Week 2: Buffalo Bills at Miami Dolphins
A fascinating undercurrent to every draft season is observing how teams are reacting to what their rivals are doing, on either side of the football. This year the AFC East gives us one perfect example of a team looking at what their competition is doing, and trying to come up with an answer in real time.
Take the Buffalo Bills. In an effort to aid the continued development of quarterback Josh Allen they traded for wide receiver Stefon Diggs. This gives the Bills and their young quarterback a solid trio of receivers for their 11 personnel package. You start with Diggs, a play-making threat that is dangerous in the downfield game. Then you add John Brown, a speedy receiver that can be used at all levels of the field. Finally you add Cole Beasley, an extremely difficult player to cover out of the slot.
Now look at what the Dolphins have done this offseason.
They added, around the time of the Diggs trade, cornerback Byron Jones to their secondary. That gives them the highest-paid CB tandem in the league, between Jones and Xavien Howard. But two great defensive backs cannot cover three talented receivers on their own, so they were not done adding to their secondary. With their final pick in the first round, they added athletic Auburn cornerback Noah Igbinoghene. Now, they might have an answer for a team’s three wide receiver package, and their first test will be in Week 2, against the Bills’ trio.
During his time in New England working with Bill Belichick, Brian Flores observed how the defensive genius would play matchups with his cornerbacks, depending on the skillsets of the opposing offensive weapons. One week you might see Stephon Gilmore locking up Amari Cooper, and the next you might see him covering Zach Ertz. With these three cornerbacks, Flores has the opportunity to play a similar game each week, and the Buffalo matchup is a perfect chance to do just that.
(Early guess? Howard on Diggs, Jones on Brown and Igbinoghene on Beasley).