Is this a make or break season for the defense?

[FireChans]

The Bills entered the 2025 NFL draft with the following picks in the first 4 rounds:

 

30

56

62

109

132

 

They used those 5 picks and others to target 4 defensive players in a row.

 

Hairston

Sanders (trade up)

Landon Jackson (trade down/swap with Sanders deal)

Deon Walker (trade up)

 

This is of course coming off the 2024 draft where we took Cole Bishop in the 2nd and Carter in the 3rd.

 

So that’s 6 defensive players over the first 3 rounds in 2024 and the first 4 rounds in 2025.

Is this a make or break year for the defense, particularly in the postseason? Or do you view this is as a longer-term retooling/reloading?

 

Edited 6 hours ago by FireChans

[Maine-iac]

It's almost as if the only problem we had on defense was pass rush.  We've done little to go after stopping the run or coverage with the obvious exclusion of Hairston.  Granted a nice side effect of all the young DT's is hopefully some of them end up being good run fits but it's not why they were drafted.

Edited 6 hours ago by Maine-iac

[Warcodered]

I mean generally you'd like to give a bunch of rookies some time to develop before expecting them to just lock it in.

[Sojourner]

2 minutes ago, Warcodered said:

I mean generally you'd like to give a bunch of rookies some time to develop before expecting them to just lock it in.

Im with you. However the amount of premium investments in the draft to that side of the ball over the last 6/7 years lead me to wonder if they finally get it right. I have faith, not doubt but I’m now at the point of questioning. 

[glazeduck]

When you include the resources used in FA and resignings, the question really is, at what point are you throwing good money after bad? 
 

No one’s arguing that we haven’t had success under this current regime, but that’s a ton of resources to dedicate to one aspect of the game… May not happen next year, but if these investments don’t go better than past… it does feel like something has to happen before too long…

[NewEra]

 

like the majority of these questions that are posed in April 

[Brandon]

Yes and no. 

 

No,  because you have to give the rookies some time to develop.  The defensive linemen,  in particular,  are probably going to need a year or two before they really start making an impact. 

 

But I also say yes,  because I think the fans are going to start getting impatient soon,  especially if the offense takes a significant step back this year.  

[Since1981]

Harbaugh in Baltimore and McDermott are officially on the clock. With MVP quarterbacks, they can’t keep falling short in the playoffs by a field goal. Patience is running thin—they need to reach the Super Bowl

[HappyDays]

I think a very simple benchmark is that we need to force KC to punt more than twice when we inevitably face them in the playoffs. In three tries we have failed to meet that benchmark. After spending almost all of their cap dollars and draft picks on that problem, if they still can't do it then there is no reason to believe this regime ever will.

[NoHuddleKelly12]

Pretty clear they expect a bounce back campaign from our existing pass catchers and trusting Josh to help make that happen in Cook’s likely final year with the team—I’m betting next draft it will be O-focused again? 

[T.E.]

18 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

I think a very simple benchmark is that we need to force KC to punt more than twice when we inevitably face them in the playoffs. In three tries we have failed to meet that benchmark. After spending almost all of their cap dollars and draft picks on that problem, if they still can't do it then there is no reason to believe this regime ever will.

I think I've seen enough to come to the conclusion that they way they coach defense in general is never going to change and that they will likely continue to give up important drives at the worst times.

 

They need to go all in on offense to try to win shootouts against KC, but they are going back to the drawing board and using the exact same blueprint that hasn't worked. They're just incredibly stubborn about winning on their terms only.  

[Beast]

It’s make or break for Babich but McDermott and Beane aren’t going anywhere.

[GASabresIUFan]

The whole purpose of this draft is to rebuild the defense while remaining competitive.  We did this with the offense by adding Kincaid, Coleman, Cook, Davis, Torrence, and Spencer Brown.

 

Now we are doing it with the defense.

[BullBuchanan]

No. This is just the beginning of Phase 3 with our defense.

[babulator]

Between FA and the draft it's hard to see how the defense won't be better.

 

Our D line last year was not good, Ed, Groot and a bunch of Jags. Von did not have a good year, he was a wasted roster spot, DaQuan was spent, A.J., Carter, Smoot, Toohill all jags. Maybe J Solomon can take a step forward this year. 

 

Bosa, Ogunjobi, Hoecht, Sanders, Jackson, Walker should raise the DL bar. A couple of new corners should help the back end as well. Defense HAS to be improved this year.

[L Ron Burgundy]

Well if we didn't just grab guys that improve our defense at minimum some scouts need to get canned.

[bmur66]

If this team can’t get it done now they should pull the plug. Keep Josh Allen and burn down this whole defensive scheme starting with the the head coach.

[Turk71]

Same as it ever was...same as it ever was

[LABILLBACKER]

There's building a top 10 defense and then there's building a defense that can put 15 on his ass.  These are 2 distinct and different objectives.  For the most part we've accomplished the first.  But we've yet to land even 1 gamewrecking D player since 2018. I appreciate the front office doing what it had to do this week. We just gotta hope that one of these new guys pops. The game plan to stop Mahomes has been established. 

[MikePJ76]

it's not make or break at all.

 

I said this all offseason, they were going to do the defensive line this offseason what they did to the offensive line and running game a few years ago.

 

It appears this is exactly what they did.  This is a total rebuild of the Line in personnel and I imagine in approach and player style along with two new Defensive line coaches....kind of like when Kromer was hired.