When the Buffalo Bills lost defensive end Shaq Lawson and defensive tackle Jordan Phillips to free agency in March, the obvious question was how the defense would replace their production.
Phillips and Lawson combined for 16 of the Bills’ 44 sacks in 2019. When Bills general manager Brandon Beane signed former Carolina Panthers defensive end Mario Addison, the plan started to crystalize.
Addison has had at least nine sacks in each of the last four seasons and it was easy to see why on Tuesday, when the Bills took the practice field for the second padded practice of training camp. Syracuse.com was in attendance and here are four observations from the day:
1. Addison shows off rushing the passer
The combinations on the defensive line are going to be endless for Bills coach Sean McDermott as he looks to generate pressure.
Addison showed why the Bills were willing to give him a three-year, $30 million deal this offseason on the practice field Tuesday.
In one 11-on-11 session, Addison blew by his blocker to record a sack of Bills quarterback Josh Allen.
Addison steamrolled Quinton Spain on one play, knocking him down en route to blowing up the play in the backfield for the sack. His combination of size and power makes him a tough matchup for any offensive lineman.
Bills defensive end Jerry Hughes played with Addison in 2011 in Indianapolis and knows the kind of pressure he can bring.
“He’s a playmaker who loves to be out there,” Hughes said recently. “When you’ve got someone on the line who’s pushing you competitively, it’s always a race to see who can get back there to the quarterback. That’s going to make our games and our practices and our different workouts so much more fun.”
2. Moss may be ready for a significant role
Every time Zack Moss touched the ball on Tuesday, he seemed to create a positive play. He made an outstanding catch on an over-the-shoulder ball nicely placed by Allen early in practice, and then helped drive the Bills to a touchdown in an 11-on-11 drill later on.
Moss had a nice play on a short screen pass where he looked to gain yards after the catch. In that way he’s similar to Devin Singletary, who’s made his name on breaking tackles.
Moss dragged two would-be tacklers into the end zone for the TD.
3. Work on the short passing game
The Bills ran some routes vs. air early in practice and the obvious emphasis was on the short passing game.
Stefon Diggs and John Brown were showing off their short slants, and Allen was working on delivering the ball on time and in the right place. That work was setting up what the Bills would focus on later in practice during 11-on-11 drills.
“We’re executing well but we’re inconsistent right now,” wide receiver Cole Beasley said. “So we’ve just got to build that consistency and get on the same page. Other than that it’s a good start. You can see what our offense can be at times. We just have to be more consistent with how we execute. It could definitely be better and we know that. We’re going to work every day to get it to where it needs to be. If we can get to where we’re doing the things we can do consistently, we’re gonna be a problem.”
Allen had another strong effort. His one pass to Moss down the right sideline was perfect and he made some nice short connections with Diggs and Brown and then had a nice ball to Beasley with Tre’Davious White in coverage.
4. Defensive backfield fun to watch
Safety Micah Hyde found himself in a one-on-one matchup with Diggs during 7-on-7 and came away with an early-practice win. Allen floated a ball up and Hyde scooted in front of Diggs, picked it off and ran it back for a touchdown.
His tag-team partner Jordan Poyer was flying around the field, too. On an Allen throw to Diggs early in 11-on-11 work, Poyer tracked the ball in the air near the right sideline and batted it down before the receiver could make a play on it.
