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Bills 'Murderers Row' Predicted To Challenge New-Look Defense

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Adam Schultz | Last updated May 16, 2025 11:13 AM ET

The Buffalo Bills' offseason shopping list had a clear defensive flavour, with Sean McDermott's unit having trouble getting off the field on third down, especially in the playoffs.

The Bills ranked 30th in the league for third-down stops (44 percent), with only the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers worse.

That led general manager Brandon Beane to go defense in free agency with Joey Bosa, Larry Ogunjobi, and Michael Hoecht being signed, while Buffalo's first five draft picks were all defense.

Two defensive tackles in T.J. Sanders and Deone Walker, and defensive end Landon Jackson, to go with first-round corner Maxwell Hairston and defensive back Jordan Hancock. That rounds off the defensive splurge by the Bills.

And McDermott's unit will get a tough initiation in 2025, with the Bills' schedule having a host of quarterbacks on the radar, and for NFL.com's Judy Battista, it will be an interesting watch.

"The overhauled defense will be in the spotlight, because the Bills play a murderers' row of quarterbacks this season: Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes, potentially Aaron Rodgers, Joe Burrow and Jalen Hurts, plus Baker Mayfield, C.J. Stroud and Tua Tagovailoa," Battista writes.

That is quite the gauntlet for top quarterbacks to face, and in reality, that is why the Bills needed to beef up their defense to cope with what will be coming in the regular season and playoffs.

Josh Allen and the offense are generally considered to be among the best units in football; it's just that the defense has to start pulling its weight.

And with the offseason acquisitions, there is hope that it can.

Because if not, the collection of top quarterbacks will have their way with Buffalo, and there won't be anything Allen and his arsenal of weapons can do about it.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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