Buffalo Bills rookie Maxwell Hairston jogs to another area of the field during voluntary workout at their practice facility Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Bills praised for defensive upgrades in recent months

Originally posted on Buffalo Bills on SI
By Jeremy Brener | Last updated Jul 16, 2025 12:13 PM ET

The Buffalo Bills knew they needed to revamp their defense during the offseason in order to have a shot at reaching the Super Bowl.

Josh Allen and the offense couldn't have had a better year, so still missing the Super Bowl meant the defense needed an upgrade or two.

After adding some pieces in free agency like Joey Bosa and Larry Ogunjobi, the Bills didn't stop there. The team used the NFL Draft to also add pieces to the defense. Pro Football Focus writer Dalton Wasserman praised the Bills for addressing their defensive needs in the draft.

"The Bills desperately needed cornerback help after they earned the second-lowest team PFF coverage grade in the NFL last season. Their Super Bowl hopes have been repeatedly dashed by an inability to make defensive stops in big moments. They used this year’s draft to alleviate that problem," Wasserman wrote.

"Six of Buffalo's first seven selections were defensive players, including first-rounder Maxwell Hairston and defensive linemen T.J. Sanders and Landon Jackson. If this iteration of the Bills finally makes it to a Super Bowl, it will be because the team's 2025 draft class made an immediate impact."

It remains to be seen how many of these defensive draft picks will pan out, but the math behind six players taken in the first seven picks suggests the Bills should have at least one or two that become mainstays on defense.

If the Bills can find a way to develop these players during training camp to a level where they can play in their rookie seasons, Buffalo could get over the hump and reach that lucrative goal of making the Super Bowl.

The Bills are set to report to training camp on July 22.