Many of the available quarterbacks that made it to free agent waters have been gobbled up by teams. The quarterback position is the most important piece on a football chessboard. It’s the king piece. Some teams have dumped their own quarterback to pursue another general behind center. The draft this year may only solve one team’s quarterback room as this is not the QB class to fix the most important piece. We all know the Indiana University QB Fernando Mendoza will be scooped up by Tom Brady’s Raiders. The Colts did not allow Daniel Jones to be set free as they held him hostage with the franchise tag. Indiana Jones and the Colts worked out a new contract to keep him in Indianapolis. What Jones did for the Colts last year before the injury, that was a no brainer bringing him back. That is probably the best QB signing. This off-season had 5 quarterbacks in free agent waters. All 5 guys have seen enough action to be a starter in the league or a solid back up choice. Out of the 5 QB’s, who will make the biggest difference for their new team next season? Some of these guys may be just bridge gap starters next season. Hold the keys to the car for a portion of the season to immediately hand them over to someone else. The free agent waters still have a few quarterback options in Kirk Cousins, Jimmy Garoppolo, and Russell Wilson. Those are three names that were once a solid option for a team a few years back. Out of those three guys, I think only Cousins still has something left in the tank. He’s riding on fumes. I rank the 5 quarterbacks that were recycled this off-season. Starting with worst to first.

#5. GENO SMITH

Geno Smith is circling the wagons back to where it all started for him in New York with the Jets, the team that drafted him. Smith’s lone season with the Raiders was horrific. I know the Raiders really did not have a solid team around him with a reunion with head coach Pete Carroll. I don’t know who had the worst year between both these X-Seattle guys, Carroll or Smith? Seahawks fans are rejoicing not having either of these guys. Carroll in his return to the NFL after stepping away from coaching, his comeback would be one and done. Smith played his best football in a Seattle uniform. Last year as a starter, Smith went 2-13. He did complete 67.4% of his passes but was in the league leaders in interceptions. Smith since 2023 has led all quarterbacks in the NFL with interceptions. If Jameis Winston was playing full time, Smith would be second on this list. The Jets are always desperate for a quarterback as they strike out with all their draft picks trying to land the king piece.

I feel like the Jets should create their own quarterback like the guys in Weird Science, the movie where they create their own woman. This is a desperate reach by the Jets bringing back Smith. They had the same desperation last year with the Justin Fields signing, which they may still have him on their roster. In 12 seasons, Smith is 42-56 as a starting QB. In his first stint with the Jets in 4 seasons, he went 12-18 as their starter. More of the same here.

#4. GARDNER MINSHEW

The Cardinals released Kyler Murray to the free agent waters. Is it too late for Murray to play baseball? Murray was released despite still having plenty of years on his contract. He was injured last season most of the year. I get why he was released because he has not been good in a long time. The Cardinals signed Gardner Minshew, a guy that seems to find a new team every year. Minshew was a back up to Patrick Mahomes last season with the Chiefs. When his number was called to start a game after Mahomes was injured last season, it was not a good day at the office for Minshew. He suffered a season ending injury like Mahomes. His performance in a Chiefs uniform in 4 games is nothing to write home to mom about. When a team does sign Minshew and if he is not the starter, it seems like he always finds a few games on the field due to number 1 being injured. Minshew has had some solid years. In 2023 he was 7-6 as the starting QB for the Colts. In ’24, he went 2-7 as the Raiders starting QB. That tells you something about two franchises right there. He is a streaky QB & probably better as a back up option. The Cardinals already have Jacoby Brissett who started the most games for the Cardinals last year at the quarterback position. With Minshew and Brissett, you are basically getting the same guy. Two career back ups that have a knack at getting the starting job due to injuries and playing on multiple teams.

Minshew’s nickname is The Mustache or the Jock Strap King. He is a guy after football that could go right into the porn industry and do flashbacks of the 1970’s style action. Maybe he could also get a part in a series like a Sons of Anarchy reboot if they ever go down that avenue. As a starter, Minshew has a record of 17-30. I don’t see the Jock Strap King being the KING chess piece for the Cardinals very long this up-and-coming season.

#3. TUA TIME

Tua Tagovailoa was released by the Dolphins as Miami has a huge portion of their salary cap with dead money. Tua will be on the books for the Dolphins next season and beyond. The Falcons have a low risk high ceiling type of move here. By signing Tua, you are bringing in a veteran QB for peanuts which the Falcons will be paying him. The Falcons own the market for south paw quarterbacks that are injury prone. The Falcons still have 25 year old Michael Penix on their roster, a guy who was drafted in 2024. Is he a bust? In 14 games Penix is 4-8 as a starter for the Falcons in two seasons. Penix had a history of injury problems back in his college days. It is smart to have a solid back up in place in hot Atlanta.

It seems like Tua is always one hit away from being knocked into tomorrow with all the concussions he has suffered in the NFL. Last year Tua went 6-8 in his last season in a Dolphins uniform. He tossed 20 touchdown passes and also had 15 interceptions. Tua has a winning record overall as a starter at 44-32. He has thrown 120 touchdown passes in his career. This is a move that could work well for the Falcons. He’s cheap. He has a chip on his shoulder from being released looking to prove himself to the league. The Falcons play in a a bad division, they call the NFC South. If TUA TIME plays out, he may have an easier way back to the post-season than he did staying in Miami. The Falcons have some nice solid weapons around him. If he gets protection, he could help this Falcons team win that division this upcoming season.

#2. MALIK WILLIS

The former Titan and Packers back up QB Malik Willis is Tua Tagovailoa’s replacement for the Dolphins. This is an interesting signing by the Dolphins. Willis being a back up in a Packer uniform has come into games and has played well. In 4 games last season, he completed 85.7% of his passes. He had three touchdown passes & no interceptions. He did lose his only start he made last year. He is 26 years of age and has only played in the league for 4 seasons. He has made only six starts & has a 3-3 record in those 4 seasons. Did the Titans give him a fair shake in Tennessee or give up on him too early?

Being the starter is way different than being the back up guy. Can Willis be QB number 1 now? The Dolphins will not be a good team this upcoming season. They have sold off many of their pieces on the board. They have a new coaching staff. What about last year’s back up QB for the Dolphins, 22 year old Quinn Ewers? He went 1-2 as the starter for the Dolphins to finish the season. Ewers could learn from Willis as he did that/done that coming off the bench to play. Willis is a duel threat QB & more of a game manager than a guy that will beat you on the last drive of the game. The Dolphins still have some playmakers on that roster. I could see Willis playing well but not winning many games because of the defense and the roster will have many young guys on it. The Dolphins will need a solid O-line for Willis to be successful in South Beach. This will not be an easy job. I think Willis will thrive in his new opportunity.

#1. KYLER MURRAY

This is a very good signing by the Vikings. They inked Kyler Murray on the cheap side of things as his former team will be on the hook paying their old QB majority of his money this upcoming season. This move is the same type the Falcons made signing Tua Tagovailoa. It’s a low risk high ceiling. The Vikings, like the Falcons, have a quarterback they drafted in 2024 in JJ McCarthy. Unfortunately McCarthy did not play in ’24 as he had a season ending injury that kept him out the entire year. That’s when the Vikings inserted Sam Darnold. The Vikings almost had the number 1 seed under Darnold in the NFC from his play. Last year Darnold signed with Seattle because the Vikings still needed to see what they had in McCarthy. The Vikings missed the playoffs as McCarthy had a roller coaster season going 6-4 in 10 starts. He missed some games with injuries. He threw 11 touchdown passes compared to 12 interceptions which would be his rookie season. The Cardinals won three games last season and Murray won two of them as a starter. Murray only played in 5 games due to injuries. In 2023, Murray only played in 8 games. Murray is only 28 years of age, has been in the league for 7 seasons and has thrown 121 touchdown passes compared to only 60 interceptions. Murray’s tenure only got the Cardinals to the post-season once in 2021. The Cardinals lost that only post-season appearance Murray had. As a starter Murray has a losing record at 38-48-1 during regular season. Can the Vikings be that team they had with Darnold, only with Murray behind center? Is this the end of McCarthy? The Vikings should keep both quarterbacks because both guys are injury prone. With Murray, the Vikings will have a duel threat QB with a chip on his shoulder. Same with McCarthy he will have a chip on his shoulder looking back at Murray. The Vikings have a ton of playmakers including one of the best receivers in the NFL with Justin Jefferson. The Vikings defense is very solid. The Vikings as a team finished the season on a hot streak. It was too late because they missed the post-season. The Vikings have had a ton of success inserting veteran QB’s behind center. Murray, out of the entire available QB’s on the market this off-season, is the best option. If he stays healthy, the Vikings will be back in post-season. Murray is looking for that next long term deal. Will history repeat itself like Darnold if Murray does well? Can you depend on Murray beyond this upcoming season if he does well?

The NFL trade market is heating up right before free agency starts. The Chicago Bears and the Buffalo Bills strike up a big time deal that both franchises hopes each side will benefit from. The Bills acquire wide receiver DJ Moore from the Bears along with a 5th round draft pick in 2026. Meanwhile the Bears get the Bills second round pick this April along with getting rid of Moore’s huge contract from the books. Did the Bills finally get a legit number 1 receiver since Stephon Diggs was sent packing a few seasons ago?

DJ Moore was drafted originally by the Carolina Panthers back in 2018 in the first round out of Maryland, 24th overall. Moore has played 8 seasons in the NFL – 5 with Carolina and three with the Bears. He is 28 years old. Last season he played in all 17 regular season games, caught 50 balls while tallying up 608 receiving yards, and hauling 6 touchdown passes. In 8 seasons in the NFL, Moore has caught 608 passes for 8,213 yards and has 41 receiving touchdowns. Moore has never made it to the NFL Pro-Bowl. He has racked over 1,000 receiving yards in 4 out of the 8 seasons he has played in the NFL. Last year playing in his first post-season games, in 2 games he was targeted 15 times & caught 11 balls. He had two touchdowns. In the OT game in the divisional round, it looked like he stopped his route short versus the Rams which led to Caleb Williams’ interception. Moore was part of a deal that landed the Panthers their first round quarterback in Bryce Young in a trade with the Bears. The two teams basically swapped number one picks as the Bears found their quarterback in Williams the next season after the Panthers picked Young in 2023.

The Chicago Bears had a magical season last year going deep into post-season. The Bears slayed their dragon finally beating the Packers twice in one season and one of those wins came in the post-season. Ben Johnson had done a terrific job in year one with the Bears. Finally, for the city of Chicago that has starved for a quarterback since the 1940’s when Sid Luckman played for the Bears. Chicago has seen quarterbacks but mostly they have been bad and not a franchise QB for years to come like Caleb Williams. Johnson has done wonders with Williams in only year 1 as Caleb will be in his third season in ’26. Why are the Bears trading one of Williams’ weapons away? The Bears benefited from an easy schedule last year. The team has plenty of needs on the roster. Especially on the defensive side. By trading Moore, the Bears salary cap loosens up. The Bears also released one of their stud linebackers in Tremaine Edmunds which will free up another 15 million dollars for the Bears. The Bears center, Drew Dalman, suddenly retired at the age of 27 after signing a 3 year deal to come to Chicago after playing for the Falcons. The Bears will need to address the center position. The Bears number 1 receiver is Rome Odunze. The Bears like how their other young receivers have blossomed in the NFL already with Jahdae Walker and Luther Burden III. The Bears could be shedding money off the books and collecting draft capital to pull off a big deal in the works. After making the playoffs, the Bears will differently get a tougher schedule this upcoming season. The Bears could use this available money and draft capital to plug in all the holes they have on this roster. To avoid looking like a pretender this upcoming season.

For the Bills it was another loss in heartbreaking fashion in post-season. This time it was not the Chiefs. It was the Broncos in OT in the AFC divisional round.

If Brandon Cooks comes down with this ball in OT vs the Broncos, Bills would have went to New England to play in the AFC Championship game. After that loss, the Bills owner axed their head coach in Sean McDermott. The new hire was in-house for the Bills in Joe Brady, the offensive coordinator. The Bills offense was still one of the tops in the NFL even with one of the worst receiving cores in the league. The Bills were riddled with injuries at that position. The team has counted on Keon Coleman, a 22 year old receiver, who completed his second season in the NFL from Florida State University, who the Bills selected in round two. He regressed in year 2. The Bills General Manager has tried to put a band aid on the position by gambling on average veterans which has not worked. The Bills had one legit receiver on their roster in Khalil Shakir. He thrives playing in the slot. The Bills had him doing a little bit of everything. Landing DJ Moore can put Shakir back in his comfort zone. Moore is yet another Carolina Panther connection as the Bills have feasted on that franchise’s coaches and players for several years now. Yes, Brady has worked with Moore back in their Carolina days.

The Bills are so desperate for a number one receiver you would have thought they could get Moore at a cheaper rate than giving up a 2nd round draft pick. Moore is coming off his lowest production season of his NFL career. He is 28 years of age and now will cost the Bills 24.5 million on the salary cap. Which the Bills are not in good shape with the salary cap. The Bills have plenty of their own free agents which they would like to bring a few of those guys back. If this deal works out, Moore is under contract through the 2029 season. I still would like the Bills to add another solid playmaker to the mix to go along with Moore and Shakir. I’d like to see the Bills bring back their two offensive linemen who will be testing the free agent market in center Connor McGovern and guard David Edwards. The Bills offensive line the last few years have been a staple of this team. The protection of Josh Allen is the most important thing. Plus, the line created holes for James Cook who won the league’s rushing title last year. The Bills GM, Brandon Beane, will have his work cut out for him this off-season, especially after this move by acquiring Moore from the Bears. The Bills still need defensive reinforcements for a new scheme they are putting down this upcoming season. Adding Moore will create more explosive plays the Bills lacked last season. Ben Johnson’s offense is run heavy at times with the two headed monster they have had at the running back position. The Bears have plenty of weapons all over the field which could have resulted in a down year for Moore stats-wise. In Buffalo it could be a total different story for Moore because right now he is the best receiver the team has. The Bills still have plenty of weapons with their tight ends and running backs. With Moore, defensive teams have to know where he is at all times. His addition gives Khalil Shakir less attention which could pay off in many ways. Joe Brady, like a Johnson in Chicago, has clever ways in the offensive scheme to use all his weapons. Right now I hate this move only for the money it will cost the Bills. This move is good for the Bears. I need to see another solid receiver option for the Bills this off-season while making sure that O-line does not suffer because of adding a high price receiver. This is a trade that could work out for both the Bears and Bills.

The Houston Texans last season had one of the best defensive units in the entire NFL. The Texans dug themselves out of a gigantic hole in the first half of the season going 2-5 in the standings. Not until they leaned on that ferocious defense. The Texans won 9 straight games, finished 11-5, and clinched the top wild card spot in the AFC conference. The Texans went into Pittsburgh and gave the Steelers a beatdown in the wild card round of the post-season. Then in the divisional round, the Texans defense could not overcome the mistakes the offense made in New England. CJ Stroud has regressed since his rookie season as he threw 5 interceptions in New England as the Texans were eliminated from the post-season. If Stroud avoided three of those interceptions, maybe the Texans defense could have saved the day once again. The Texans could have certainly won the AFC Championship game by beating the Broncos without their starting quarterback Bo Nix if they got past the Patriots. One of the first moves made by the Texans this off-season was adding a solid running back as they acquired 28 year David Montgomery from the Detroit Lions.

One of the quarterback’s best friends besides the offensive linemen who protects them is a solid running back. The Texans averaged 108 yards per game last year which is good for number 22 in the entire NFL rankings from the 2025 season. The Texans ran the ball by committee with two backs last year. Houston used veteran running back Nick Chubb, who the Texans signed in the off-season. Chubb had some great years with the Browns but with a season ending injury in 2024, Cleveland elected not to re-sign him. Chubb averaged 4.1 yards per carry last year in his first and probably only year in Houston. The Texans relied more on their rookie running back Woody Marks down the stretch to give Houston more of a balanced offense. Marks only averaged 3.6 yards per carry. The Texans still have Joe Mixon, the former Bengal, on their team but he missed the entire season with a foot injury. The Lions are breaking up their two headed monster they had going on the last few seasons with David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs. He who certainly is climbing the charts as being one of the best running backs in the NFL. In return the Texans send the Lions two draft picks and offensive lineman Juice Scruggs. Those draft picks are a 4th round selection in this April’s draft and a 7th round pick in 2027. The Lions did not make it to post-season last year. Montgomery was not happy last season with a reduced role. He played all 17 games but had the lowest amount of carries in one season of his entire career.

David Montgomery was originally selected by the Chicago Bears in the 2019 NFL draft in the 3rd round from Iowa State University. Montgomery would play four seasons in Chicago as the number 1 back on bad teams. In 2023 as a free agent, he would sign with one of the Bears arch-rivals in the NFC North, the Lions. In three seasons with the Lions, Montgomery had scored 33 touchdowns and tallied up 2.506 rushing yards. The Lions were in the post-season in back-to-back years. People would look at you funny if you told them the Lions would be in post-season in back-to-back years. Lions football has been dead in Detroit for decades before those two seasons in ’23 & ’24. Montgomery was one of the cogs that worked well in Ben Johnson’s offense as the Lions have been one of the high scoring teams over the last few seasons. Johnson left Detroit after Montgomery’s second season to take over the head coaching duties for the Bears. Last season Montgomery did average 4.5 yards per carry as he rushed for 716 yards and found the end zone 8 times. He shared the load with Jahmyr Gibbs. Gibbs got more carries. The Lions have all kinds of weapons in the passing game as well. Gibbs can also be used in the passing game. Montgomery is great at running up the middle as he can break many tackles. Great back for goal line situations as well because he can get the tough yards while getting the ball over the goal line.

Running backs are a dime a dozen these days in the NFL. The Lions have been pretty good at finding solid offensive linemen. The Lions missing the post-season is forcing them back to the drawing board. They are retooling. Juice Scruggs is a 26 year old offensive lineman who was drafted in 2023. He has three seasons in the NFL all with the Texans as a back up along with being a rotational piece on the interior part of the O-line. He is a massive 300 pound man that stands at 6’3″. The Lions get rid of David Montgomery’s salary while also adding some draft capital. The Lions could find another back to play Montgomery’s part next season. The Lions also could just make Jahmyr Gibbs their featured back and only give carries to a back up running back when he needs some rest. The Lions created some cap space for other needs on their roster with this move.

The Texans will most likely release Joe Mixon who can be a solid back but can be a headcase at the same time. Mixon is a back that can run the ball and make catches out of the back field for your team. Teaming Mixon up with Montgomery you have two sets of backs with two different sets of skill sets. Which could be a good thing and a bad thing.You have to think why the Texans made this trade. They are making Montgomery the number 1 back which will not go well for Mixon being that head case that would cause a rift in the locker room. How is Mixon’s foot that sidelined him a entire season? The Texans have upgraded their back field with this trade. Woody Marks can still get the ball and build off his rookie campaign. Montgomery can work well with others but he just needs to run the rock more to satisfy his needs. A solid running game can take the pressure of CJ Stroud. The Texans had some problems with their offensive line last year. Part of the setback was the O-line in the beginning of the season. If you are trading away guys, you have to be thinking of replacements this off-season. They have to be better replacements than the guys you are getting rid of. Montgomery will need guys ahead of him plowing him some openings. The Texans need better pass protection as well. If Houston has a solid running game, it opens up the play action pass. If the running game is solid it will help their stellar defense get more rest in the game. With a a rested defense they could be even more of a deadly unit. It seems like the Texans are taking a page out of the Seahawks playbook. Solid defense. Great running game. All’s Stroud has to do is play up to the level of a Sam Darnold who is not in the top 10 quarterbacks in the entire NFL. Darnold did not hurt his team in the post-season like Stroud did. If Stroud is still the number 1 guy in Houston which I think he is, he will have to take better care of the football. The Texans back up QB Davis Mills went 3-0 filling in for the injured Stroud. In those three wins he took care of the football.

How does a NFL player become homeless and have to live life on the streets? It probably happens more than you think as players run through their money quickly, especially if making it to the NFL poor. How many times have you heard the story about professional athletes spending all their money on hookers, blow, and fast cars? What about the players that are always on the bubble in the sport fighting tooth and nails trying just to make a roster spot and being paid the minimum. In the game of football, how many concussions can mess with your brain after playing the rough sport for decades? How many military soldiers take on life after war on the streets suffering from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)? When former Philadelphia Eagles defensive lineman Kevin Johnson came to those crossroads in his life after football, he had to live the lonely life on the streets hoping you can find 3 square meals a day or a cot to sleep on if you were lucky. Many times you have used up all your lifelines at this point like family or friends. For the homeless, a good day may be finding that cot at a church or mission to crash on. Especially a cold night. Is death a good way to get out of living life on the streets? I think nobody wants to end things by being stabbed and taking a lump on your head with some kind of make shift weapon. This is what happened to Kevin Johnson, found dead in a homeless encampment along the LA River, most likely under the bridge. Most common sense suggests a homeless person has nothing worth taking. Police detectives think Johnson has been a victim of a serial killer. In the same area the police have found other homeless people with the same MO being stabbed to death along with blunt head trauma.

Kevin Johnson was killed this year in the month of January in LA where he grew up. He went to college & played football at Texas Southern. Johnson played along side Michael Strahan at Texas Southern who would have a Hall of Fame career with the Giants. Johnson had to have been a pretty good player to be drafted in the 4th round of the 1993 NFL draft 86th overall by the New England Patriots. Just because you were drafted does not automatically benefit in the big pay day. Johnson was not a first round pick which teams will give multiple chances rather than be picked later in the draft. Johnson did not make it on the Patriots as he was cut. He did not give up on his NFL dream as he tried to latch on to the Minnesota Vikings practice squad. He was eventually cut by them and the Oakland Raiders after that. It took Johnson until 1995 to play a game in the NFL as he was picked off waivers by the Philadelphia Eagles. In ’95 he played in 11 games and started 1 of those games. He tallied up six sacks & 19 tackles. He forced a fumble. Had a fumble recovery for his only touchdown of his career which was for 37 yards.

In the same season he played in two preseason games for the Eagles. He registered a tackle and assisted on another one. Johnson returned to the Eagles in his second season and played in 12 games in ’96. He started 5 games in year two with the Eagles. The Eagles would cut ties with the big massive specimen. In 1997 he played for the Raiders and saw action in 15 games. By 1998 he was released by Oakland. He finished his NFL career with 54 tackles and 7 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and the fumble recovery for his only touchdown.

Do you remember when quarterback Kurt Warner used Arena Football as a stepping stone to get into the NFL? This was not quite the case for Kevin Johnson as he still needed to eat and pay the bills after his NFL career at the time came to an end. He landed a team in Arena Football called the Orlando Predators in 1998. Back then it was an Ironman style of football where you played both ways. Johnson had to adapt to playing offensive line and then play his normal defensive position. Then adapting to Arena Football is another challenge for players. Playing football inside on half of a normal 100 yard style field you played on your entire career from Pop Warner and beyond. In his first season, Johnson’s Predators won the Arena Bowl vs another Florida power house called the Tampa Bay Storm. In 1999 the Predators would lose in the Arena bowl vs the Albany Firebirds. In 2000 he would sign with the LA Avengers and then he suffered a season ending injury. In 2001 he would come back to the Avengers and have the faith in another trip to the injured reserve. By July of 2001 Johnson was suspended by the league & the reason for the suspension has never been released.

I do not know what happened next in Kevin Johnson’s life after the gridiron came to an end. Football injuries could linger which means popping pain medication becomes your new sport during the day. The countless nights you probably can’t sleep. What was going on inside his mindset? Could have been dark & twisted with depression setting in. Thoughts about what happened in his entire life just flashed by him. Add concussions to the mix as some of these players can’t adapt to life after football just because their head is not right. On January 21st, the LA County medical examiner rules Johnson’s death a homicide. Being stabbed in your sleep is just a guess and being hit in the head to see the outcast of society by the world living together is you last thing you see on Earth. Terrible!! In the location in LA where it occurred on the 1300 block East 120th street from October of 2025 to this year, the police have counted 4 bodies. Four victims living in these encampments found dead stabbed to death. Imagine this is not the work of a serial killer like Ted Bundy or John Wayne Gacy. Those were guys that planned well and lived in society hidden from their demons and acted like normal citizens. You would think the suspect would be another homeless person dealing with all kinds of mindset problems. The world can be a horrible place. How people get there you would think could have been prevented like Johnson’s death. The signs are usually there. The male species is stubborn in general as many will not ask for help. It sucks people go down these roads. People that have plenty of opportunities in life but just don’t fully take advantage of them. When the mindset becomes unhinged, these things can easily happen. It is hard to slay your inner demons. Hopefully a story like that can prevent guys like Johnson from going down the same path. Hopefully the LA Police department can find this killer and put them behind bars where they belong. Homeless people should not be easy prey even though it could be one of their own.

The Buffalo Bills have always lacked a top notch defense in eras where they have had top notch Hall of Fame quarterbacks. Josh Allen to me looks like a sure thing Hall of Fame quarterback as he is still presently playing and about to turn 30 years of age. Back in the 1990’s, the Bills went to 4 Superbowls with Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly. The results were no rings and zero Superbowl titles for wing city. The Bills in the 90’s had the big names like Bruce Smith. Cornelius Bennett, and Darryl Talley on those defenses. In present day the Bills defense has some solid names like Ed Oliver, Matt Milano, Cole Bishop, and Christian Benford. Both defensive units in both eras shared a mentality of bend don’t break styles and feast on turnovers. In both eras the Bills got the better defense in regular season than in post-season. Except this last season I did not like how the Bills were gutted like a house up the middle with the opposing teams running game. Very embarrassing. In the 1990’s the Bills defense played better in the AFC post-season than fall apart in the Superbowl. In three out of the 4 Superbowl games, the Bills were blown out. The Josh Allen era the defense has never had that big game in the later rounds of the post-season. They never shut down any of those Chiefs teams and even faltered with 13 seconds remaining in one of those playoff meetings with the lead and lost in OT. The Bills turned over the ball multiple times in the AFC Divisional round recently and lost even though they put 30 points on the scoreboard. This is why things had to change in Buffalo after that loss to the Broncos. Can the new hire at defense, a former Bills player Jim Leonhard, change the script on defense?

The Bills decided to fire their long tenured head coach Sean McDermott and replaced him with an in-house candidate, the young brilliant offensive coordinator Joe Brady who is only 36 years of age. The Bills decided to keep things young on Brady’s coaching staff and sign one of the hottest names to be the next solid defensive coordinator in the NFL in 43 year old Jim Leonhard. As a player, Leonhard was undrafted from the University of Wisconsin. He started his 10 year playing career with the Bills as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He played for the Bills in two stints of 4 seasons. He also suited up for the Jets, Ravens, Browns, and Broncos. He played defensive back along with special teams and played in 142 total games. He tallied up 332 tackles while sacking the quarterback 4.5 times. He had 14 interceptions. He was not all-pro as a player. He was a football player that gave you everything and played hard every play which is the definition of a guy making it into the NFL after not being selected in the draft.

The last two seasons Jim Leonhard has worked on Sean Payton’s staff in Denver. He has spent two seasons in Denver working under defensive coordinator Vance Joseph. He started as a defensive backs coach and pass coordinator in 2024. Last year he was the assistant head coach on the Broncos staff as defensive pass game coordinator. The Broncos defense was one of the best units in the league the last two seasons. The Broncos were one of the best at getting to the opposing team’s quarterback. In 2024 the Broncos defense tallied up 63 sacks. Last season they beat that with 68 sacks. Before coming to Denver Leonhard got started in the coaching world at his alma mater Wisconsin as he was hired on there as defensive backs coach in 2016. He was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2017 and kept the same job until the end of 2022. He finished the 2022 season being the interim head coach while still calling the plays on defense. He finished the season with a 4-3 record under his guidance.

Right now and the last few seasons, the Buffalo Bills has had one of the top offenses in the league. Since Joe Brady took over, the Bills offense has ran like a well-oiled machine. Back when Jim Kelly played he was running the K-Gun offense that he had humming in the late 80’s and into the 1990’s as that Bills offense was one of the best in the league. Kelly only played 11 seasons in the NFL and he shattered all the Bills quarterback records when he played. Kelly started his professional football career in the USFL after college. He played in 160 NFL games all with the Bills and had was 101-59 as a starter. He completed 60.1% of his passes. He tallied up 35,467 passing yards while throwing 237 touchdown passes. He had 175 interceptions. Allen’s numbers are even SICKER. Allen will break all of Kelly’s records sooner than later. Allen has played in 128 game all with the Bills as he completed his 8th season. He is 88-39 as a starter. He has a higher completion rate of 69.3% than Kelly’s 60.1%. It was a different game back then in Kelly’s era compared to present day. Allen has already tallied up 30,102 passing yards. He is really closing in on Kelly’s 35,467 passing yards. Allen has 220 touch down passes compared to 94 interceptions. Let’s not forget Allen has 79 rushing touchdowns. If any franchise had these two quarterbacks at any time, you would expect at least one Superbowl title or more from either guy. You would think they would win a Superbowl with the defenses they had as well. They have not been terrible. Just unreliable in the big games on the biggest stage.

If I could pick one defense in Bills history to pair with either Josh Allen or back in the day with Jim Kelly, it would have been the 2014 unit. It was a one year wonder when Jim Schwartz was defensive coordinator. That unit led the league in sacks with 54. Schwartz went with a 4-3 defensive scheme. It was a aggressive unit of high pressure attack style. When the running back or receiver caught the ball, they swarmed to make the tackles as a team. It looked like a mugging. Or Rodney King beat down without the clubs. They were 3rd in the league in forcing turnovers. They finished the season 4th overall. The team finished 9-7 that season and just missed the playoffs. Then Rex Ryan was hired the very next season and ruined that defense they had in place. Mario Williams and his red terminator eyes was the reincarnation of Bruce Smith as he was a one man wrecking crew on the edge. Schwartz did not get the Cleveland head coaching job after what he did for that Browns defense last season. I thought a reunion could be in the works bringing the Schwartz back to Western New York. Can Jim Leonhard bring this kind of shenanigans to the table with his new defense?

“We’re going to be an attacking defense up front and in the back end. We’re going to attack the football.”

Some of the words by the new Bills defensive coordinator. Brings back memories of the 2014 defensive unit.

“We are going to be aggressive and fly around. We are going to force them to react to us, I don’t like the counter punch.”

Jim Leonhard’s press conference gives any Bills Mafia members goosebumps up and down their arms and shoulders. With words like AGGRESSIVE AND ATTACK.

I feel like Jim Leonhard could use former Giants Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor’s motivation crazed dogs speech in his new Bills style of attack defense. Leonhard plans to change the Bills 4-3 scheme to a 3-4 scheme. He will have to figure out what guys he has currently that he can use and hope they have the skill set for that defense. He will need to draft some pieces to this master puzzle he has in the works. The Bills front office might need to bring in some free agents to make this work. Right now Leonhard is the key master in this entire thing. If his defense succeeds and the Bills will get over the playoff humps and bumps they have been dealing with. If Allen has a top defense, the Bills team can erase mistakes that were made in that Denver game. Allen’s stupid fumble right at the end of first half. Then the James Cook fumble that changed momentum in that game as the Bills could have gone up 14-3 at that point vs Denver. Look at the Superbowl match up. Seattle’s defense is nicknamed the DARK SIDE because they allow a league low of 17.2 points per game. Allen in most games can score 20 points before halftime. The Patriots defense is also a pretty good unit as well. I feel like as a Bills fan I will not have to pray and pray harder for the Bills to get the turnover to stop the drive. I think we will see way more 3 and outs by the Bills defense next season. The turnovers will come as well. Stopping the run will be the gate master out of this entire thing that unfolded after the loss to Denver. I think the young minds of football like Sean McVay and Ben Johnson are proof in the pudding that it works. The Bills right now have two of those great young football minds on both sides of the ball with Joe Brady and the new guy Leonhard who is actually the old guy age-wise. Defense in Buffalo!!! With Allen and Cook. Give Allen a solid receiver in there. Whoa, Jimmy!!! Now you just have to roll out this master plan on the field next season in the new stadium. Very exciting!!!