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The Bills and Dolphins both try to transition smoothly from 3-4 to 4-3 defenses.
By Joe Diglio
As for Buffalo, this is a fresh start for a defense that was 30th in points against last year, giving up 27.1 per game. The new look will allow veteran defensive tackle Kyle Williams to play alongside fellow interior lineman Marcell Dareus, the third overall pick from last year’s draft. This should shore up their run defense, which was 28th in the league last year. However, the Bills still need an outside pass rush presence from either the defensive end or outsider linebacker positions. The organization has stated that they plan to be more aggressive this year in free agency than in years past, which they must be if they hope to fill the void. They finished dead last with just 23 sacks last year, a problem they must address.
On the other hand, the change with the Dolphins comes as a bit of a surprise, considering that the defense has performed reasonably well. Will they be able to maintain their toughness against the run? Miami was third in run defense this past season, but with the expected loss of free agent nose tackle Paul Soliai, they could end up looking much softer in the middle this year. Defensive end Kendall Langford is also likely to walk away, so the Dolphins will be looking for a complement to linebacker Cameron Wake, one of the NFL’s premier pass rushers. If they don’t find anyone, they will be faced with a weakened pass rush that will only expose their subpar secondary.
