PFF’s top 32 LBs

[T master]

WOW no mention of Bernards play at all or Williams dang ! Maybe that will be some motivation for them going into this season ...

[Ethan in Cleveland]

On 5/28/2025 at 6:57 PM, BillsFanForever19 said:

 

He definitely should be above a number of guys at the bottom.

 

But this kind of highlights my feeling that we shouldn't have been in a rush to extend Bernard. He took a pretty sizable step back between 2023 and 2024.

 

Between his performance last season and his penchant for getting dinged up (and at a position that isn't a premium one) - I wouldn't have locked in the kind of long term deal he was given until I saw him return to his 2023 form this season. 

 

If he doesn't, I'd have put that money elsewhere and Drafted a replacement. Bernard was easily #5 on the list of guys to allocate cap to retain between him, Benford, Rousseau, Shakir, and Cook.

Agree! Like the player but I would have spent that money on Cook.  If anything McDermott has shown he can get decent play from most guys he puts out there at MLB. Even Specter and Klein were serviceable. Never liked Bernard's lack of size but he's made more plays in two years of starting than Edmunds has his entire career.  Hope he stays healthy and gets decent DT play in front of him this year.

[Maine-iac]

Coming in late to this thread, probably already been posted 100 times but I can't believe Dodson is on this list ahead of anyone.  He was a hot pile of garbage in Seattle and then with the Dolphins he made 3 starts and they lost 2 out of the 3 games and gave up 30 points in those losses.  His first start in Miami he gave up 100 percent completion percentage in coverage and missed 4 tackles and it looks like they gave him 6 snaps on defense in the next 3 games after that.  In his time here he had worked his way up to a point where he wasn't a complete liability but he certainly was't top of any list material.  On the same note Milano has a decent body of work where he has been great but working his way back he wasn't great and he did work his way back to where he wasn't a liability but he's not the same player he was.  In typical PFF fashion the entire list is fairly questionable.  The got Warner right and then probably should have just quit after that.

[Doc Brown]

On 5/29/2025 at 5:27 PM, Beck Water said:

Indeed.  There is a reason Bernard won the starting MLB gig over Bernard

Seemed like a really tight competition.

[Maine-iac]

2 minutes ago, Doc Brown said:

Seemed like a really tight competition.

Imagine if Bernard lost to Bernard.

[Paup 1995MVP]

On 5/31/2025 at 12:03 AM, BillsFanForever19 said:

 

Football intelligence doesn't matter if he's the guy we saw in 2024 going forward. Things like Intelligence and Being a Good Locker Room guy shouldn't supercede on field performance. I don't care how smart a player is if their performance doesn't match their smarts.

 

The league is and has been filled with players who have a really high Football IQ that couldn't see the field or ended up busting out of the league because what they showed on field didn't match up to that intelligence. Some of the best coaches in the league are guys who have great Football IQ that didn't translate to on field success.

 

 

The difference between Rousseau and Bernard in my list of those 5 extension candidates comes down to the position they play. Edge Rusher is a Premium Position. Middle Linebacker is not. Middle LB is much easier to replace than Edge Rusher. 

 

If you want a Top Tier Edge Rusher, you're going to have to pay 9 figures or have a Top 5 Pick in the Draft. Even average to slightly above average DE's around his age get swooped up within the first couple days of FA and paid a fortune.

 

If you're taking an Edge Rusher at 30, you'll be fortunate to get a Greg Rousseau. If you take a Middle Linebacker where we pick in Round 1, you should be landing a Top 10 MLB. Thus the level of vitriol towards Edmunds. Edmunds wasn't as terrible as he was made out to be on the Board. It was just magnified a hundred fold bc of where we Drafted him and at the position he played.

 

Drafting a MLB who can be a good starter in Rounds 2-4 is infinitely more likely than being able to find an Edge Rusher around those points in the Draft that can be Rousseau. Especially if we're okay with the kind of performance Bernard put in last season.

I understand where you are coming from with your ideas.  But disagree somewhat.  Edmunds was certainly overdrafted.  And is now overpaid.  He is just not a very good NFL football player.  I would not say he is Baylon Spector.  But he certainly is not a difference maker.  And glad we did not give him another contract.  

 

Rousseau is a solid player.  His length helps in knocking down passes at the line of scrimmage.  He needs to be good to very good more often.  He is never going to be great, because he does not have great explosive athletic traits.  I understand what the going rate is for good DE's.  And am glad we resigned Rousseau.  

 

I am glad we resigned Bernard.  I think when healthy he is an excellent LB.  Too much talk on what a premium position is versus "non premium".  You need good players all over your roster.  The more good players you have, the better your team should be.  If our LB's are lousy, then the defense is lousy.  You can't have any weaknesses at a specific position if you can help it.  Doesn't matter the position.  If your Guards are lousy, then your O line is lousy, even if you have 2 all pros at Tackle and a great Center.  Need good players across the roster.  Don't need pro bowl guys at every position.  But you can't have guys like Kair Elam starting for you.  Because they will get exposed.  

[Einstein]

On 5/29/2025 at 5:27 PM, Beck Water said:

Greenlaw played 34 snaps last season.  It's not just Greenlaw - Okereke missed 5 games.  Edgerrin Cooper didn't just miss games with a hammy, he didn't take over as the starter until the last 3-ish games. 

So what?

They are ranking the top LB's overall. They are not ranking the top LB's who played a full season last year.

For example: Would a 2009 ranking of QB's not include Tom Brady because he missed the previous season? Of course not. He would be top 3, because he is greatness and we didn't need to see his most recent season to know that.

If this thread proves anything its that the majority of NFL fans don't pay close attention to the rest of the NFL and its players. Not having *our* guy on the list doesn't make the list crap. Why WOULD Bernard and Milano be on the list? Milano was quite frankly not great last season (I dont blame him - he was coming off of two injuries). And Bernard looked half of what he was in 2023.

 

I dont see what there is to complain about here.