ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. [WKBW] — Going into the 2023 season the Bufalo Bills had three main position battles. On Wednesday afternoon head coach Sean McDermott announced the winners of those battles.
On offense, guard O'Cyrus Torrence will replace Ryan Bates on the Bills offensive line. On defense, linebacker Terrel Bernard will play next to Matt Milano and cornerback Christian Benford will play opposite Tre'Davious White . All three players are slated to start in the Bills Week 1 matchup against the New York Jets.
Terrel Bernard, O'Cyrus Torrence, and Christian Benford have all won position battles and are set to start Monday night. We talked to all three of them today. Here's some of what they said ⬇️#BillsMafia @WKBW pic.twitter.com/hfVoVHdjis
— Matthew Bové (@Matt_Bove) September 6, 2023
Bernard is the most notable player to win his position battle because of the player he's replacing. With the void of Tremaine Edmunds departure, Bernard has big shoes to fill. Bernard didn't play in any of the preseason games due to a hamstring injury, but still won the battle against Tyrel Dodson and A.J. Klein, who was released.
"Well, you know, he's an extremely smart, young man. He has good football instincts," McDermott said. "The game makes sense to him. He works extremely hard. He's got the respect of his teammates all around him. And again, it's not an individual sport. It's a team sport. So he'll just be 1/11th of the overall operation out there."
Bills safety Jordan Poyer also had praise for Bernard as he prepares for his second career start. Coincidentally, Bernard's other career start was last season in New York against the Jets.
"Yeah, guy's come in and took control of the defense. A young guy with a lot of speed, go sideline to sideline and a lot of power, he can hit, and he's very smart and instinctive. I can see why coaches gave him the green dot and and the green light to be the starter. I'm excited for him. I'm excited to play alongside him. And I know he's going to help us make plays and win football games."
As for Torrence, it was apparent after the first few preseason games that he was the front runner to win the job. In his first NFL game he will be up against a tall task, lining up across from one of the top defensive lines in the NFL led by Quinnen Williams.
"I’m very excited to do that. He’s one of the best d-tackles in this league," Torrence said. "So, it’s definitely going to be a good challenge to go up against him my first NFL game, so I’m looking forward to just going out there and playing and just seeing what I can do."
Of the three players to win their position battles, Benford has the most experience, but barely. Benford started five games for the Bills last season, including the opening game against the Los Angeles Rams.
"It's a different transition compared to last year due to the fact that I had some reps on Sundays and Mondays so it's a different mindset," Benford said. "I'm more of a developed player and more mature on the field and off the field so it's definitely a different type of transition."
