Buffalo Bills All-Drought team: Flex defender 1

We’re nearing the end of selecting our All-Drought Buffalo Bills squad, with nine defensive starters selected. That includes two defensive linemen, an edge rusher, two linebackers, two cornerbacks, and two safeties. There’s room for two more players, so we’ve selected the runner-up from each of the position polls and added them to this list. Whether you think the squad needs a second edge rusher, three cornerbacks, or three defensive tackles is up to you at this point. Here are the candidates:

Marcell Dareus

Dareus was the third overall pick in the 2011 draft. An extremely talented athlete, Dareus had an immediate impact even while playing in lousy defenses coordinated by George Edwards and Dave Wannstedt, and only got better when the coaching improved. Over his first four seasons, he recorded 28.5 sacks. That’s better than Ndamukong Suh, and since 2000, only six defensive tackles had more production.

Dareus would make the Pro Bowl in 2013, then step up to All-Pro in 2014. The team rewarded him with a $100 million contract, but his career went downhill from there, and after a suspension and a coaching change the Bills traded him in 2017. Dareus started 85 games for the Bills, with 35 sacks and 205 solo tackles. He defended 12 passes and forced two fumbles.

Sam Adams

Adams signed with the Buffalo Bills in 2003 for his age-30 season. He played three seasons with the Bills, starting 40 games over that span. Adams was the disruptive playmaker next to the immovable Pat Williams at the time, and he recorded 13 sacks during those three years. His most memorable performance was his first game with the team, as he sacked Tom Brady and returned an interception for a touchdown in a 31-0 beatdown of the Patriots.

Mario Williams

Williams was the most ballyhooed signing in Buffalo Bills history, an extremely athletic veteran signed to a $100 million contract. He led the team in sacks for all four of his seasons in Buffalo, and despite only starting 45 games for the Bills, he ranks sixth in franchise history with 43 sacks. In year four, Williams played much worse in Rex Ryan’s 3-4 defense, and showed a poor attitude that led the Bills to cut him ahead of 2016. But while he was playing in an attacking defense like Mike Pettine’s or Jim Schwartz’s, he lived up to his elite billing. In 2013 and 2014, he made the Pro Bowl, and he was voted first-team All-Pro in 2014.

Paul Posluszny

A second round pick in 2007, Paul Posluszny immediately started, but a broken arm ended his first season after only three games. In 2008, he returned without skipping a beat, finishing the season with 110 combined tackles, a forced fumble, and an interception. Posluszny became a team captain in 2009, and was again a tackling machine in the center of Buffalo’s defense (though he gained a reputation for cleaning up five yards downfield instead of stopping runs near the line of scrimmage). After the 2010 season, Posluszny was a free agent, and while the Bills wanted to sign him, he had no interest in bulking up to 250 pounds for their 3-4 defense, so he signed with Jacksonville, where he remained until his retirement this offseason.

Terrence McGee

The Bills drafted McGee in the fourth round of the 2003 draft, but his talent stood out from the beginning. He intercepted two passes and forced a fumble as a part-time player in his rookie season. From there, McGee developed into a starting cornerback as well as Buffalo’s starting kick returner. McGee played in 122 games, all for the Bills, and started 90. Another outstanding playmaker, he holds the franchise record for passes defended (99), and he also logged 17 interceptions. For a five-season stretch, McGee was an excellent starter. In the later part of his career, McGee struggled to stay healthy, and he only started nine games over his final three seasons.

Lawyer Milloy

A star safety for the New England Patriots, Milloy was released five days before the 2003 season over contract disputes, and the Bills signed the veteran and immediately handed him the starting role at strong safety. Milloy piled up tackles in Buffalo, with 271 in 43 starts over three seasons. He logged three interceptions, two forced fumbles, and seven sacks during his time with the Bills. After the 2005 season, the Bills released Milloy for salary cap reasons, and he played five more seasons in the league.

Corey Graham

Graham signed a four year deal with the Bills in 2014. The team used him as both a cornerback and as a safety in a rotation with Aaron Williams and Da’Norris Searcy, but in 2015 and 2016 he was a full-time safety for the team. Graham started 41 of 48 games for Buffalo, with five interceptions and 28 passes defended during that span. He also had a 122-tackle season in 2015. The Bills released Graham for cap savings in 2017, and he signed onto the Philadelphia Eagles, winning his second career Super Bowl.

Alright, choose your favorite! Tomorrow we’ll start running polls for the specialists who played during the drought. We’ll come back to pick another flex defender after giving this vote time to sort out.