Can Dorian Williams become an Edge?

[colin]

8 hours ago, transplantbillsfan said:

 

Landon Jackson is probably going to be a 3 Tech in this D. Beane even hinted at this at the owner's meeting.

 

And I agree about the LB depth, but I really think Shaq Thompson has a general agreement with Beane he's coming after the draft. Or there's the draft.

 

I also think Andreeson is being slept on. I think he could be a better ILB than Williams.

 

And we're stuck with Bernard at the other spot...

 

wouldn't jackson be a 4i?

 

he could come in when we go to modified 4 man fronts, i fully expect the front formation to be extremely variable.

 

on williams -- he has crazy long arms and plays fast and physical.  i think the occasional fill in on the edge for a rush, especially if it's disguised or delayed might be effective.  i remember in the two games that hoyt made a big impact last season, we had oliver and walker and groot and bosa applying rush, and sometimes hoyt had an inside rush move/line up position.  i could see all kinds of packages with hoyt and williams mugging a gabs and one drops and one rushes, or a game happens up front, so i think williams will have every opportunity to rush the passer and get in the backfield.

 

im pretty excited for a middle of the pack d in the playoffs and a shot at a chip.

[papazoid]

can he beat/overpower an OT in getting to QB ? 

 

i don't think so.

 

he can do everything else. he has the speed, athleticism and tackling.

 

i worry for him. he doesn't have a "natural" position in this new defense (undersized for ILB) and his DEAD CAP is near zero. not a good spot to be in.

[JP51]

18 hours ago, Shaw66 said:

I don't see it. I don't think he has the appropriate size, and I think the position requires mental quickness and mental discipline that Williams generally hasn't demonstrated. I think he's better suited to be an inside linebacker where, I think, his decision making would be simpler. I think that position also plays better to his strength, which is a downhill attack mode.

I am with you, I also am not sure he has the hand fighting, leverage and angle skills (bend) that take lots of repetition to master... I would be happy if we could coach him on how to get off blocks... or even not get blocked... 

Edited April 3 by JP51

[colin]

12 minutes ago, papazoid said:

can he beat/overpower an OT in getting to QB ? 

 

i don't think so.

 

he can do everything else. he has the speed, athleticism and tackling.

 

i worry for him. he doesn't have a "natural" position in this new defense (undersized for ILB) and his DEAD CAP is near zero. not a good spot to be in.

 

i see it the other way -- i see him as a hard playing impact guy who isn't cut out like the slight weak "heady" types that coach McISIS loved.  i think most good nfl coaches can put guys in positions to make an impact without having to know too many adjustments and complicated things, there are plenty of really low iq guys who have been great nfl players.  im not even saying williams is low iq, he's just seemingly not a fit for the way mcd liked to run his D, but that d is literally the worst ever when it counts, so good riddence.

 

the reality, i think, is that it's a bit 50/50, he's either gonna make a solid impact for the reasons i've discussed, or he's a day late and a dollar short like you are pointing out.  it's kind of exciting to watch and see how it goes.

[TheBeaneBandit]

16 minutes ago, papazoid said:

can he beat/overpower an OT in getting to QB ? 

 

i don't think so.

 

he can do everything else. he has the speed, athleticism and tackling.

 

i worry for him. he doesn't have a "natural" position in this new defense (undersized for ILB) and his DEAD CAP is near zero. not a good spot to be in.

Idk he looks a bit bigger than 228 and if he played at about 240 I think he could do quite well as the strongside middle backer in this defense. 

[KOKBILLS]

[BarleyNY]

Dorian Williams has zero chance to successfully convert to Edge. He is small for a LB and has trouble taking on blocks now. At least at LB he has a chance to slip them and get to a ball carrier. At Edge he’d be taking an OT on heads up on most plays. He’d get destroyed and teams would run at him at will.

 

If he were to change positions, Strong Safety would be the logical choice for his size and skill set. But he is best used as a third LB in a 4-3 or third safety in Big Nickel, but it’s pointless to make that distinction as he’d be doing the same job. 

[GunnerBill]

I don't see him as a starter. Is he a guy that coming off the bench you can get a bit creative with and line him up all over? Possibly. Could some work at edge be a part of that? Maybe. But as a full time OLB in this scheme? Nope. 

 

[Avisan]

10 hours ago, transplantbillsfan said:

 

You think he needs to do more thinking as an Edge than ILB?

EDGE has to do a lot of thinking, yeah.  They need to be able to process in real time and through contact, based on a very limited field of view, what offensive play is being run and their responsibilities for that play.  Once the play starts, ILB obviously has to do similar things but with a better field of view and more time to prep for the correct physical engagement.

 

Good EDGE players have to be LIGHTNING fast at deciphering and reacting.

[Shaw66]

10 hours ago, transplantbillsfan said:

 

You think he needs to do more thinking as an Edge than ILB?

Yes, I do. I'm a real novice and I don't really know. However, I think in general the ilb has less territory to be responsible for, and I think the game is played mostly in front of him. His drops simpler and in a narrower area. 

 

That's not to say that he can play the position with his brain turned off. I just think the choices about the position requires are easier to manage and probably more forgiving than the choices the edge has to make on the fly. 

 

JMO

[BuffaloBillyG]

I think a lot of people that speculated this whole off season about who will line up where are in for some shocks when the preseason kicks off. 

 

I'm curious to see where Leonard lines a lot of guys up and who covers what spots. Until we see that we really won't know what his vision for this defense truly will be. 

[MarlinTheMagician]

I have always saw great potential in Dorian, but it seems like they just can't figure out how to use him.  

 

I know from a team insider on the defensive side of the ball that in Von's last year (so 2024 season), they intended to use him in a "joker" sort of role to bring pressure from odd angles and drop where they might not expect him to etc.  Then all our linebackers got hurt and that went out the window.  He is a great athlete and plays with passion so I hope they can figure a way to maximize what he offers. 

[transplantbillsfan]

5 hours ago, papazoid said:

can he beat/overpower an OT in getting to QB ? 

 

i don't think so.

 

he can do everything else. he has the speed, athleticism and tackling.

 

i worry for him. he doesn't have a "natural" position in this new defense (undersized for ILB) and his DEAD CAP is near zero. not a good spot to be in.

 

Does he need to as a pass rushing OLB? Is that what R Mason Thomas will do at 240 lbs?

4 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

I don't see him as a starter. Is he a guy that coming off the bench you can get a bit creative with and line him up all over? Possibly. Could some work at edge be a part of that? Maybe. But as a full time OLB in this scheme? Nope. 

 

 

So similar to the planned role for Hoecht or what Lorenzo Alexander played for us? Obviously Williams doesn't have their weight.

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

17 hours ago, Shaw66 said:

I don't see it. I don't think he has the appropriate size, and I think the position requires mental quickness and mental discipline that Williams generally hasn't demonstrated. I think he's better suited to be an inside linebacker where, I think, his decision making would be simpler. I think that position also plays better to his strength, which is a downhill attack mode.

 

I always found defensive end to be a lot simpler than linebacker from a mental perspective.  I have a sideline, and i go after the ball - i know there's nuance to this but that's still the general gist on most plays.  If you read a screen maybe you follow a back but otherwise you're rushing the QB.  Inside linebackers don't have a sideline, have coverage and play diagnosis responsibilities, help set others etc.  

[machine gun kelly]

19 hours ago, transplantbillsfan said:

 

which is why he would gain 10-12 lbs if he were to switch

If that were the plan to gain 10lbs. Of muscle in six months naturally is a stretch, but only if he starts in January.  Competing on a national level as a powerlifter where everything I did was to keep gaining weight naturally takes time.  Drugs speeders that up, but they will  get caught.

 

if this was the thought now in April, we’d be lucky with 5lbs. Of muscle, and that’s with hyper focused attn to it.  It’s one thing when regular guys start working out.  It’s another when youve trained hard for a decade or more and now have to add 5lbs.  Not that easy.  Drugs will speed it up, but you’ll get suspended if caught.

 

I love DW.  I do and think he can improve his off the ball LBs where they are.  DW can get it done on the inside.

[folz]

Our current depth chart (per ESPN and Ourlads) is:

 

            LDE: Sanders/Jackson   NT: Walker/Mathis   DT/RDE: Oliver/Carter

 

LOLB: Rousseau/Hoecht   WLB: Williams/Jenkins    MLB: Bernard/Andreesen   ROLB: Chubb/Solomon

 

 

Dorian's current playing weight appears to be 230 pounds.

 

He has blitzed 72 times in his pro career, no sacks, but he does have 7 QB hits, 7 knockdowns with 4 QB hurries, 3 QB pressures, and one batted pass. 

[Just FYI, he played 47% of the defensive snaps in 2025 and 59% of the defensive snaps in 2024---more than I thought. He has only blitzed on 5.6% of his total snaps.]

 

In college though, he did have 4.5 sacks in 2020, 1 sack in 2021, and 5 sacks in 2022. So, he obviously blitzed/rushed a bit in college. 

[One interesting side note looking at his college stats, he led his conference in TFLs with 16.5 in 2020. That's a big number.]

 

But, does he have the skillset of an edge player? Does he have multiple pass rush moves and counter moves, etc. Can he win with speed and bull rush? Does he have good hand fighting, etc.? I don't know.

 

I also don't know how much in Leonard's system the edge players are rushing from a stand-up LB position and how much they move up and put their hand in the dirt. But, I'm sure Dorian can and will rush from the LB position, whichever spot he's at, as Leonard likes to blitz from everywhere and his LBs accumulate the most sacks---at least they did in Denver (knowing he wasn't the DC, so not totally his defense, but I assume similar philosophy).

 

Currently, looking at the depth chart, I would say WLB with Williams and Jenkins is one of the weaker spots as it is. So, not sure moving Williams out of there would be wise, unless they draft a 1st or 2nd round LB that they think fits better than him [or they bring back Thompson (or Milano) as Transplant mentioned as a possibility].

 

Of course, I'm also not sure how accurate these depth charts are as to what the Bills are actually thinking...but as it is, I don't see Williams getting minutes over Rousseau, Hoecht, or Chubb and I don't see his skillset as a fit for a full time hand-on-the-ground DE (to compete with Sanders/Jackson/Oliver, etc.). So, he would be battling Solomon for 4th/5th OLB edge minutes. Maybe he'd be better than Solomon, not sure, but it seems like he is more valuable where he is currently (again, barring any major upgrades to either position).

 

Just my thoughts, with the caveat that I know very little about how Leonard is actually going to run this defense and assuming they are still looking to upgrade the front seven a bit.

[atlbillsfan1975]

He could be a player with a certain skill set, attacking, who is moved around a good bit. Look for him to line up inside and on the edge, in both alignments he has the same assignment, attack the ball carrier/qb. Coaches have said they want versatility.

Edited April 3 by atlbillsfan1975

[Shaw66]

2 hours ago, Bleeding Bills Blue said:

 

I always found defensive end to be a lot simpler than linebacker from a mental perspective.  I have a sideline, and i go after the ball - i know there's nuance to this but that's still the general gist on most plays.  If you read a screen maybe you follow a back but otherwise you're rushing the QB.  Inside linebackers don't have a sideline, have coverage and play diagnosis responsibilities, help set others etc.  

Edge isn't DE.  In this defense, they aren't rushing the QB every play They're OLBs who are dropping into zones and playing man coverage on receivers.  I think it's more complicated than ILB. I may be wrong.  

[Magox]

He hasn't shown an inkling of ever being an edge rusher.

[NORWOODS FOOT]

22 hours ago, transplantbillsfan said:

 

His 10 yard split was 1.54. The next closest Edge split was 1.59.

 

He can sacrifice a little speed to put on weight.

 

33 and 3/4" arms.

 

80 and 1/2" wingspan.

I wonder if he has any experience with this at any level. Maybe they will consider giving him a shot on the edge. I’m not opposed to anything that works. Ohio State used Arvell Reese (a LB) in every way imaginable. Reese is a bit of a freak, but maybe it would work in this case too. Won’t know unless you try. If he gains a bunch of weight by training camp maybe that’s a tip off.