Will Bills’ Defensive Additions Put Them ‘Over The Top’ In 2025? originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The plan of attack for Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane’s plan was as clear as day: beef up the defensive line.
Josh Allen and the offense are fine, but defensively, the Bills struggled to get after the quarterback last year, and their struggles were even worse on third down.
Combine those two, and it makes for tough sledding in trying to keep the opposing offense to a respectable score. But with the Bills going after solid free agents and using their first five draft picks on defensive players, the game plan was clear.
And for Bleacher Report, the biggest question this season is whether the reinforcements will be enough.
“This offseason, it was clearly looking to upgrade the defensive line for the Bills,” Bleacher Report writes. “Not only did they add veterans in Joey Bosa, Larry Ogunjobi and Michael Hoecht, but they also attacked the defensive front in the draft by taking T.J. Sanders (second round), Landon Jackson (third round) and Deone Walker (fourth round).”
“Assuming all six new additions make the roster that’s a ton of depth up front. After watching the success the Eagles had against the Chiefs in the Super Bowl, the Bills have to hope that a deep collection of defensive linemen can push them over the top. They’ll have to be because Buffalo is among the most cap-strapped teams in the league.”
With Sean McDermott doing his thing defensively, the Bills’ pass rush now has some serious bite, plus on the back end, with rookie Maxwell Hairston, the secondary has been solidified too.
But is all that enough?
If Allen and the offense continue in the same manner, and the defense takes a step forward, then Buffalo will be in the thick of playoff football.
However, until we actually see this new-look defense produce tangible results, there is going to be a question mark over whether McDermott’s unit is good enough to sustain a Super Bowl challenge.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 21, 2025, where it first appeared.