With C.J. Gardner-Johnson suspended for one game after spitting toward a Las Vegas Raiders player, the Buffalo Bills suddenly have a fresh opening in the secondary - and with two weeks before they host the Baltimore Ravens, the timing gives the team a chance to sort through its options.
Buffalo also brought Tre'Davious White back into the mix, adding the cornerback to the practice squad. For a secondary that has been inconsistent through the first six games, Week 8 becomes a chance to piece together a workable plan without Gardner-Johnson.
The biggest question is whether Tre'Davious White will be ready in time to help. The 5-foot-11, 192-pound LSU product is back for a third stint with the Bills, but this version of the reunion looks very different from the first two. White is no longer stepping into Sean McDermott’s 4-3 setup, where he once thrived despite the defense’s issues against the run and in pressuring the quarterback.
This time, he is learning Jim Leonhard’s aggressive 3-4 system from the practice squad. That may mean more work near the line of scrimmage, with more emphasis on helping stop the run than dropping into coverage to hunt turnovers. White has already spent time in similar aggressive 3-4 looks with the LA Rams and the Baltimore Ravens, but Brandon Beane and the Bills are still focused on getting him up to speed with how Leonhard wants to use him.
Another name to watch is Jalon Kilgore, who is starting to get real opportunity after waiting for his turn. The Bills have already seen second-round pick T.J.
Parker and fourth-round pick Skyler Bell take their turns in the spotlight, and now the fifth-round rookie safety is getting meaningful snaps. Against Las Vegas, the former South Carolina Gamecock logged 11 defensive plays and had both a highlight and a lesson.
He broke up a pass on third down to help force a Raiders punt, then later got beat when Tre Tucker ran past him for a touchdown. Still, the coverage was not as bad as the result looked; Tucker simply finished the play with a strong catch. The 6-foot-1, 210-pound defender is not as steady as Damar Hamlin, but the Bills drafted him for a different kind of upside - a more athletic safety with ballhawk traits and the chance to turn plays into pick-sixes.
Dee Alford is also part of the equation. In the last game, he played through the rust that comes with returning from an ankle injury and handled about 40 snaps.
He did not back down from the moment, made some timely coverage plays, and showed the kind of toughness a nickel corner needs, especially when he is working in the box in Leonhard’s 3-4 defense. The real question now is whether he can hold up for all four quarters.
In Other News...
Bills Trade Buzz Puts Secondary Problem Back In Focus
The Bills search for help in the secondary has quickly become a familiar storyline, and the latest name linked to Buffalo is cornerback Alontae Taylor. Reports say the team has interest in a deal with Tennessee as it tries to shore up a back end that has been under pressure, and Taylors situation is notable because he has had a rocky season and was inactive in Week 6.
What makes the idea more intriguing is how much uncertainty still hangs over it. Taylors struggles have put him in a spot where a move could make sense, but the asking price from Tennessee is not clear, leaving Buffalos next step very much up in the air as the trade buzz starts to build. [Read more 🡒]
Christian Benford Tries To Calm Bills Fears About This Defense
Even with a 5-1 start powered by Josh Allen and the offense, the Bills have had to answer some uncomfortable questions about the other side of the ball. Cornerback Christian Benford stepped in to frame those early defensive struggles as part of the transition under first-year coordinator Jim Leonhard, pointing to scheme adjustments and roster turnover as the biggest reasons the unit has not looked settled yet.
The numbers have not been pretty, with Buffalo sitting near the bottom of the league in total yards allowed, but Benfords message was more about patience than panic. He believes the defense will improve as the group gets more snaps together and becomes more comfortable in Leonhards system, which is the kind of internal confidence the Bills will need if they want the early record to hold up through the tougher stretches ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Safety Need Could Put Jessie Bates In Play
The safety market can always get interesting when the trade deadline starts creeping closer, and Jessie Bates has emerged as the kind of name that could force Buffalo to at least pick up the phone. The Falcons veteran has been one of the steadier defensive backs in the league, and his contract status only adds to the appeal for a Bills team that could use help on the back end if it wants to sharpen its defense for the stretch run.
Of course, prying away a player like Bates is never simple, especially for a team that still views him as a cornerstone rather than a luxury piece. The Bills make sense as a fit because of need and ambition, but any real movement would have to line up with Atlantas own calculations, and those are still very much in flux as the deadline draws near. [Read more 🡒]