Tampa Bay's star nose tackle wants out. Jim Leonhard's front is missing exactly what he brings. Brandon Beane's cap situation is a hurdle.
The Buffalo Bills changed defensive coordinators, changed base fronts and changed the language in the meeting room this offseason. What they didn't change was the personnel in the middle of the defensive line — and that's the one place a 3-4 hybrid needs to work.
Enter Vita Vea. Tampa Bay's nose tackle cut off contract negotiations and requested a trade this week, and NFL.com put Buffalo at the top of his list of landing spots.
"The Bills would have to do some cap gymnastics to make it work, but from a scheme and need fit, he'd be the perfect solution in the middle of the defense," NFL.com wrote. "The Bills struggled up the gut last year, particularly when Ed Oliver was out. Vea would plug that hole. Putting the veteran between Oliver and promising second-year defensive tackle Deone Walker would make Jim Leonhard's defense sing."
Buffalo moved off Sean McDermott's 4-3 base into Leonhard's 3-4 without acquiring the one archetype the front requires: a true nose tackle who eats double teams so the linebackers can run free. Oliver is a penetrator, not an anchor. Walker is a projection, not a certainty.
#bills #changed #tampa #front
The Buffalo Bills changed defensive coordinators, changed base fronts and changed the language in the meeting room this offseason. What they didn't change was the personnel in the middle of the defensive line — and that's the one place a 3-4 hybrid needs to work.
Enter Vita Vea. Tampa Bay's nose tackle cut off contract negotiations and requested a trade this week, and NFL.com put Buffalo at the top of his list of landing spots.
"The Bills would have to do some cap gymnastics to make it work, but from a scheme and need fit, he'd be the perfect solution in the middle of the defense," NFL.com wrote. "The Bills struggled up the gut last year, particularly when Ed Oliver was out. Vea would plug that hole. Putting the veteran between Oliver and promising second-year defensive tackle Deone Walker would make Jim Leonhard's defense sing."
Buffalo moved off Sean McDermott's 4-3 base into Leonhard's 3-4 without acquiring the one archetype the front requires: a true nose tackle who eats double teams so the linebackers can run free. Oliver is a penetrator, not an anchor. Walker is a projection, not a certainty.
#bills #changed #tampa #front
3 days ago
