- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,128,980
- Reaction score
- 59
The Bills are seeing a new look scheme in their defense under recently hired coordinator Jim Leonhard.
Buffalo operated for years out of a 4-3 or four-man front sub-packages under former head coach Sean McDermott, and how their defense lines up will look a bit different in Leonhard's new 3—4 base defense.
One of the position groups seeing some reshuffling has been their defensive ends; some of them are also now listed as outside linebackers. Defensive ends are now aligned inside the tackle on the left or the right sides.
Enter Landon Jackson. The second-year pass rusher drafted out of Arkansas is the prototype player for this.
"He sees the vision of the defense and what his role can be in it," Leonhard said to the press about Jackson.
The young edge rusher missed most of his rookie season in 2025 due to a knee injury and the rehabilitation and recovery process. While he's looking to make some noise in his second season, he'll have the opportunity in the rotation.
To help adjust to the new scheme and style of play, he has put in dedicated strength and conditioning work during his offseason program to bulk up from his 264-pound draft weight to 285 as planned.
"Doing everything out there right now, fully cleared. My body is feeling great," Jackson said to the media.
The recovery from injury and physical transformation to an NFL pro-level frame offer promise.
It also doesn't hurt that the new scheme and position he'll line up in are similar to the ones that he previously thrived at while playing in a similar system at Arkansas. He performed well enough that the Bills scouted him heavily through their 2025 offseason and draft process prior to selecting him in the third round of the 2025 draft.
And he believes that experience will help to propel him forward.
"This new defense that we're going to is something that I've thrived in at Arkansas. That's what got me to this level, so switching to that defense really excited me."
This article originally appeared on Bills Wire: Bills' Jim Leonhard praises Landon Jackson after quiet 2025 rookie year
Continue reading...
Buffalo operated for years out of a 4-3 or four-man front sub-packages under former head coach Sean McDermott, and how their defense lines up will look a bit different in Leonhard's new 3—4 base defense.
One of the position groups seeing some reshuffling has been their defensive ends; some of them are also now listed as outside linebackers. Defensive ends are now aligned inside the tackle on the left or the right sides.
Enter Landon Jackson. The second-year pass rusher drafted out of Arkansas is the prototype player for this.
"He sees the vision of the defense and what his role can be in it," Leonhard said to the press about Jackson.
The young edge rusher missed most of his rookie season in 2025 due to a knee injury and the rehabilitation and recovery process. While he's looking to make some noise in his second season, he'll have the opportunity in the rotation.
To help adjust to the new scheme and style of play, he has put in dedicated strength and conditioning work during his offseason program to bulk up from his 264-pound draft weight to 285 as planned.
"Doing everything out there right now, fully cleared. My body is feeling great," Jackson said to the media.
The recovery from injury and physical transformation to an NFL pro-level frame offer promise.
It also doesn't hurt that the new scheme and position he'll line up in are similar to the ones that he previously thrived at while playing in a similar system at Arkansas. He performed well enough that the Bills scouted him heavily through their 2025 offseason and draft process prior to selecting him in the third round of the 2025 draft.
And he believes that experience will help to propel him forward.
"This new defense that we're going to is something that I've thrived in at Arkansas. That's what got me to this level, so switching to that defense really excited me."
This article originally appeared on Bills Wire: Bills' Jim Leonhard praises Landon Jackson after quiet 2025 rookie year
Continue reading...
