The Buffalo Bills Need to Draft a Defensive Tackle

The 2019 NFL Schedule was released this week, and the NFL Draft is less than a week away. You might ask yourself what these two things have to do with the Buffalo Bills 2019 season and drafting a Defensive Tackle.

Where It Begins

The Bills open the season on the road against the New York Jets and the New York Giants. Most fans might say that these two games are winnable games based on the performances from both opponents last season. The one thing that fans might be overlooking is that both teams now have a dominant running back. Losing the battle at the line of scrimmage is something that happened frequently for the Bills defense in 2018.

New York Jets – Week 1

Unless you have been living under a rock the last couple months, you already know that the New York Jets signed arguably the best running back in the NFL. After a long courting by the Jets, Le’Veon Bell is now the long term answer for the team at running back. Bell might be a bit rusty after sitting out the entire 2018 season, or he might come into camp with something to prove. Either way this presents a problem for the Buffalo Bills defensive line. Bell at seventy five percent is still more productive than most backs in the league. In five seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Bell had thirty five rushing touchdowns and over three hundred receptions.

New York Giants – Week 2

As if facing Le’Veon Bell in week 1 wasn’t enough, the Bills will have to game plan for possibly the most complete running back in the league. Saquan Barkley proved in 2018 that he was worthy of being the second overall pick in the NFL Draft. Accumulating over two thousand yards from scrimmage as a rookie as well as fifteen total touchdowns. Barkley averaged five yards per carry, which is well above the NFL average.

Insert Defensive Tackle

For the Buffalo Bills to improve the run defense, the team needs to add a top-notch defensive tackle. The easiest route to take is selecting a blue chip defensive tackle in the upcoming NFL Draft. This years draft is deep on talent at the position. Adding a run stopping three-technique interior lineman will help with the run defense. The Bills ranked sixteenth overall in run defense in 2018. Averaging just under one hundred fifteen yards against per game. There were several games in which the Bills just could not stop the opposing team from running the ball at will. Star Lotulelei was signed before last season to provide a plug in the middle of the line and eat up double-teams. Jordan Phillips and Harrison Phillips are nice rotational players. Now the team needs to find that stud that will take the defense to the next level.