Bills defensive back Cam Lewis isn’t at all surprised by how well Buffalo’s backups have filled important roles on an injury-hit defense two weeks into the season.
After spending a lot of time as a backup on a team that was once filled with veterans, he believes some good experience is bound to stick.
“A lot of guys just haven’t had a lot of opportunities just because we had such a good core,” Lewis said Wednesday as the Bills (2-0) returned to practice after a five-day break to prepare for their game against the Jacksonville Jaguars (0-2) on Monday night.
“That’s how I learned so much,” said Lewis, who is now the starting nickel cornerback because Taron Johnson is out indefinitely with an injury to his right forearm. “You have those guys around; it’s on you to learn from them.”
The same goes for Buffalo’s new starting linebacker duo of Dorian Williams and Baylon Spector.
“The guys before us set a great example,” Spector said. “They were ready. And then you learn from that, and you keep going.”
Spector, a third-year player, had to step up as the defensive play-caller on Thursday after middle linebacker Terrel Bernard injured his pectoral muscle in a 31-10 win against Miami. Bernard is now listed as week to week.
Williams, a second-year player, started the season in place of Matt Milano, who won’t return until at least December.
These injuries further weaken an already restructured and younger defense that faced concerns about its depth and experience after an offseason overhaul due to salary cap issues.
This situation led to the end of Buffalo’s safety duo, Jordan Poyer (cut) and Micah Hyde (unsigned and thinking about retirement), who had played together for seven seasons.
Seventh-year starting cornerback Tre’Davious White was also released, and Buffalo couldn’t afford to re-sign last year’s sacks leader, Leonard Floyd.
Although there are still issues, especially with third-down efficiency, the Bills’ defensive backups have stepped up significantly in both wins.
Spector and Williams each contributed to a team-high 10 tackles against Miami. In that game, Spector played 62 defensive snaps, which is the same number he played in his first two seasons in Buffalo combined.
With Lewis starting for Johnson, third-year player Ja’Marcus Ingram came in for passing situations, making two interceptions and returning one of them 31 yards for a touchdown.
Ingram also stood out in Buffalo’s season-opening 34-28 win over Arizona by breaking up Kyler Murray’s fourth-down pass attempt to Greg Dortch near the goal line in the last minute.
For a defense that has allowed opponents to convert 14 of 28 third-down attempts and was on the field for 75 snaps against Miami, the Bills have stopped five of six fourth-down tries, forced four turnovers, and recorded six sacks.
So far, this performance reflects a solid effort from a group that doesn’t get much national recognition outside of edge rusher Von Miller and tackle Ed Oliver.
“The whole roster can play,” Lewis said. “And I’m pretty sure we’d probably be starters on some other teams, but that’s the kind of unit we have.”
