State of the Buffalo Bills Roster - Defensive Depth Chart

DEFENSE

DEFENSIVE LINE (8) - Good Condition

1. Mario Williams - DE

• 2014 Salary - $18,800,000
• Under Contract - 4 Years through 2017-2018
• Comments - Mario Williams is a productive player when healthy. He battled a wrist injury in his time as a Bill and seemed to struggle through it. He got surgery on the wrist and looked like a new man. He'll be a staple to the Bills success for years to come although living up to an $18 million dollar per year contract may be tough to live up to in the eyes of some fans.

2. Kyle Williams - DT

• 2014 Salary - $6,250,000
• Under Contract - 3 Years through 2016-2017
• Comments - Kyle Williams is as solid as can be. He's a mainstay in the middle, hard-nosed and plays his tail off. He is an established 1-2 punch along with Marcell Dareus on the inside and should help free up the rest of the front seven to make plays in both the run game and passing game.

3. Marcell Dareus - DT

• 2014 Salary - $6,493,232
• Under Contract - 1 Year through 2014-2015
• Comments - Marcell Dareus has been an enigma since being drafted by the Buffalo Bills 3rd overall in the 2011 draft in front of the likes of AJ Green, Patrick Peterson, Julio Jones, Aldon Smith and JJ Watt. He was a productive player in the SEC and just hasn't lived up to the pick in my opinion, especially seeing the players that the Bills could have had. Hindsight is 50/50 though. I can't believe Dareus is in the final year of his contract. I thought he had a good season last year and would really like to see the Bills extend him long term. If they don't, a position of strength becomes a weakness and the drafting of Dareus 3rd overall looks even more disappointing.

4. Jerry Hughes - DE/OLB

• 2014 Salary - $3,995,000
• Under Contract - 1 Year through 2014-2015
• Comments - The Bills stole him from the Colts in exchange for a stiff, overrated LB in Kelvin Sheppard. Hughes had a great first season in Buffalo but with a new defensive coordinator and a potential switch from LB to DE after the Bills are expected to move from a 3-4 to a 4-3, the odds are stacked against him to repeat that production. Having two great DT's and a DE across from him in Mario Williams, he has no excuses if he fails to produce. I enjoy watching him play and look forward to what I think will be another successful year as a Buffalo Bill.

5. Alan Branch - DT

• 2014 Salary - $2,925,000
• Under Contract - 3 Years through 2016-2017
• Comments - A solid rotational player that is signed for a few years backing up Kyle Williams and Marcell Dareus at the DT position. A good depth player who has been productive at the NFL level.

6. Corbin Bryant - DT

• 2014 Salary - $495,000
• Under Contract - 1 Year through 2014-2015 (ERFA)
• Comments - The current 4th DT on the roster behind K. Williams, Dareus and Branch. Not a lock to make the team but stuck last year and could do the same this year. Will compete with Stefan Charles and anyone else the Bills decide to bring in this off-season.

7. Stefan Charles - DT

• 2014 Salary - $495,000
• Under Contract - 2 Years through 2015-2016 (RFA)
• Comments - Signed to the Bills late last year and got some playing time making a few nice plays and even got some compliments from the coaching staff. Pettine is gone, so it remains to be seen whether the new defensive staff will like him as much as the last one but he has a high motor and will have a chance to compete with Corbin Bryant to be the teams 4th DT.

8. Ikponmwosa Igbinosun - DE/DT

• 2014 Salary - $420,000
• Under Contract - 2 Years through 2015-2016 (RFA)
• Comments - An analysts nightmare. Good luck pronouncing that name consistently. The good thing is that no one will have to. He'll compete for a practice squad spot.

LINEBACKERS (6) - Critical Condition

1. Kiko Alonso - ILB/OLB

• 2014 Salary - $977,364
• Under Contract - 3 Years through 2016-2017
• Comments - What a stud. Not many people knew who he was when he was drafted but once he hit the field, none of that mattered. The only thing that mattered was that he was a Buffalo Bills and he was a damn productive one at that. He played every snap on defense last year and should have been the leagues DROY. He played ILB last year but could very well move to the outside now that the Bills are transitioning back to the 4-3.

2. Manny Lawson - OLB

• 2014 Salary - $3,100,000
• Under Contract - 3 Years through 2016-2017
• Comments - Signed as a free agent last year, he played well on the outside for the Bills. There are some question marks as to how he will fit in the new scheme as he is an ideal 3-4 LB but with the Bills having minimal depth at the position behind Kiko, they can't be too picky. I expect Lawson to play OLB and maybe even put his hand on the ground and take some snaps out of the DE position. I am a big fan of Lawson's length and think his contract is very reasonable.

3. Nigel Bradham - ILB

• 2014 Salary - $686,065
• Under Contract - 2 Years through 2015-2016
• Comments - Hasn't quite lived up to the fans expectations. Was battling Arthur Moats for snaps early in the season but seemed to get more snaps as the season went on. I don't think he's a player to build around but he'll help on Special Teams and offers depth at the LB position while playing out his contract at a reasonable price. I have hope that Bradham can continue to get better as his snaps are set to increase with the departure of Arthur Moats to free agency.

4. Jacquies Smith - OLB

• 2014 Salary - $420,000 (RFA)
• Under Contract - 2 Years through 2015-2016
• Comments - Young LB from Missouri with some potential. Missouri has churned out some good defensive prospects lately so hopefully Smith continues that trend. If nothing is done at this position, he may be asked to step up for the Bills during this upcoming season.

5. Ty Powell - ILB/OLB

• 2014 Salary - $495,000
• Under Contract - 2 Years through 2015-2016 (RFA)
• Comments - Will try to carve out a Special Teams role.

6. Kourtnei Brown - OLB

• 2014 Salary - $420,000 (RFA)
• Under Contract - 2 Years through 2015-2016
• Comments - I love his size and he was in camp with the 49ers so hopefully he picked up on an Aldon Smith pass rush technique or two. He'll compete with Jacquies Smith and Ty Powell for LB depth and to churn out a Special Teams role if he wants to make the 53 man roster.

CORNER BACKS (6) - Stable Condition

1. Stephon Gilmore

• 2014 Salary - $3,295,679
• Under Contract - 2 Years through 2015-2016
• Comments - Stephon Gilmore turned into the shutdown corner in the last 6 games of the NFL season like we expected him to all along. He came back from a wrist injury, played with a cast and did not look himself. After the cast was removed, he looked much more comfortable. Hopefully he can work on his ball skills and create some turnovers going forward as that seems to be one aspect of his game that he is lacking. Hey, no one's perfect. As long as he stays healthy during the off-season, expect him to pick up where he left off last season.

2. Leodis McKelvin

• 2014 Salary: $4,575,000
• Under Contract - 3 Years through 2016-2017
• Comments - I wasn't too thrilled with the contract he was given last off-season as I felt it was given to him mainly because of his punt return ability. He took a step back in that department but he stepped up as a corner back and I'll take that any day of the week. McKelvin looked very good last year opposite of Stephon Gilmore and I look forward to his continued growth as a starter on our defense.

3. Nickell Robey

• 2014 Salary - $497,333
• Under Contract - 2 Years through 2015-2016
• Comments - It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog. What a steal for the Buffalo Bills during the UDFA period. Robey played in the PAC-12 for a great program at USC so you knew he could play the game. His size kept him from being drafted but he silenced the critics and carved out a nice role for the Buffalo Bills. Robey was a solid slot corner for the Bills in his first professional season.

4. Ron Brooks

• 2014 Salary - $670,719
• Under Contract - 2 Years through 2015-2016
• Comments - Has the measurables with the size and speed as well as production in the SEC during his time at LSU but he just hasn't been able to put it together. He broke his foot early and had to play catch up since. He plays physical but hasn't learned how to do it without drawing yellow flags. He should really watching some Seahawks game film as that seems to be an art that he's mastered. I like his physicality and he's been solid on Special Teams. Hopefully he can continue to grow as a corner back backing up Gilmore and McKelvin on the outside.

5. Brandon Smith 

• 2014 Salary - $495,000
• Under Contract - 2 Years through 2015-2016 (ERFA)
• Comments - Good size but nothing more than a bubble player fighting for the final CB spot on the roster. As with every bubble player trying to be that 51st, 52nd or 53rd person to make the team, he'll have to show out on Special Teams. I expect the Bills to add a player at this position in the draft or through free agency that will make Smith's chances of making the team a bit more bleak.

6. Mario Butler

• 2014 Salary - $495,000
• Under Contract - 2 Years through 2015-2016 (RFA)
• Comment - See Brandon Smith. I prefer Mario Butler over Smith as Butler went to Georgia Tech and I watched him play quite a bit in college. Good size but a long shot to make the team.

SAFETIES (4) - Critical Condition

1. Aaron Williams - FS

• 2014 Salary - $4,231,029
• Under Contract - 5 Years through 2018-2019
• Comment - If you told me two years ago that Aaron Williams would be the best S on the roster, I would laugh in your face. Aaron Williams was at CB and was struggling mightily, the Bills had Jairus Byrd and heading into the 2014-2015 season, had an opportunity to keep him under contract with, at the very least, the franchise tag. Williams was moved to S, played admirably, signed long term and Byrd is testing the crystal blue waters of NFL free agency. I was surprised that Williams signed long term. I thought for sure he would bolt as soon as his contract was up. He's a southern boy from Texas, got heckled a ton early in his career but he's turned that around and is focused on holding down the nest that Byrd built (pun very much intended).

2. Da'Norris Searcy - SS

• 2014 Salary - $1,510,106
• Under Contract - 1 Year through 2014-2015
• Comment - A very compact, boxy safety who has had success blitzing but is not a full time starter at the S position. Is nice for depth but would worry me if he's starting across from Aaron Williams Week 1 of the 2014-2015 NFL season. As of now, he's going to be battling Duke Williams for the SS position and in my opinion, has the early advantage.

3. Duke Williams - SS

• 2014 Salary - $612,563
• Under Contract - 3 Years through 2016-2017
• Comment - I expected more out of Duke Williams in his rookie year. He is a boom-or-bust type of SS. When he gets a piece of you, you could very well be waking up a minute later asking if you were hit by a bus or a train. Duke Williams has a low center of gravity and can really lay the boom. The only issue is that if he misses, he's giving up a big play. I expect him to tone down the big hits, work on his form tackling and really round out his game. He's going to half to since he's a legitimate option to start across from Aaron Williams if he can beat out Da'Norris Searcy. Duke Williams will be a player I watch this off-season as I really enjoyed watching him at Nevada and wow, I can't say it enough, this guy can hit!

4. Johnathan Meeks - SS

• 2014 Salary - $544,500
• Under Contract - 3 Years through 2016-2017
• Comment - I am low on Meeks. I thought the Bills drafted him way too high last year and just don't see him evolving into anything more than Special Teams player. He was on the IR last year, didn't do anything when he came off and I don't see that changing this year even with an open competition at the position. I would love for him to prove me wrong but I wouldn't bet on it.