In 2023, the Buffalo Bills were led by QB Josh Allen but were also anchored by one of the finest defenses in football. They finished fourth in the league in points allowed and ninth in yards given up, culminating in a successful 11-6 campaign.
That was with head coach Sean McDermott calling plays.
But ... in 2024? A major change.
In his first season since being hired as defensive coordinator and play-caller, Bobby Babich did to his credit keep Buffalo's defense competing despite several major injuries throughout the year.
At the same time, Buffalo suffered a significant decrease in almost every statistic across the boat.
To wit ...
The Bills finished 17th in yards allowed and 11th in points given up during the 2024 campaign. And no position group saw a steeper decline from the prior year than Buffalo's secondary, as that group finished 24th in the league in both passing yards allowed and touchdowns.
That is why one site ranks Babich as the 19th-best coordinator in the league going into 2025.
"In his second season of calling defensive plays for the Buffalo Bills, Bobby Babich has the chance to cement himself as one of the top ascending coaches in the NFL," the site said. "Buffalo's defense was in the middle of the pack in 2024, but Babich's work as a positional coach has been impressive over the years."
Those are some rather positive words, given the stat decline.
There is, however, reason to believe that Babich will have more success in his second season as a play-caller. Buffalo addressed several needs on the defensive side of the ball, muscling up with free agent acquisitions like Joey Bosa, Michael Hoecht, and Larry Ogunjobi.
With an infusion of talent coming from the draft (highlighted by first-round corner Maxwell Hairston), the Bills are giving Babich some more of the sort of assets needed to field a top unit this season.
And once the football bullets start to fly? Buffalo's young coordinator will be under the microscope - stats-related and more - in 2025.