Mario Williams Time: Did Buffalo Bills Find Their Reggie White?

ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reports that the Buffalo Bills have agreed to terms with defensive end Mario Williams. The team has a 1:30 p.m. EDT press conference scheduled to introduce the first overall pick of the 2006 draft, who has reportedly signed a six-year, $100 million contract, with $50 million guaranteed. 

The importance of this signing can not be overstated. Obviously, Williams brings a dynamic presence off the edge for a team that is desperate for a pass rush. (The Bills sacked the quarterback a pathetic 30 times in 2011.)

He also adds his talents to an already-formidable defensive front and allows the Bills move to new defensive coordinator Dave Wannstedt’s 4-3 base defense much easier. The one way Wannstedt’s scheme has historically worked over the long haul is when the front four is able to get pressure without the coordinator having to resort to blitzing. Williams goes a long way toward making that design a reality.

But outside the pure football aspects, Williams signing with the Bills is almost on par with Reggie White signing with the Packers back in the day. It took three days for the Bills to get Williams to sign, but those three days could turn out to be a franchise-altering effort.

For a team that has had to play a series of home games in Canada the last few years, this not only brings focus to the Bills as a team but to Buffalo as a city and a viable destination for future free agents.

The two biggest draws for any player are money and success. The Bills need to win more games; it's as simple as that. If Williams makes the kind of impact he’s capable of—and there is unquestionably some risk involved in signing a guy who's missed 18 games the last two years—Buffalo could very well be on its way to a serious resurgence.