The Buffalo Bills struggled to control the line of scrimmage on defense last season, often allowing huge chunk plays on the ground. While Buffalo’s potent offense limited the number of running plays opponents could try given the leads they had to attempt to erase, there were days where that strategy didn’t work. For all the money the team spent on the defensive line, they looked as if they were missing a big piece last year.
And that’s because they were missing a huge piece—literally and figuratively—to the puzzle. Without a sure-fire one-tech defensive tackle to eat space and blocks, Buffalo’s linebackers struggled to stay clean.