Dorian Strong is happy to be an underdog. The Bills rookie cornerback is a good fit for Buffalo in that sense, a team and a city that welcomes chips on the shoulders.
Strong’s parents have seen it over and over, from his recruiting process to the draft, even to now. They’re ready for him to be talked about, and that could very well start this Sunday in Highmark Stadium.
“I will tell you this, Dorian embraces the underdog role, and he seems to always surprise people, OK?” his father, Donovan, said.
“And, you know, I’m a little tired of it. I want him to be in the forefront. I want people to say his name. I want them to expect the best from him.”
“People sleep on Dorian,” Vera, his mother, added. “Because he’s the underdog, they sleep on him, and then all of a sudden, it’s like, ‘Damn, is that Dorian?’ He’s the one that people sleep on, and the next thing you know, he’s the locomotive that comes out of nowhere. …
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Day Four of Buffalo Bills Training Camp
Bills defensive back Dorian Strong, a sixth-round pick out of Virginia Tech, has slid up the depth chart. Harry Scull Jr., Buffalo News
‘The right guy for it’
The Bills will need the best from Strong if he is to get the start Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens.
Bills veteran cornerback Tre’Davious White has not practiced all week with a groin injury. He was slated to start after rookie cornerback and first-round pick Maxwell Hairston was put on injured reserve with a knee injury.
Strong, a sixth-round pick out of Virginia Tech, has slid up the depth chart. He or Ja’Marcus Ingram will be the next corner up if White is unable to go. Coach Sean McDermott said Friday that he would not rule White out yet, but White has been injured since Aug. 21.
Since then, Strong has taken advantage of his opportunities.
“Dorian, the improvement over the last two weeks has been unbelievable,” defensive coordinator Bobby Babich said on Thursday.
“ … And not only is he talented, but the amount he’s pouring into his craft is really cool to see he’s improved.”
Teammates are taking notice, too.
“He’s a playmaker, and I feel like he’s ready,” nickel cornerback Taron Johnson said.
An eight-year veteran, Johnson doesn’t think getting thrown into the deep end works for everyone. But it could work for Strong.
“I think he’s the right guy for it to be trial by fire,” Johnson said.
Linebacker and team captain Terrel Bernard knows firsthand that Babich is tough on his rookies.
“I know how hard it is for a young guy to come in here to play and contribute, and to rise to the standard that’s been set here,” Bernard said. “So, I can’t say enough good things about him. We all have confidence and faith in him, and he’s shown that he can come out here and be a really good player.”
After practice, Strong will stay on the field longer with fellow cornerback Christian Benford, a solidified starter. Benford is also a Maryland native that the Bills took in the sixth round, also the same year they drafted another corner (Kaiir Elam) in the first round. Benford is uniquely equipped to understand Strong’s journey.
“I see a lot of growth, a lot of development, a lot of blessings,” Benford said.
Benford saw their bond starting to grow more and more during training camp, as both faced adversity.
“There’s a lot of jokes, inside jokes, and there’s a lot of understanding,” Benford said of his relationship with Strong. “… It’s a lot of bonding, a lot of understanding, a lot of love, a lot of respect.”
Getting Stronger
Vera Strong has a group text with eight of her friends. The group pulls for a mix of NFL teams, but there’s a hashtag they’ve been using since the draft: #TheBillsJustGotStrong.
The group uses it any time they’re texting about Dorian, and they’ll all be watching him this weekend. When he was at Virginia Tech, they’d flood each other with messages and GIFs any time he made a big play.
When Dorian Strong moved up to Buffalo, he left his mom a bag of Ravens gear that he had gotten from the team during the draft process. He told her to pass it along to her friend who’s still a Ravens fan, since he had no use for it anymore.
Fittingly, Strong’s first start could come Sunday against the team he grew up watching. He thinks that could be cool, in the sense that everything is cool being the NFL right now. But other than that, it’s just another game.
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“I feel like the mindset really don’t change. I feel like I take the same mindset week to week,” he said.
Still, the Ravens’ offense presents plenty of challenges. Strong has watched quarterback Lamar Jackson for years. And he knows Zay Flowers from college days, as the wide receiver played at Boston College.
“I had him two years in college, so I kind of kind of know how he is,” Strong said.
But a solid week of practice in Orchard Park has Strong prepared.
“He’s ready,” Vera said. “He’s definitely ready. When we’ve talked, you know, he knows he’s been getting those reps. He was excited the first time he caught a pick from Josh Allen. He’s caught a couple of picks, actually, several.”
“Yeah it was just confidence boosters,” Strong said of intercepting Allen. “Like, ‘All right, you belong.’ And knowing that I could possibly play on defense, just getting ready for that. … Just having confidence.”
‘He plays with joy’
At family holidays with his dad’s side, Dorian’s competitive side comes out.
Dorian’s aunt will come up with creative games to get the family going. Donovan recalled one where participants have to pull up a long piece of paper with their feet up to the chair as fast as they can.
Whether it’s against NFL receivers or his older relatives, Dorian wants to win.
“It’s been like that since he was little,” Donovan said. “It’s just something that’s innate in him, something that’s embedded in him. It’s not anything that I taught him.
“They harnessed it at (Dr. Henry) Wise, his high school, and Virginia Tech, but he was like that before he got there.”
When Strong takes the field, older sister Taylor has her eyes glued on him. She can still remember when he was so young that he could barely do football drills
“It’s nothing but excitement and joy when I see him playing a game,” she said.
Those feelings reverberate down on the field.
“You gotta have fun, you gotta have confidence, especially at the position I play,” Dorian said.
It shows, even to his family up in the stands.
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“I know Matt's a little bit quiet, but he's been a really good leader for us,” Bills linebackers coach Al Holcomb said, “which has been really good to see, because he's healthy now. … So, it's really good.”
“I love seeing him play with joy,” Donovan said. “Yeah, he’s just happy. You know, when I played, I was mean. And he plays with joy.”
Strong finds the balance between being a tenacious defender, critiquing himself, and also celebrating.
“He’s not a cutthroat or cocky, he’s not arrogant, he’s none of those things,” Vera said. “Because sometimes when people are competitive, they can come across negative, like, arrogant. … And that’s not him. He’s just very humble, you know? He just works.”
Bridge the gap
Every Friday night before a Saturday game at Virginia Tech, Vera and Dorian would pray on the phone together. If Dorian was exhausted and fell asleep before the call, they would check in on Saturday morning. Both plan on continuing the tradition at the NFL level.
The prayer weaves in some family history.
“Part of the prayer that I always say is something that my mom taught me when I was in college,” Vera said. “Before any test, she always said, ‘Baby, before you go to any exam, just always pray, Lord, bridge the gap between the knowledge I need and the knowledge I have.’ ”
Strong’s maternal grandmother, Vera’s mother, was a preacher.
“We lost our grandmother in 2017,” Taylor said. “So, I think praying right before a game also kind of brings a sense of closeness, that she’s with us. … I think that’s something my mom does to carry over her memory with us.”
These days, Vera adds a few categories.
“I still add more to it, like to have the protection and other things, of course” she said. “But now I tailor it to like, ‘Lord, bridge the gap on the knowledge, speed and height and strength he needs, and the knowledge, strength and speed and height he has. So, I tailor it to whatever he needs.”
There may be a gap right now for Strong, as there would be for any rookie. But his Bills coaches and his family know he’s ready to face challenges head on.
“Dorian learns and reflects from everything that he does,” Taylor said. “Just have faith in my boy.”
Injury report
Ahead of practice, McDermott said that neither cornerback White (groin) or kicker Tyler Bass (left hip/groin) would participate in practice. Bass was ruled out of Sunday’s game against the Ravens.
White has not practiced since Aug. 21. Bass was limited on Wednesday, but downgraded on Thursday and did not participate in practice. The Bills signed kicker Matt Prater to the practice squad this week.
Wide receiver Keon Coleman (groin) and cornerback Christian Benford (groin) were participating in the open portion of practice, after being limited earlier this week. Wide receiver Elijah Moore (personal) also returned after missing Thursday.
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