NFL Training Camp: 10 most intriguing battles in 2023

#8, Buffalo Bills – MIKE linebacker

Candidates: Terell Bernard, Tyrel Dodson, Dorian Williams & A.J. Klein

NFL Training Camp: 10 most intriguing battles in 2023

While the Bills have been trying to find a number two outside corner and investing a bunch of draft capital into their D-line, their safety and linebacker duos have been consistent and key in making that scheme work.

With as much zone-coverage as they like to run, being able to squeeze down windows underneath and challenge route patterns during their development is what’s needed to keep opposing quarterbacks from picking them apart by attacking voided space.

Matt Milano has been the more consistent of those two guys on the second level, particularly when it comes to cleaning up behind an aggressive line. They’re now losing a specimen in Tremaine Edmunds at the LB position, as his presence at 6’5” with an 83-inch wingspan combined with the range he provides, covered a large area of the field, along with having grown in that scheme. How do they replace him now?

Well, Terell Bernard was a top-100 pick for them last year (announced by the amazing Kyle Brandt from GMFB if anybody can remember) who was a two-time second-team and then first-team All-Big 12 selection at Baylor. With Buffalo’s starting tandem staying mostly healthy, he logged just 110 defensive snaps, but started on three of their four main special teams units and still recorded 22 tackles as a rookie.

Bernard finished 50th among 117 off-ball linebackers who played at least 100 snaps on defense in terms of PFF grade. His best work was in run defense, being charged with one or zero missed tackles, depending on the service you use. However, he officially only started once in the absence of Milano, which made up about half of the time he got to see the field in that facet.

Thinking back to his time college, Bernard’s ability to trigger on keys and attack the backfield in the run game (along with how effective he was as a pressure player) really stood out, displaying no fear of charging full-speed into blockers in either area.

At 6’1”, 225 pounds, he certainly presents a different physical profile and he’d likely be utilized in a slightly different avenue if Buffalo wants to start bringing a little more pressure.

Tyrell Dodson is the guy who actually started in the three games Tremaine Edmunds missed last season. An undrafted free agent three years ago, he’s been fairly effective when called upon, even though those three games he received extended runs in this past season weren’t his best showings.

He has a more filled-out frame than Bernard, showing discipline with going through his reads between the tackles and taking the appropriate angles reaching outside of that. However, he’s not the most mobile player in coverage and doesn’t present the same tackling range Edmunds did of course.

He only blitzed 14 on passing downs last season, but did record seven pressures on those. So we’d have to see if that could be a strength of his with extended opportunities.

Dorian Williams is the linebacker the Bills drafted this year in the third round. While he’s missing like four inches and 20 pounds on Edmunds, if you go back to their respective college tapes, you see the moments of brilliance dealing with blockers. But their strengths were in the passing game, thanks to how easily they moved, some of the signs they showed in understanding spacing and the length to shrink windows in zone coverage.

Williams is still speeding up his process of IDing keys in the run game. When bigger bodies were able to get their hands inside Williams’ frame, he had a tough time disengaging, and too often he’d end up leaving his feet as a tackler - although he’s shown steady improvements in that regard. And I do really like the combination of slipperiness to elude guys in space and the potential to use those long arms to his advantage in order to maintain vision on the ball carrier.

A.J. Klein deserves to be mentioned here, considering he has by far the largest sample size and track record of success in a starting capacity. He was in the lineup for 82 of 144 career games across five different spots, with the Ravens trading him as a piece of the Roquan Smith trade to Chicago last year. He ultimately got waived and the Bills picked him up again, following two years in Buffalo prior to that.

At 32 years old once the season rolls around and the level of play recently declining, he’s likely more of a depth piece, but they’d at least know what they’re getting if they plug him in at some point.

I believe Buffalo’s choice will be somewhat connected to the personnel packages they want to run. For example, if Dodson were to win out in camp, it’s probably because they like him best on early downs, but then want to bring on recently signed Taylor Rapp in three-safety sets for passing situations, where he plays dime backer.

To me, Bernard is the favorite, because of what I saw in his one start against the Jets, looking at his ability to diagnose plays and a couple of times funneling plays toward his buddies when he accelerated into a puller or lead-blocker.

Williams I think has the highest potential among the group, but it may take a year (just like with Bernard) before they feel comfortable putting him out there regularly. Dodson will probably do his best work on teams, where he’s been playing two-thirds of snaps these last two years, while Klein adds a veteran presence to a young crew other than Milano, who they may bring on in short-yardage situations.