Bills Central

2024 Bills Training Camp: 3 defensive position battles to watch

The Buffalo Bills have lingering questions that need to addressed on defense for the upcoming season. So we're going to help answer them.
McKenna Middlebrook|
Bills defensive back Kaiir Elam during training camp drills.
Bills defensive back Kaiir Elam during training camp drills. | Jamie Germano/Democrat and Chronicle /

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The Buffalo Bills won’t be arriving at St. John Fisher University for their 2024 training camp until (most likely) late July, but there are plenty of battles across the team we can examine as the team gears up to compete for its fifth consecutive AFC East title.

We're breaking down position battles across the roster to get your brain in football mode. To kick off, here are three defensive competitions to keep an eye on this summer.

CB: Ja’Marcus Ingram vs. Kaiir Elam 

At first glance this seems like an odd positional battle. Kaiir Elam was drafted in the first round during the 2022 NFL Draft by the Bills, while Ja'Marucs Ingram fell through the cracks of that same draft. Ingram has floated between the practice squad and active roster since he’s been signed, while Elam has made some splash plays since he’s joined the Bills.

Where is the battle?

Well, Elam has still been considered by a few pundits, a draft bust, and there’s some evidence to prove that he has achieved that unfortunate title. Elam played just six games last season, which was due to a mix of a lingering ankle injury that put him on the IR, and coach’s decisions to scratch him from the gameday roster. And when he has played, he’s been a yo-yo, up and down. He’s made a couple of crucial plays, see his interception of Patrick Mahomes during the regular season of his rookie year, or his interception against the Steelers in the 2023 playoffs. But he’s also been exposed in coverage and has been flagged multiple times for putting his hands on receivers downfield. 

The reason this is a battle is due to the ability of Sean McDermott to develop underappreciated cornerbacks. Ingram played just three games last season, making appearances in Elam’s absence. He tallied… zero stats. 

So, who will win this matchup? We’re going to give the nod to Elam. Yes, he’s not perfect, but he has more potential and more experience in this Bills defense. And if the reports are true that the Bills are going to be playing more man coverage this season, Elam should fit in well to this new style of play for the Bills defense. 

Related: Bills' 'one last offseason move' should be at this position

S: Taylor Rapp vs. Cole Bishop 

Let’s stick with the secondary. Another interesting battle we’ll see during training camp is who will be lining up next to free agent signing Mike Edwards in the defensive backfield: veteran Taylor Rapp or rookie Cole Bishop? 

The Bills signed Rapp in the 2023 offseason to a one-year deal to add depth and youth to an aging secondary unit, and the potential to put three safeties on the field at the same time. Rapp’s first season as a Bill was… fine. Rapp’s profile is similar to Jordan Poyer, a hard-nosed safety who plays in the box but is flexible enough to line up as a free safety if needed. GM Brandon Beane and HC Sean McDermott were happy enough with his performance last season, with Beane giving him a three-year extension in March. This deal should signify him as a starter for the upcoming season. 

But, in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft, the Bills selected safety Cole Bishop, who, get this, has a similar profile to Jordan Poyer: a hard-nosed safety who plays in the box but is flexible enough to line up as a free safety if needed. Beane and McDermott are incredibly enthusiastic about the addition of Bishop, which can be seen in the Bills Embedded YouTube series. 

What he lacks in experience, Bishop makes up for in size, athleticism, and youth. We’re going to give the nod to Bishop. From everything Beane has said about Bishop, he should pick-up the playbook quickly, and we think he could make an instant impact on a revamped Bills defense. 

Related: ESPN thinks this Bills rookie ended up in 'perfect landing spot'

Javon Solomon vs. AJ Epenesa 

We’re getting into the nitty-gritty battles now. 

The Bills have invested heavily in their defensive line since the Beane-McDermott regime took over in 2017. This is in large part because McDermott likes to rotate his defensive linemen to keep them fresh over the course of the game in hopes that they’ll make more plays down the stretch. This system has worked for the most part, with Buffalo's pass rush production often coming via several contributors.

We’re going to look at another rookie vs. veteran matchup for this upcoming training camp. 

AJ Epenesa has grown throughout his NFL career; he was selected in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft, and over his time in Buffalo he has amassed 15.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, and 15 pass deflections at the line of scrimmage. Each season though he’s improved on his numbers, and has started to become a more consistent presence on the defensive edge. Once known as a power rusher, Epenesa has slimmed down over his time in the league, now fitting more of the 'speed rusher' prototype while still having solid play strength.

While his rookie teammate, Javon Solomon, is almost the exact opposite. He's a bit undersized (6-foot-2 to Epenesa's 6-foot-6), but what he lacks in speed, he makes up for in tenacity. He's a solid athlete who possesses a solid blend of speed and power, but it's his motor that allows him to be a consistent playmaker to the tune of an FBS-leading 18 sacks last year. He likely projects as a situational pass-rusher, but we could see a scenario where it's simply difficult to keep him off the field; in this instance, could we see him pushing Epenesa for snaps opposite Greg Rousseau?

For this battle, we’re giving it to the veteran Epenesa. His development should see him take another step in the right direction, and with his size it’s less likely he’ll get swallowed up by bigger linemen in the run game. This doesn’t mean we won’t see Solomon at all though, due to the aforementioned heavy rotation that McDermott likes to implement.

Honorable mention:

Jack Browning vs. Sam Martin vs. Matt Haack

Punters are so often underappreciated by those who both watch and write about the NFL. But we believe they’re an incredible asset to the team, and should be treated as such, because one kick of the ball can change the course of an NFL season. 

This Gunther vs. Sheamus vs. Drew McIntyre-esqe triple threat battle is going to be interesting to watch over the course of the training camp. Undrafted free agent Jack Browning has a powerful leg, he netted a long of 68 yards in college last season and netted an average of 42.3 yards. Matt Haack has been with the Bills before and rejoined the team after starting punter, Sam Martin, got injured last postseason (only to be cut and then re-signed). Then there’s Sam Martin, his leg isn’t as powerful as the other two, but he’s incredibly precise and can usually get a favorable roll after the ball drops. An impressive forty-seven percent of his punts last season landed within the 20-yard line, usually giving the opposition bad field position for their drives. 

So who is going to be the winner of this triple-threat match-up? We believe it’s going to be Martin. The Bills offense will still be able to generate yards with an offense led by Josh Allen, meaning when their drives stall out it’ll be closer to fifty-yard line, so they’re going to need a punter with precision rather than power.

These are just a few of the battles that will occur during training camp; there are questions on backup linebacker and additional questions across the defensive line, but these four will be some of the most interesting to see unfold at St. John Fisher this summer.

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McKenna Middlebrook
MCKENNA MIDDLEBROOK

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