The Buffalo Bills’ defensive line is highlighted by Von Miller, some young players on the edge with him like Greg Rousseau, and an emerging Ed Oliver.
But DaQuan Jones could be the most important factor of them all. Like Miller, he joined the Bills via free agency this spring.
The 30-year-old isn’t a flashy guy in the trenches like the previously mentioned ones. Think more like Star Lotulelei.
The Bills let Lotulelei go earlier this offseason. He was the under-the-radar player in the middle often defended by teammates and coaches as a space-eating player that allows others to make plays.
That’s now Jones.
In order to handle that responsibility, Jones doesn’t worry about the physical parts of the game. He revealed that being in the right place at the right time is what it’s about.
“It’s all mental. You get that mindset of knowing what you have to do. Stopping the run is all mental,” Jones told the Buffalo News. “You can try to be the most physical person in the room and try to go out there and bang, bang, bang. But if you don’t know what’s coming and how to stop it, it’s not going to matter.”
In 2021, the Bills defense ranked first in overall defense. The big reason for that was their top-ranked pass unit.
Buffalo’s run defense was middle of the pack at 13th. Games against the New England Patriots in tornado winds and the Indianapolis Colts’ Jonathan Taylor were a few examples of the Bills struggling against the run on defense.
Not to mention another domination from the Tennessee Titans and Derrick Henry, who Buffalo faces again next season like the Patriots.
Turning this all around won’t only fall on Jones in the middle, but he’ll play a factor.
Anticipation for Jones is high from at least one person already: Defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier. He sees a place for Jones on the defensive front with the likes of Oliver and Jordan Phillips en route.
“Being able to get a guy like DaQuan Jones, I mean, having him in there lining up with Ed and Jordan, I think it bodes well for what we’re trying to do up front,” Frazier said via video conference.
Along with Jones and others on the D-line, linebacker Tremaine Edmunds will also be under the microscope against the run. With the additions in the secondary the Bills made, it’s expected that side of things defensively will continue to churn out production.
It could fall onto the run defense to push the Bills to the levels they want to go in 2022.
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