(EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the second of a two-part series with Bills coach Sean McDermott. Today an assessment of a new-look roster.)
National Football League free agency went on as planned starting in mid-March, but from a distance. The draft was conducted in “virtual” fashion from the participants’ homes.
For the Bills, interaction with the team media was accomplished via teleconferencing.
And with the draft and free agency now complete, coach Sean McDermott talked about Buffalo’s reworked roster.
“I’M MAYBE a little bit different than some defensive head coaches. A lot of defensive head coaches, and maybe head coaches overall, have a tendency to pad their side of the ball personnel-wise. I don’t want to do that,” McDermott said, although, of the 23 free agent, trade and draft additions made by the Bills this offseason, 13 were defensive players with eight on offense and two kickers. “I know you’ve got to score points in this league to win games. To have a balanced football team, we need to score points and that’s been an emphasis and a theme we’ve talked about since the end of the season. I’m encouraged by what we’ve added personnel-wise to help us in that category.”
Of course, the biggest immediate impact figures to come from veteran wide receiver Stefon Diggs, acquired in a trade with Minnesota.
“When you look at the production Stefon has experienced over the course of his career, that speaks for itself,” McDermott said. “He’s had big roles in games. We believe that it’s been shown and proven that people are able to come to Buffalo and become the best version of themselves. He’s certainly been awfully good to this point. It’s an opportunity for him to continue to grow and an opportunity for us to get a good football player that will help us win.
“I’ve been very happy with him since he’s become a Bill and I’ve gotten to know him a little bit. Certainly it’d be a lot easier if we were together to get to know one another, but the communication to this point has been top-notch and he’s been a nice addition.”
WHAT ABOUT the offensive line with three marginal free agents signed and no one drafted this year.
“It’s interesting because there’s added value in continuity,” McDermott said of a unit that returns six starters (Ty Nsekhe and Cody Ford split a tackle spot) and the top inside reserve. “We all hope we’re better in the second and third years of our job than we were in the first. If you’re a true pro that’s what happens. When you have a group like we had last year that for the most part had not played a snap, or many snaps together as we headed into the season, they really did some good things and took some significant strides as a group.
“To be able to have that group back and then to add a piece or two is valuable to us. It’s a veteran group. Overall, we’re very comfortable with the group we have, and I’m anxious and excited to watch these guys take another step.”
WHY THE heavy competition on the defensive line with eight ends and six tackles?
“We added, at end, Mario Addison. Going back to the Carolina roots Mario was a key piece to our defense, another highly-competitive individual that played really good football for us,” McDermott said. “We felt like adding Mario would help us not only from a skill level standpoint, but also some of the leadership in the defensive line room. He’s been a nice addition.
“Inside we added Vernon (Butler) … we overlapped a year or two in Carolina and he was hurt a bit and got off to a bit of a slow start. But when you watch what he was able to do this past season, in his contract year, we were impressed. Now, it’s about how he can sustain that and continue to grow. Quintin Jefferson, position flexibility, I love that; versatility I think is huge. Quintin played really good snaps for Seattle on a good defense. He’s played inside, he’s played outside, I love his relentless attitude and approach … a true pro.”
He added, “Linebacker-wise, Tyler (Matakevich) went to Temple and I’m very aware of his college resume, his background and then him playing for Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh. When you face teams and you know who their top special teams players are that’s a good thing. Tyler comes with a decorated resume as a special teams player and I think he’s an undervalued line of scrimmage player. He just fit here DNA-wise.
“A.J. (Kline) kind of speaks for itself. He played alongside Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis in Carolina. Then it’s like the little brother going off to do his thing and he did that in New Orleans. It was fun to watch A.J. from a distance, then for us to reconnect through free agency and see how far he’s come in his career.”
And what about the eye-opening draft of Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm in the fifth round?
“With Jake, what we can talk about is what we know and it’s well-documented the type of person he is, the type of player he’s been,” McDermott said. “The competition that he’s faced … what he’s done at Georgia. He’s played at a high level, he’s won a lot of games and I know that he’s committed to coming in and really being the best teammate he can be … earning every last inch of what he gets here. That’s a great way to start.”
(Chuck Pollock, a Times Herald senior sports columnist, can be reached at cpollock@oleantimesherald.com)
