PRESSURE POINT: Buffalo Bills & Jim Leonhard Face Critical Need to IMPROVE Defense in 2026

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4.8 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 19 May 2026

⏱️ 28 minutes

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Summary

Can the Buffalo Bills’ defense bounce back and power a playoff run in 2026? With the pass rush disappearing late last season and big names like Joey Bosa and DaQuan Jones gone, all eyes are on Ed Oliver, T.J. Parker, and Michael Hoecht to step up. Jim Leonard’s arrival promises a more aggressive scheme with extra blitzes and movement—will it finally get this unit rolling? Joe Marino digs into what went wrong with the run defense, why the Bills struggled on third downs, and which key stats just have to get better. From tackling issues to a stale stunt rate and a revolving door at linebacker, the defense’s makeover is underway. Can this new-look squad earn the right to rush the passer and shut down big plays? Stay tuned for a straight-up look at how Buffalo’s D can get back on track and keep Super Bowl hopes alive.

Transcript

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0:00.0	For the Buffalo Bills to reach their goals in 2026, the pass rush must improve.
0:06.6	And there's plenty of reasons to believe it will.
0:15.0	You are locked on bills.
0:17.7	Your daily Buffalo Bills podcast.
0:20.3	Part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day.
0:26.5	What's up, Bill's Mafia? It's Joe Marino. Today's episode is brought to you by Game Time.
0:32.3	Download the GameTime app, create an account, and use code Lockdown for $20 off your first purchase.
0:38.4	Welcome in, folks.
0:39.4	On today's episode, we're going to break down five metrics that must improve for the
0:44.9	Buffalo Bills defense in 2026.
0:48.7	On yesterday's episode, we covered the offensive side of the football and I broke down
0:53.8	several different metrics that I believe must improve for the offense to take a step.
0:58.7	And today, the defense takes center stage. And I want to start with the pass rush. And while I'd love to give you just one number and say, hey, this one number must improve,
1:13.9	there are several that go hand in hand that I want to bring up right now.
1:19.3	And so the Bill's pass rush in 2025 started off pretty well.
1:24.8	And Oliver was hot to start the season.
1:26.9	Joey Bosa was hot to start the season. Joey Bosa was hot to start the season.
1:29.9	Then, of course, Oliver gets injured very quickly. Joey Bosa has the risk deal. He wasn't quite the
1:35.6	same. And you got the tease of Michael Hoyt for seven quarters and it went away. And ultimately,
1:43.8	from week 10 forward, the bill's pass rush
1:47.4	was about the worst in the NFL. From weeks 10 through 18, the bill's pressure rate was 32%. That was
1:56.3	31st in the NFL. Their pressure rate over expectation was minus 1.35%. That was 31st in the NFL. Their sack rate
	...

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