Schefter: Bills Interested in Donovin Darius

by Brian Galliford on Jun 16, 2007 8:48 AM EDT in Buffalo Bills Opinion

According to a report from Adam Schefter at NFL.com, the Buffalo Bills are one of three teams interested in free agent safety Donovin Darius. The veteran was released on Thursday after seeing his skills dwindle a bit the past few seasons in Jacksonville. The Panthers, Bills and Raiders are reportedly the three teams interested in Darius' services.

If the rumor is true from Buffalo's perspective, it would be sort of a confusing signing. My guess is that of our two safeties, Buffalo's coaching staff is a bit less comfortable with Ko Simpson. Ko had a solid rookie season, but he was often out of position as the last line of defense giving up some big plays (especially in the running game) and his lack of solid recovery speed may not make him the greatest of fits as a free safety in a Cover-2 scheme. Don't get me wrong, I love Simpson as a player, but I've never felt that his skills were tailored for being a Cover-2 safety.

If Darius is brought in (and that is a big if at this point - I think he'll be a Panther very quickly), my guess is that Simpson would be relegated to backup duty. I would assume that Donte Whitner would be moved to free safety, for a couple of reasons - first, his top-flight speed and solid tackling ability would make it nearly impossible for defenses to beat us deep, either through the air or on the ground; second, Darius has great size and is a huge hitter, which would make him far more effective stuffing the run in the box than Whitner was last season.

I'm not sure if I'm endorsing the interest or not, but there are definite advantages to bringing in Darius - even if it's just for a year or two. The real question is whether or not signing a veteran safety is a higher priority than signing a certain hold-out defensive tackle. One thing is for certain, however - Darius would be a fantastic veteran presence in an extremely young secondary.

Interesting stuff. Please add your comments - what do you think of this rumor?

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Darius

I don't think the interest is that strong, but it does prove to us the desire to add a veteran presence at Safety, something I've been calling for for a few months.

I'm also not that high on Simpson and don't think he'll be anything more than average. Sure, he started for the majority of the season and didn't play that poorly, but he really labored in open field tackling and never looked like a big play FS. I'm not convinced he'll be here more than a few seasons and if we can upgrade that spot, I would do it in a heartbeat. However, I don't think Darius is the guy to push Simpson to the bench. If Darius were signed, I would imagine it'd be to start. He's a SS like Whitner and I'm not sure the staff would be willing to move Donte to FS. I think Whitner is more of an in the box safety so moving him to "centerfield" probably doesn't tailor to his strengths. Now if Darius could play FS, which I am pretty sure would NOT be his best position, then we should really investigate this further. Also, if he's willing to come here as a backup, which again I doubt, I would go even harder after him.

In the end I can't really see us having that much interest in Darius. As a Syracuse alum and CNYer who watched Darius crush WR's over the middle growing up, it would give me much joy to see him as a Bill, but I don't see it as a good fit for either side. Darius, when healthy, is still a solid starting strong safety (alliteration is fun). With him likely being unable to play FS and our lack of a need at SS, I can't see why he would want to sign here, especially with Carolina among others having a bigger need at the position.

by Kurupt on Jun 16, 2007 4:48 PM EDT reply actions

Out of curiosity

Why do you not see Whitner as a free safety? Bob Sanders is of similar build and hits like a mack truck, yet he's a free safety in Indy. Whitner doesn't hit as hard as Sanders, yet he's an "in the box" safety?

I don't think that has to be that way. Whitner played some corner in college, so he's got the speed/hips to stick with wideouts. He also has better ball skills than either Simpson or Darius. Why, then, is he not free safety material?

I'm not disagreeing with you necessarily, because I do think it's a stretch that the team will move Whitner from SS, but I do think he has the skills to be a top-notch free.

Buffalo Rumblings: we are awesome.

by Brian Galliford on Jun 16, 2007 5:21 PM EDT reply actions

Well

It's not that I don't see Whitner as being able to succeed at FS, it's just I feel his skills fit SS better. He's agressive and loves to stick his nose in there in the run game. I feel like putting him at SS may hinder his agressiveness. However, he didn't exactly provide a huge impact in the run game last year as he seemed to suffer from London Fletcher syndome, making the majority of his tackles downfield.

But the more I think about it and what you pointed out, Whitner probably wouldn't be that bad of a FS. He would be a big upgrade over Simpson at the position, IMO, but would we be willing to open a hole at SS? I think his speed and athleticism would definately suit the position well, as would his cover skills. I'm still not sold on his playmaking ability, which is a concern at either position. IF Simpson doesn't show any improvement this year, I wouldn't be opposed to picking up a SS next year and moving Whitner to FS. Right now, Whitner is better suited at SS with the experience he's had and our lack of depth at the position overall...

by Kurupt on Jun 16, 2007 6:37 PM EDT up reply actions

There's something to be said

about making a switch with Whitner early on in his career. It'd be silly to leave him at SS if they have other plans for him. Move Donte to free safety, bring in Darius and then let Wendling learn from a player with a skill set/size combo similar to him (Darius)? It's interesting... but not likely.

I'm back and forth on this - it's enticing to bring in a guy like Darius, but at the same time I think we need to be looking at free safeties. I think Whitner will be fine at SS, but I do worry about Ko.

Oh well - when Darius signs with Carolina, this won't even be an interesting conversation anymore. :-P

Buffalo Rumblings: we are awesome.

by Brian Galliford on Jun 16, 2007 9:42 PM EDT up reply actions