ORCHARD PARK — When the sun starts beating down and practices feel monotonous, the Buffalo Bills are going to rely on fresh legs during training camp.
The Bills needed to get younger and cheaper, so they turned over the roster in 2024 and infused some youth into the team, with eight rookies making the team a year ago. That continued this offseason with nine draft picks.
Buffalo’s defense has been the focus, with 11 of those 19 picks — including six this year — being defensive players. And the first four picks this year — Maxwell Hairston, T.J. Sanders, Landon Jackson and Deone Walker — should all be in the mix to earn playing time during training camp.
The average age of Buffalo’s defense in Week 1 of 2023 was 27.5 with five players over 30 — and that didn’t include Von Miller. But this year, the Bills’ defense could be as young as 25.9 and just three players who have eclipsed 30.
“You feel like you’re trying to educate them in more ways than one,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said. “On the grass, in terms of schemes and techniques, but also in terms of habits off the field, that lead to winning and successful careers and trying to help the football team. So we’re going to play a lot of young guys on defense.”
McDermott has sometimes gotten a reputation for not playing rookies immediately, but the numbers don’t match. Thirteen rookies have started at least 10 games since McDermott became head coach in 2017, including quarterback Josh Allen.
Just three of those players have been defensive, as injuries, missed draft picks and quality free agent signings bolstered the defense for most of McDermott’s run and they were a top-10 defense from 2018-2023. Plus, elite teams often boast veteran-heavy rosters.
But as many as seven first- or second-year players could be in the lineup Week 1 this season, as Sanders and Walker are going to be relied upon to be immediate contributors with defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi headed for a six-game suspension.
Hairston, this year’s first-round pick, is also going to get a chance to start. He will battle McDermott’s first No. 1 pick, Tre’Davious White, for a starting cornerback position after White showed he’s regained some of the old form stripped away by injuries during minicamp.
White may have the advantage in experience and institutional knowledge, while Hairston has the edge in athleticism and speed. The Bills needed to become faster and more athletic in the secondary after last year, but Hairston also has to understand where he’s going.
“It’s who earns the right to play,” McDermott said. “… I’m not going to put a young guy out there or an old guy out there if their teammates don’t trust them. So that’s how we do it. Nine years of doing it, it ain’t going to change.”
Quarterback competition heats up
The Bills also might have a legitimate quarterback battle for the first time since Allen’s rookie year in 2018. Allen won’t be in the mix of course, but incumbent Mitchell Trubisky is going to get a significant push from Mike White this summer.
Trubisky was signed last offseason on a two-year deal for his second stint in Buffalo and White was added to the practice squad after being a cap casualty in Miami during final cuts. Trubisky spent all season as the backup, going 19 of 26 for 179 yards and two touchdowns in nine appearances.
After surprisingly going unclaimed on the practice squad all season, the Bills signed White to the active roster during Week 18 and gave him a one-year extension. White went 3 of 11 for 28 yards in the regular-season finale and has 2,247 yards, nine touchdowns and 13 interceptions in 15 career games between the Jets and Dolphins.
“(Trubisky) knows, ‘Hey, I’ve got to come out and show I’m the right guy should something happen to Josh Allen,’” general manager Brandon Beane said. “… We were fortunate to keep (White) here and told him, ‘Listen, come back, compete and let’s make the best man win.’ That’s our job is for us to find the best 53 that we can and so these guys will all have their opportunities.”
The Bills won’t take any dead cap hits by releasing White, who is due $1.195 million this year. They can save $1.5 million by releasing Trubisky, who has gone 31-26 in 57 career starts, with 74 touchdowns and 48 interceptions in eight seasons.
How to use Hoecht
How the defensive line rotation unfolds is another storyline to watch, especially with the added twist that Ogunjobi and defensive end Michael Hoecht will be suspended for the first six games. Training camp could give a glimpse at how the Bills plan to use Hoecht, who was signed to a three-year, $21 million deal during free agency.
Hoecht entered the NFL as a 300-pound defensive tackle, but has slimmed down to 265. He played mostly defensive end and rush linebacker in the Rams’ 3-4 scheme, but also has the size to slide inside to defensive tackle in rush situations.
The Bills have used players like ends like Greg Rousseau and Dawuane Smoot as rush tackles at times, but Hoecht has shown an ability to play on his feet. It’s plausible the Bills could play Hoecht as an outside linebacker in a hybrid five-man front when offenses present heavy sets or during short yardage situations.
“We’ve actually looked at him for multiple years,” defensive coordinator Bobby Babich said. “And then you try to envision a role or a piece that could perform because his role in L.A. was quite unique. We’ll see where it goes. He’s got to learn the Bills’ defense first and see how that comes together for him and see if anything could potentially expand from there.”
NOTES: The Bills signed Hairston and Walker, a fourth-round pick, to contracts Friday. … Sanders is the lone draft pick unsigned.