5 Newcomers Who Will Play Biggest Roles for the Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills are looking to turn the page on a 12-year-long chapter of their franchise's history without an appearance in the playoffs. As such, they have infused their roster with quite a bit of top-end talent through the draft and free agency.

Those players will most likely be asked to play a big role at their respective positions as the Bills try to improve their pass defense and other areas of their roster.

Here's my rundown of the five newcomers whose roles will be the largest for the Bills.

Mario Williams

This one's a given.

As the Bills implement their new 4-3 defensive front, they turn to defensive end Mario Williams to be the cornerstone of the defense and the catalyst for big plays. He has missed a combined 14 games to injuries the past two seasons (11 of them in 2011).

But he's played a significant amount of snaps when healthy, participating in 95.3 percent of  snaps in 2008 and 90.2 percent in 2009 according to Pro Football Focus. The Bills will put Williams on the field as much as humanly possible in 2012 and beyond.

Stephon Gilmore

The Bills drafted Gilmore in the top 10 for a reason. They feel he can be a centerpiece for their cornerback controversy. The controversy is a cavalcade of question marks. Can Leodis McKelvin finally prove his mettle? Can Terrence McGee rejuvenate his career? Who will replace the 643 snaps left open by cutting Drayton Florence?

Given their lack of talent at the position, the Bills clearly have their eye on giving Gilmore a heavy workload in 2012.

Mark Anderson

The Bills showed a great deal of confidence in defensive end Mark Anderson when they handed him a four-year, $19.5 million contract with $8 million guaranteed.

Anderson was a big part of an improved pass rush for the Patriots in 2011, and he did so while playing just 47.2 percent of the snaps. There is a lot of value in pass-rushers, but for the amount of money he is making, the Bills should definitely hope to get that percentage over 50.

Even if his role is just as a pass-rusher, as it was with the Patriots, he will still be vital for the defense. But the more the Bills get out of him, the better off they'll be.

Cordy Glenn

The Bills might as well have run up to the podium with their selection card for Georgia offensive linemen Cordy Glenn in the second round. Depth on the offensive line was one of their biggest problems last year, and even if Glenn isn't a starter, he will play a huge role as a talented offensive linemen coming off the bench.

Their offensive line was shaken up almost completely by season's end, with both center Eric Wood and tackle Demetress Bell lost to injury. Glenn's presence will give the Bills an insurance policy against further injuries, but even if the Bills stay healthy, Glenn could provide a solid presence as a "sixth man" to play a variety of offensive line spots in spot duty.

Ron Brooks

Yes, even the fourth-round cornerback out of LSU could have a big role in the Bills' defense. His talents were always overshadowed by the likes of Patrick Peterson and Morris Claiborne, but Brooks has been a solid slot corner in LSU's defense. In an increasingly pass-happy league, there could be more than enough nickel and dime situations available for Brooks to get on the field.

But even if his role in the defense isn't very big, he earned rave reviews for his contributions on special teams. There's no better way for a rookie to make an impact than on special teams.

Erik Frenz is the AFC East lead blogger for Bleacher Report. Be sure to follow Erik on Twitter and "like" the AFC East blog on Facebook to keep up with all the updates.