3 recently-extended Bills' players most to blame for recent losing streak

The Buffalo Bills have displayed a load of shortcomings throughout their first six games of the season, many of which were accentuated during a two-game losing streak entering the team’s Week 7 bye week.

At the forefront of their struggles has been the underperformance from a group of players the Bills were most reliant upon as they hoped to take a significant step forward on both sides of the ball this season. During the offseason, Buffalo signed several homegrown players to contract extensions, but the team has yet to receive ample return on its investment in many of the players it committed to for years to come.

Among the group that signed extensions, running back James Cook (four years, $48 million), and wide receiver Khalil Shakir (four years, $53 million) have done enough to live up to their new contracts in the early going. And while Josh Allen (six years, $330 million) has not replicated the torrid pace he set during his MVP season a year ago, you won't find many experiencing buyer's remorse when it comes to the Bills quarterback.

However, on the defensive side of the ball, edge rusher Greg Rousseau (four years, $80 million), linebacker Terrel Bernard (four years, $50 million) and cornerback Christian Benford (four years, $80 million) have yet to make the impact the Bills hoped for in a Super-Bowl-or-bust-type season. And if Buffalo hopes to turn things around quickly, beginning in Week 8 against the Carolina Panthers, its trio of defensive stars must start to raise its level of play.

CB Christian Benford

Benford was one of the top coverage cornerbacks in the NFL a season ago, but the former sixth-round pick has not experienced the same level of success to begin his fourth professional campaign.

Benford has been beaten regularly in coverage through the first six weeks of this season, failing to record a single pass defensed or an interception before Buffalo’s bye week. His early-season performance is a far cry from where it was a year ago, when in Weeks 1 through 6 last season, Benford recorded three passes defensed and an interception.

The Bills are allowing 250 yards passing over the past two games, and if they hope to get back on track in the back-end, it will start with Benford reclaiming his once-vaunted status. In order to do so, the 25-year-old will need to start making plays on the ball while wreaking havoc on opposing passing games.

MORE: Bills announce pending return of defensive reinforcements entering bye week

EDGE Greg Rousseau

Rousseau has been maligned throughout his career for his inability to get the quarterback on the ground. After being selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, the fifth-year pro has yet to record more than eight sacks in a single season.

While he has consistently provided an impressive ability to pressure opposing passers, Rousseau’s inability to finish plays with sacks has been one of the few question marks about his game. And that has continued through six games to start this season, a stretch in which Rousseau recorded just 1.5 sacks.

Rousseau’s extension made him the 12th-highest-paid edge defender in the league per average annual value (AAV). Thus far, his production during the 2025 campaign has not justified the hefty payday he received during the offseason.

LB Terrel Bernard

Bernard sustained a lower-leg injury during the Bills’ Week 6 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, the significance of which is unknown. With that said, even before the injury, Bernard was not performing well enough at the second level of Buffalo's defense.

The Bills allowed the third-most yards rushing per game in the league (156.3) in Weeks 1 through 6, and a significant reason for the struggles displayed by the team's run-stuffing unit has been the undersized Bernard’s inability to get off blocks and contact opposing ball carriers before they spring free into the secondary. His performance has been so poor that it has led to many calling for veteran LB Shaq Thompson and third-year pro Dorian Williams to be the team’s two starters at the position, even when Bernard is healthy.

It’s unlikely we see one of the team’s two captains relegated to the bench anytime in the near future. But if Bernard continues to perform the way he has over the first six weeks, Buffalo could be in the market for a new middle linebacker down the road.

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