookie minicamp at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus on May 09, 2025 in Berea, Ohio. Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images "[The] message is come in and work," Berry said, via "Come in and compete. Nothing is being given. We told him it really doesn't matter where you're picked. It's what you do going forward." While Sanders has his work cut out for him, he also seems to be game. The 23-year-old posted a video to his Instagram page on Friday just ahead of Browns' training camp, and he seemingly sent a message about where he stands in Cleveland's four-QB race. "You know, no excuses," Sanders said. "I'll put in the work and do what I have to do. About to be time to be legendary, whenever that time is. You know, mentally, at the very beginning, it'll be a challenge. But I like the challenge now." More NFL: Analyst Makes Bold Tua Tagovailoa-Zach Wilson Prediction Despite his draft misfortune, Sanders has maintained a positive attitude throughout OTAs and minicamp. Though most of his reps came with the second- and third-team offense, Sanders told reporters instead of looking at that negatively, he approached it as an opportunity to go out and show the coaches what he can do. If Sanders doesn't make Cleveland's 53-man roster, there seems to be a decent trade market for him. Teams that have been linked to a possible trade for Sanders include the Miami Dolphins, Los Angeles Rams, and the Indianapolis Colts.