The Bills will take the field against the Ravens on Sunday afternoon without C.J. Gardner-Johnson, and that absence may end up helping Buffalo’s defense more than hurting it.
Gardner-Johnson’s one-game league suspension removes a player who, despite the reputation, athleticism and attitude he brings, has not given Buffalo much of a lift in his first season with the team. The lone obvious bright spot has been his interception against the Chargers, the play that helped swing that game. Beyond that, his production has been poor, and his presence has even taken some of the shine off Cole Bishop’s work at strong safety.
The numbers back up the eye test. Sumer Sports’ “impact plays” metric measures plays with a positive effect, and Gardner-Johnson has only six of them, tied for 29th among 56 safeties with at least 250 snaps.
Bishop has five, tied for 42nd. That’s a rough pairing for a defense already trying to sort itself out.
The missed tackles are even uglier. Gardner-Johnson’s 23.5% missed tackle rate is last among that group of safeties, while Bishop’s 14% marks him 36th.
In coverage, Gardner-Johnson has allowed a 75% completion rate into his area, 33rd in the same sample, and Bishop sits 24th at 70.4%. While much of the attention has gone to young corners Davison Igbinosun and Max Hairston, the safeties have been part of the problem too.
Buffalo spent the bye week looking for answers, and Jim Leonhard made it clear the issue starts with how the defense functions mentally and verbally. “I would say, from a coverage standpoint, we need to be clean around communication,” Leonhard said last week as the coaches searched for fixes.
“There's too many times where we look confused when I don't think there's enough options for us to be that confused. That's the biggest thing in the bye week; how do I help the coverage just play with more confidence, play faster, play more aggressive, allow them to get vision on the quarterback and break?
How do we get our hands on the football more from the coverage aspect? That's the No. 1 thing.”
With Gardner-Johnson out, Damar Hamlin is expected to start against Baltimore, and at minimum he should bring a steadier feel to the back end. He may not be the kind of player who changes a game with splash plays, but the Bills can at least count on less chaos. Just as important, he has a far more established working relationship with Bishop.
“Obviously me and Damar have played a ton of football together, had a lot of snaps together in practice and everything, too,” Bishop said. “I'm super comfortable with him.
I feel like we communicate well and that matters. It's not like you can't succeed with somebody who you haven't played together with, but it definitely helps for sure.”
The Raiders game offered a preview of why Buffalo may not miss Gardner-Johnson all that much. He was already struggling before getting ejected for spitting at an opponent, and his rough play fit the pattern he’s shown all season. Buffalo signed him to stabilize the back end, but instead he’s become one of the team’s clearest disappointments.
He has also drawn three penalties this year, adding to the list of problems. If the Bills had a stronger alternative, he might already have been out of the lineup. Hamlin is not necessarily a superior player, but he does fit the role of the third safety who can handle both spots without forcing the defense into constant scramble mode.
Leonhard praised what Hamlin provided in Las Vegas after the ejection. “I thought Damar did a great job of stepping in,” Leonhard said.
“He calms things down for us. Made some huge tackles, some big-time tackles for us.
(Bishop) and Damar have played a lot of snaps together so the comfort level there was high when we needed to make that adjustment at halftime.
“It definitely was the most comfortable and confident (Bishop has) looked. Made some big time plays, did some great things in coverage, whether it was man coverage, obviously a huge pass breakup out of the post.
Sometimes for Cole, just try to not do too much, man. Slow down, see it, be calm, and let that athleticism show up.”
That secondary will be tested immediately by Zay Flowers, who gives Baltimore a dangerous target no matter where he lines up. The Ravens move him all over the formation, and he’s already logged three 100-yard games, including 137 against the Bengals. He has three touchdowns, 24 first downs on 40 catches, and a 66.7% success rate that leads all receivers with at least 40 targets.
Joe Brady said the response has to come from the whole unit, not just one position group. “I think everybody has to have the mindset that we have to play better,” Brady said when asked about the safeties.
“It's collective as a unit, there's no difference in the safeties, outside linebackers, corners. All of them just have to continue to play within the system, trust one another, not feel like, ‘man, I have to elevate my game and just find ways to get better.’
We want to make more plays on the football, just in general as a defense.”
In Other News...
Bills Secondary Suddenly Has A Maxwell Hairston Problem To Solve
Maxwell Hairstons place in the Bills secondary has shifted quickly, and not in the way Buffalo wanted from a second-year cornerback expected to take a step forward. After he gave up two touchdowns in a game, Hairston lost his starting job to rookie Davison Igbinosun, and his playing time has dropped off sharply since then, putting a little more pressure on a unit that has been one of the teams defining strengths.
TreDavious White is back in the building on the practice squad and already sounds like someone intent on helping the young corner regain his footing. White has spoken up in support of Hairston and made it clear he wants to be part of the fix, which matters for a Bills defense that can ill afford uncertainty at cornerback if Hairston is going to work his way back into a larger role. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Trade Buzz Keeps Coming Back To One Defensive Need
As the AFC leaders head into Week 8, the trade chatter around Buffalo keeps circling back to the same area of need on defense. The Bills have been mentioned among the teams that could look for help before the deadline, and the fit being floated from Arizona is a familiar one for a roster trying to sharpen itself for the stretch run.
Budda Baker is the name that keeps surfacing in that conversation, which makes sense given the value of a proven safety on a contender. With the speculation centered on teams trying to solve issues before they become bigger problems, Buffalos interest in secondary help is part of a broader market that could get active quickly if the right player becomes available. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Still Have One Big Availability Concern Coming Out Of The Bye
The Bills came out of their bye week and back onto the practice field with the usual midseason injury watch list, but one absence stood out more than the rest. Several players were either limited or held out as Buffalo began preparing for the next stretch, including Spencer Brown, who was still sidelined with a back issue.
Browns status matters because Buffalo is trying to get its footing again while also peeking ahead to a tough matchup with Baltimore. The Ravens had their own encouraging update when Lamar Jackson returned to practice after a high ankle sprain and is expected to play, which only adds to the importance of the Bills getting healthier at a time when the roster is still sorting through who can actually handle a full workload. [Read more 🡒]