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Bleacher Report's Alex Ballentine broke down positional needs for all 32 teams as the league enters a dead period between the NFL Draft and the beginning of training camp. The takeaway from Ballentine's analysis is that the Buffalo Bills still need help on defense.
The exercise for all 32 teams included listing the top five team needs, four of which for Buffalo were on the defensive side of the ball.
1. Linebacker
Ballentine didn't offer any analysis on the choice to name LB the top need for Buffalo. However, it's safe to assume the decision stems from Buffalo reworking Matt Milano's contract, making him an unrestricted free agent after the 2025 season. While this doesn't guarantee he will depart during the offseason, it is very much a possibility for the injury-riddled All Pro.
Dorian Williams filled in admirably next to Terrel Bernard while Milano was sidelined, leading the team in total tackles in 2024 with 117. However, the depth following the team's top three is filled with question marks, including UB's Joe Andreessen and 2024 fifth rounder Edefuan Ulofoshio.
2. Safety
Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer were once the backbone of Sean McDermott's defense. While their departures left big shoes to fill, it's fair to argue Buffalo's replacements in the back end have been underwhelming thus far. Ballentine writes, "...it was surprising that the Bills didn't do more to address the safety position. Perhaps Cole Bishop will take on more responsibility in his second season, but the starting combo of Damar Hamlin and Taylor Rapp are the weak link of the defense as constructed."
The Bills added Darrick Forrest in free agency, but he was the only veteran addition to the room. Brandon Beane selected Ohio State DB Jordan Hancock on Day 3, but he is projected to compete with Cam Lewis for Buffalo's "big nickel" role on defense.
3. Cornerback
Beane used his first-round selection on Maxwell Hairston to address the CB room, in addition to signing Tre'Davious White and Dane Jackson in free agency. Add in the selection of Virginia Tech corner Dorian Strong in the sixth round, and boundary corner seems to have plenty of options to start opposite Christian Benford.
Ballentine didn't specify, but slot corner could be an area of concern for the Bills. Taron Johnson isn't getting any younger, turning 29 before the start of the 2025 season, and Ja'Marcus Ingram hasn't proven himself as the unquestioned backup. For a position that Buffalo's defense relies so heavily on, the Bills need to ensure they have proper depth at the position in order to stay in their base nickel defense.
4. Wide Receiver
Ballentine joked that he wouldn't "dare list it as one of their top three needs on the roster right now," in response to Beane's comments on WGR 550 AM about not drafting a WR until Round 7. He continues, "That being said, it remains the biggest question about the offense."
According to Ballentine, "there aren't a lot of questions for one of the best offenses in the league," as "Josh Allen has proven he can make the Bills weapons work." Keon Coleman and Curtis Samuel returning to full health, plus the additions of Joshua Palmer and Elijah Moore, should give the room a safe floor for receiver production.
5. Interior Defensive Line
The Bills took two swings at DT in the 2025 draft, trading up for TJ Sanders in Round 2 and selecting Deone Walker in Round 4. With 2024 third rounder DeWayne Carter entering his second season, Buffalo has plenty of recent higher-round picks invested in the interior.
Free agent addition Larry Ogunjobi is suspended for the first six games of the season, meaning the Bills will need to rely on the youthful players early in the season to help Ed Oliver and DaQuan Jones up front.
More Buffalo Bills News:
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- Emerging Texans star likely to miss 2025 season
- The 'Single-season sack leaders by NFL team' quiz
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TODAY'S BEST
Tua Tagovailoa addresses relationship with Tyreek Hill after controversial comments
Shortly after Miami Dolphins players reported for training camp on Tuesday, Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill suggested he wants to be "better as a leader" after he controversially subbed himself out of Miami's regular-season finale this past January and then told reporters he was "out." While speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa addressed the Hill-sized elephant in the room. "I think there’s a lot more vulnerability with Tyreek," Tagovailoa explained, as shared by Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. "He’s conversating a lot more with the guys, not just about football, but about things off the field, being vulnerable about some of the things people know about his personal life and things of that nature. I think that’s the first step toward him building true relationships and a real connection with a lot of the guys in there." Following Hill's "out" comment, Dolphins general manager Chris Grier revealed that the 31-year-old speedster never requested a trade. While publicly apologizing to his teammates during a Super Bowl week interview, Hill directly said that Tagovailoa is his "guy." Hill also insisted at the time that he loves Tagovailoa. "Everybody makes mistakes," Tagovailoa added about Hill. "It’s just, some people, they’re in the spotlight, and their deals get pushed out more than some others. So you’ve just got to cut him some grace. That’s our teammate. We love him, but as a person, I think if you get to know him, you’ll love him too." Hill and Tagovailoa likely will need to be on the same page if they want to prevent the Dolphins from going through a franchise reset next offseason. At least head coach Mike McDaniel is reportedly on the hot seat this summer, while Tagovailoa's status beyond the upcoming campaign is up in the air after he suffered a third reported concussion since the fall of 2022 last season. "You guys aren’t the only people that heard that," Tagovailoa said about Hill's "out" statement. "...So when you say something like that, you don’t just come back from that with, 'Hey, my bad.' You’ve got to work that relationship up. You’ve got to build everything up again. It’s still a work in progress, not just for me but for everybody. But like I said, he’s working on himself, he’s working on the things he says he wants to get better with and do better on. So that’s the first step to me, so I commend him for doing that." As of Wednesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had the 2024 Dolphins at -275 betting odds to miss the playoffs. Those who believe the relationship between Tagovailoa and Hill is on shaky ground following Wednesday's developments may want to take a flier on such a wager before the odds change later this year.
Rafael Devers had telling comment about playing first base
Rafael Devers played first base for the San Francisco Giants for the first time on Tuesday, and his quote about playing the field likely will not sit well with Boston Red Sox fans. Devers said after Tuesday’s game that he prefers playing in the field as opposed to serving as a designated hitter. “It keeps me active. It keeps my head out of just thinking about the next at-bat,” Devers said, via Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle. “I’d rather be on the field than in the cage hitting all the time and thinking about the next at-bat.” Devers, of course, refused to play first base for the Red Sox after they asked him to. He felt disrespected after they moved him off third base to accommodate Alex Bregman, and thought the team went back on its word by later asking him to play first. To Red Sox fans, if Devers is best playing in the field and playing first would have helped the team, it will be baffling why he did not just do it when that would seemingly have been a preferable outcome for all involved. Devers went 2-for-5 in Tuesday’s 9-0 win over the Atlanta Braves, driving in a run in his first appearance at first base. It remains unclear how frequently the Giants plan to use him at the position, but the team might take note of these comments.
Jaxson Dart had worst start imaginable at Giants training camp
The New York Giants officially opened training camp on Wednesday, and the good news for Jaxson Dart was that the rookie had nowhere to go but up after his first play of practice. Dart’s very first pass of 11-on-11 drills was intercepted by third-year cornerback Nic Jones. Dart stared his receiver down the entire way, and Jones showed the former Ole Miss star why doing so in the NFL is never a good idea. The whistle blew after the interception, but Jones would have taken it the other way for a touchdown had the play been live. Like any rookie quarterback, Dart is going to make plenty more mistakes in training camp. Brian Daboll and the Giants’ coaching staff will be more interested in how Dart bounces back from them. The Giants traded up to select Dart in the first round and are very high on his ability. They plan to bring him along slowly, which Daboll seemed to reiterate again on Wednesday. Dart led the SEC with 4,279 passing yards last season. He threw 29 touchdown passes and is known for having a strong arm, but throwing windows get significantly tighter in the NFL. Dart will learn that as he gains more experience.
Eagles' Jalen Hurts explains why he hasn't been spotted wearing Super Bowl ring
Pictures from the Philadelphia Eagles' Super Bowl LIX championship ring ceremony that took place on July 18 showed that quarterback and Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Jalen Hurts elected not to wear his new piece of jewelry during the event. While speaking with reporters at training camp on Wednesday, Hurts was asked why he wasn't spotted wearing his ring during the celebration. "I’ve moved on to the new year," Hurts responded, as shared by Martin Frank of the Delaware News Journal. "It’s as simple as that." For a piece published earlier on Wednesday morning, Brooks Kubena of The Athletic noted how Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni "avoids the word 'repeat'" while discussing the club's goals for the 2025 season. According to Kubena, Sirianni instead is repeating a mantra from a portion of a book that stresses "how marathon runners 'run the mile they’re in.'" It appears Hurts and others on the Eagles roster have embraced Sirianni's messages. "It was honestly surreal to see it in person," Hurts said about receiving the first Super Bowl ring of his career. "Almost, not nostalgic, but to see something that you’ve earned and have a moment to appreciate it one last time. It's kind of overdue in terms of when it was supposed to be initially. But it was a moment, and now that moment is behind us." It almost feels as if it were a lifetime ago when reports emerged last summer suggesting that Sirianni was on the hot seat, in part because his relationship with Hurts was allegedly "fractured" after the 2023 Eagles suffered a brutal late-season collapse. Sirianni deservedly received a contract extension this past spring, and it appears he's on the same page as his players early into training camp. "I came there only for the ring," Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown added about the ceremony. "I didn’t eat. I didn’t do anything. The whole ceremony was great. It was good to see some of our old teammates and talk to them, but that ring was speechless. I really enjoyed it. Trying to find a place, or something, to do with it." As of Wednesday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Eagles third among the betting favorites at +700 odds to win Super Bowl LX. One wonders how Sirianni and Hurts would feel about the "repeat" word if the Eagles are once again the last team standing in February 2026.
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