Who will be this year's Terrell Bernard??

[TheyCallMeAndy]

Elam would be the best for the team given what has been invested. 

[H2o]

I actually think it will be another LB, Dorian Williams. The athletic traits are there. He has the ability on the field. I think after having a year in the defense the game starts to slow down for him. He will play fast, yet controlled, and be an impact player for us. 

[Buffalo_Stampede]

3 minutes ago, H2o said:

I actually think it will be another LB, Dorian Williams. The athletic traits are there. He has the ability on the field. I think after having a year in the defense the game starts to slow down for him. He will play fast, yet controlled, and be an impact player for us. 

They’d have to completely change their defense.

[Sweats]

Rapp......the dude is a human missile out there

[Buffalo_Stampede]

1 minute ago, Sweats said:

Rapp......the dude is a human missile out there

My guy is the other safety Mike Edwards. I said before free agency that our breakout player will be whoever they sign at safety.

 

Well, it was Mike Edwards.

[BontitaBills]

O’ Cyrus Torrence - becomes a road grader in the run game.  

[H2o]

28 minutes ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

They’d have to completely change their defense.

No they wouldn't. Milano is about to be 30 and coming off of a major injury. There hasn't been much of an update on him. Don't be surprised if Williams gets in more via in general rotation. It's also a matchup game and they could use him more depending on opposing formations. It doesn't require a complete change of our base defense. 

[boyst]

Tyler Bass isn't going to make a jump but i want so badly for him to return to dominance.

[uticaclub]

7 hours ago, BullBuchanan said:

AJ Epenesa is my pick. I was dead certain he'd get a 4 year deal somewhere averaging 12-13M a year based on the flashes he showed with limited opportunities. Still just 25 coming off back to back 6.5 sack seasons, he'll have a much bigger role this year if the Bills don't make a splash acquisition. He was a far better player than Von Miller last season, and hopefully the Bills cut ties with him or keep him limited to a reserve role unless he's truly back.

Epenesa has his limitations, but he's got a very high motor and nose for the ball that guys like Milano and Bernard have. He'll never be an elite pass rusher, but he could be one of those key pieces to a championship defense. I think he offers something far more special than what I've seen out of Rousseau so far.

AJE has gotten a lot of playing time, while Bernard was an undersized unknown. I do hope AJEs lack of market motivates him to put up big numbers, but I wouldn’t put him in the unknown category like Bernard. Also Jonathan Kingsley played better than Von Miller, not a high bar to clear.

[Magox]

Last year it was Bernard, Spencer Brown, Oliver, Cook and Shakir especially towards the end of the season.

 

There are so many Bills players that are at that age or stage in the careers where we could see that jump.

 

As noted by the OP, if Shakir can take another leap that will go a long way in helping this team.  If Milano can come back to form or Von Miller.   Elam, Kincaid, Torrence, Rousseau and Epenesa are all players who could be primed to have a jump in production.  

[SoMAn]

Going out on a limb here, but probably Terrell Bernard

[BADOLBILZ]

6 hours ago, Doc Brown said:

What?  Rousseau has far more upside as a pass rusher and is already elite against the run.

 

 

Rousseau hasn't really broken out as a pass rusher yet but he is an underrated player, in general.   The Bills badly need a guy opposite him to just run wild from the blindside and allow Rousseau to do what he does best........which is level up, locate the QB stepping up in the pocket and bring him down.   His GPS for that is elite and that's what made him such a beast in college despite very little experience as a DL.    Give him a late 2010's high pressure rate, low sack rate guy like Jerry Hughes flying around the edge and GR is a 10-15 sack guy.   Bills haven't been able to do that except for that stretch with Von in 2022.   Rousseau is so effective against the run on the strong side that he is a rare case where you might build the edge positions around him even though he needs to be paired with a bendy, fast get-off guy to really flourish.   

[Mat68]

Wr is getting similar discourse as Linebacker last season.  I think Shakir has the chance to be top targeted Wr in the offense.  In Allens career that player had alot of success.  Brown, Beasley, Diggs all had career years with Allen.  I think Shakir has a year similar to Browns 2019.  70 plus catches over 1,000 yards close to 10 TDs.  Benard stepped in and on day 1 there wasn't much a drop off from Edmunds.  I think Shakir has the same effect on the offense.  Will have a shockingly small drop off from Diggs.  

[uticaclub]

1 hour ago, boyst said:

Tyler Bass isn't going to make a jump but i want so badly for him to return to dominance.

Did he ever really dominate? 

[Shaw66]

1 hour ago, H2o said:

I actually think it will be another LB, Dorian Williams. The athletic traits are there. He has the ability on the field. I think after having a year in the defense the game starts to slow down for him. He will play fast, yet controlled, and be an impact player for us. 

I agree.  I think we're going to see more 4-3, especially on likely run downs.  And I'm not sure we'll Taron Johnson leave the field.  Not sure where Johnson will go, maybe strong safety, possibly corner.  

 

McDermott wants to populate the field with multi-talented guys.   He has Bernard, Milano, Johnson on the field already.  Bishop may be another.   Williams is another one of those guys.  McDermott is going to find a way to get him on the field.  

[dgrochester55]

I am seeing a lot of Shakir and Shorter, but that does not quite fit the question because they both have some expectations coming into the season. This would apply more to a scenario where before the season, the player is written off and/or seen as a poster child for why the team hasn't done enough or made the wrong choices at the position.

 

This would make the candidates players like Elam, Dorian Williams, and Some of the low risk high reward receivers that were signed.

 

I am going to go with either Hamler or Cephus at WR as this year's Bernard.

 

Edited May 13 by dgrochester55

[BuffaloBillsGospel2014]

8 hours ago, Special K said:

Who on the Bills roster will come out of the shadows and have a huge impact on the coming season??

 

I don't know the answer, but I know who the Bills need it to be.....Shakir. If he can have a Bernard-like impact on the Offense this year, the Bills O will not miss a beat after the departure of Diggs.

 

What other players do you think have the potential to make the leap from nobody to somebody this season??

 

I'm going with WR Justin Shorter, he's 6'4" 221 lbs, ran a faster 40 time than Coleman at 4.55 and has had a full year learning the playbook with a legit opportunity barring that the Bills make no extra moves at WR via trade/free agency. I would think if we're trying to be bullies at WR having a 6'3" plus 6'4" on the outside would be pretty rough to contend with for most corners.

[NoSaint]

4 hours ago, Freddie's Dead said:

Imma go with Tupac.  Given the lack of a true #1 WR, we're gonna need him to step up big.  I'm calling my shot.  70 receptions, 900 yards, 8-10 TDs.

ironically I think those excited for him and those worried about him are both in that range 

[boyst]

20 minutes ago, uticaclub said:

Did he ever really dominate? 

he was as reliable as any other kicker in the league.

[BADOLBILZ]

15 minutes ago, BuffaloBillsGospel2014 said:

 

I'm going with WR Justin Shorter, he's 6'4" 221 lbs, ran a faster 40 time than Coleman at 4.55 and has had a full year learning the playbook with a legit opportunity barring that the Bills make no extra moves at WR via trade/free agency. I would think if we're trying to be bullies at WR having a 6'3" plus 6'4" on the outside would be pretty rough to contend with for most corners.

 

 

I swear I read the framework of this post in late August of 2017 when the Bills acquired 6'3" Jordan Matthews to pair with 6'4" free agent signee Andre Holmes.    Except, of course, those guys actually had experienced *some* success at the NFL level.    Matthews had averaged almost 900 yards per season to that point of his young but soon-to-be-over career.  Then they tripled down with Biscuits Benjamin at mid-season to make sure they were REALLY big, slow and awkward/clumsy.