Buffalo Bills' latest moves signal that an identity shift could be happening on defense that will make this team look very different next year
The Bills have brought on two coaches in the last week to be assistants on the defensive side of the ball — Ryan Nielsen, who has previously served as a defensive coordinator and defensive line coach in stops with the Saints, Jaguars, and Falcons, and former Patriots cornerbacks coach Mike Pellegrino. One thing is very fascinating […]
The Bills have brought on two coaches in the last week to be assistants on the defensive side of the ball — Ryan Nielsen, who has previously served as a defensive coordinator and defensive line coach in stops with the Saints, Jaguars, and Falcons, and former Patriots cornerbacks coach Mike Pellegrino.
One thing is very fascinating about bringing in these two hires. Both of them bring a ton of experience and expertise in running man coverage. Buffalo could be breaking from their zone-heavy tendency heading into a new season. Nielsen, in particular, ran man coverage last year in Jacksonville at the second-highest percentage in the NFL. Nielsen's tenure working with defensive lines has also yielded great results. In New Orleans, from 2017-2020, the Saints ranked third in overall pressure percentage, and third in total sacks. That would be a welcome improvement for Buffalo.
We saw Buffalo shift to a heavier diet of man coverage in the playoffs, particularly in the Divisional Round matchup against Lamar Jackson. Bringing pressure and manning up on the back end proved to be an effective way to limit Jackson's passing attack, forcing him into an errant interception and a fumble.
The Bills also played more man coverage against the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game, again electing to bring pressure at a much higher percentage. That, to me, felt like it was out of necessity. The front was doing very little to make Patrick Mahomes uncomfortable, so Bobby Babich had to rely on added bodies in the box in order to generate the pressure he was looking for. Still, a team that had been zone-heavy in the regular season, and has been heavy zone for most of Sean McDermott's tenure in Buffalo, played man coverage at 41.5% between their games against Baltimore and Kansas City. It was a noticeable uptick.
A shift in philosophy would be notable, but it would also require the Bills to make some much-needed improvements on defense. First, they desperately need to find more pressure up front, both from the interior and from the edges. Secondly, Buffalo needs more press-man corners outside of Christian Benford.
General Manager Brandon Beane is going to have his work cut out for him this offseason, and it's imperative that he makes noteworthy improvements to the personnel on the defensive side of the ball if the Bills are going to earn their spot in the Super Bowl.
Follow along all year for more Buffalo Bills coverage on A to Z Sports. You can find me on Bluesky @jonhelmkamp.bsky.social, and make sure to follow our main page @AtoZSports.bsky.social for all the latest news.
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