Not every Buffalo Bills defender is ideally suited for Jim Leonhard’s new scheme. Molding specific aspects of his defense to the specific skill sets of a few defenders will be a vital, likely challenging aspect of Leonhard’s job, particularly in Year 1.
I recently wrote how practice-squad mainstay Phidarian Mathis is finally in the correct system for his talents. I outlined why the Leonhard hire might have saved Landon Jackson’s NFL career. Not everyone will necessarily thrive in Buffalo’s new defense.
We have to prepare for that.
And these are players I view as ill-fit for Leonhard’s odd-man front base defense that will feature an uptick in man coverage and blitzing.
DT DeWayne Carter
The Bills would love if Carter came out of nowhere to serve as even a key rotational piece in Leonhard’s defense this season. His rookie year — after being selected in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft — was underwhelming. He was a healthy scratch early and hardly appeared on the stat sheet later.
Last year, Carter tore his Achilles in late August.
He’s up against it now, with a new coordinator. However, according to New York Upstate’s Matt Parrino, Carter has bulked to 330 pounds. That almost assuredly was a directive from the new staff, as it clearly envisions him as a traditional nose tackle as opposed to an upfield penetrator like he was at Duke and in his first season in Buffalo.
Could the physical transformation and a less-attacking role help Carter’s chances to contribute in 2026? Maybe. I see him as a player with an uphill climb to even make the roster given all the new pieces up front in this new defense.
DT T.J. Sanders
I adored Sanders as a prospect in the 2025 class. My NFL Draft algorithm, RESIN, loved him too. He felt like the ideal, explosive understudy to Ed Oliver who could provide an extra interior pass-rushing spark and eventually become the premier rusher in that role in Sean McDermott’s scheme.
While I don’t expect Leonhard’s defense to be night-and-day different from McDermott’s, the largest departure from the previous scheme will likely be what it asks of its defensive linemen. There’ll likely be much more two-gapping, where those trench players are tasked with reading the direction of the run then reacting to the ball-carrier. It’s a wholly different than simply exploding upfield at the snap.
Oliver likely won’t be given many two-gap responsibilities. And maybe Sanders simply spells Oliver throughout the year. But Buffalo may not be able to afford playing a Top 50 pick from a year ago in a clearly defined backup role. Sanders in a “hold your ground, eat blockers” job is not how envisioned him thriving in the NFL.
EDGE Greg Rousseau
Rousseau has proven to be a highly capable NFL edge player. To date, he hasn’t been elite, but he’s a stud run defender and established as a quality pass rusher.
He was the prototypical McDermott defensive end. Three-point stance. Rugged edge-setter.
I don’t view Rousseau as a brutal fit with Leonhard. It just might be, at times, awkward. Rousseau is athletic enough to get by regardless of what’s asked of him. But outside rush linebackers in an odd-man front aren’t typically nearly 6’7″ and 260 pounds.
In 2022 as the University of Wisconsin defensive coordinator, Leonhard sent his best pass-rushing edge Nick Herbig, the now handsomely paid Steelers defender, into coverage 93 times. Rousseau has dropped into coverage 113 times to date… in his entire NFL career, and that’s counting his playoff appearances too.
He’ll be asked to operate, moving backward, in space, as a coverage defender much more than he has in his first five seasons as a member of the Bills. Again, he is a capable mover — essentially built like a bulked-up tight end — yet this scheme will ask Rousseau to learn and execute something new in his sixth season.
Who else do you think is a less-than-ideal fit in Leonhard’s scheme?
