2012 NFL Draft: Could Buffalo Bills Defense Improve Like 2011 Houston Texans?

If teams weren't already concerned with defensive ends Mario Williams and Mark Anderson coming off the edges and defensive tackles Kyle Williams and Marcell Dareus clogging the middle, the Buffalo Bills' selections in the 2012 NFL draft put the NFL on notice.

Be prepared.

The revamped defense has the potential to make the kind of improvement that the Houston Texans made from 2010 to 2011, when they changed defensive coordinators and schemes and put emphasis on the defense with the selection of—you guessed it—two pass-rushers and three defensive backs.

Think there's a formula in the works?

By bolstering the pass rush and implementing their new scheme, the Texans made drastic improvements across the board on defense. The Bills could be in line for a similar upgrade with all the new toys that defensive coordinator Dave Wannstedt will have at his disposal.

The Bills have been indecisive for years on their defensive front, changing defensive philosophies like my girlfriend changes clothes before a date. With the acquisitions of their two defensive ends, though, they have put their chips in the middle of the pile and can now move forward with one less thing to worry about.

But really, while the improvements began with the addition of the new defensive linemen, it was advanced several steps by the selection of cornerbacks Stephon Gilmore and Ron Brooks in the draft. 

We knew the Bills would have a wildly improved pass rush, but the big question about the defense was whether cornerbacks Leodis McKelvin, Terrence McGee and Drayton Florence were up to the job in the secondary. Now, if they're not, the team has a solid backup plan.

While rookie cornerbacks don't always do particularly well, it can't be worse than what the Bills went through last year. And even if it is, those corners will have time to develop; it wasn't always pretty for Darrelle Revis, but the memory of Randy Moss blowing past in him in the 2007 season opener is one that I'll remember forever, though most people have forgotten it at this point.

Bottom line: Whether it's this year, next year or a couple of years down the line, the Bills defense looks primed to improve by leaps and bounds.

And to think, the Bills even went as far as to add a couple of linebackers to further add depth to a position of need. 

The Texans improved from the league's worst defense in passer rating to the second-best in the NFL. With the improvements the Bills have made across the board, it's not crazy to expect similar improvement.

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