Besides breaking their 17-year playoff drought last year, the Buffalo Bills added some free agents that bolstered their defensive secondary. Signing safeties Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer proved to be great moves. Getting cornerback E.J. Gaines in a trade with the Los Angeles Rams helped the Bills defense to only allow 14 passing touchdowns for the season. Yesterday (Feb. 26), the Buffalo Bills signed cornerback Vontae Davis to their roster. Getting a one-year contract, the veteran may be that solid piece in a defense that is running high on all cylinders.

Here is why Davis may give the Bills one of the best secondaries in the league.

Davis is an interception magnet

Buffalo ended the 2018 season with a +9 turnover ratio, as stated on Buffalo Bills.com. The Bills’ safety pair of Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer was responsible for much of that margin. According to NFL.com, Poyer picked off quarterbacks five times, including a pick-six on Tom Brady. Hyde had the same number of interceptions. Rookie cornerback Tre’Davious White runner-up up for the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year Award with four picks. White is a solid cornerback. Adding Vontae Davis into the mix, who has 22 career interceptions, is likely to up Buffalo’s turnover differential.

The White-Davis connection has potential

The Bills barely missed a beat after losing cornerback Stephon Gilmore to the New England Patriots last year. Their 2017 draft pick, Tre’Davious White from LSU, replaced Gilmore and ended the season with better statistics. While Gilmore played terrible for the first few weeks of his season, with other wide receivers beating him on many plays, White excelled.

With over 50 tackles, the Buffalo cornerback defended 18 passes. White is a hard worker and demonstrated that solid tackling is not above his job duty. As stated on NFL.com, Davis has 352 solo tackles to his credit and almost 100 passes defended. With coach Sean McDermott liking a guy who battles hard on the field, Davis can be a great complement to White.

Davis can also be a great leader that can mentor White and keep him uplifted. The rookie cornerback tends to be overcritical of his own play.

Some concerns that cornerback brings to the table

Despite making the Pro Bowl twice, Davis missed 11 games last season due to a groin injury. He elected to have surgery in November. Going into his tenth year, Davis is an older cornerback who has a greater likelihood of re-injuring himself. If that happens and Buffalo does not have E.J. Gaines on the roster, the Bills’ cornerback situation could be in jeopardy. However, Buffalo is known for reviving the careers of older veterans. The Bills struck gold when they signed Lorenzo Alexander in 2016. Alexander had 12.5 sacks that year, which is more than he had in his first nine seasons in the NFL.

With 50 tackles that same season, as stated on NFL.com, Alexander is a big factor in the Bills’ dominant defense. Zach Brown also saw his tackle number surge with the Bills before he signed with the Washington Redskins last year.

Welcome to the Bills, Vontae Davis.
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