ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — As the Buffalo Bills drew back the curtain to show what they’ve been working on over the last few months in Saturday’s 29-14 preseason win against the Carolina Panthers, the new defensive scheme under coordinator Jim Leonhard caught much of the attention.The Bills — sporting their new-look, attack-style 3-4 defense — attempted to stay as vanilla as possible while executing the core philosophies of their defense. Regardless, seeing it in practice helped show what the Bills may do at the macro and micro levels, and could serve as a hint once the regular season begins.More broadly, what stood out most was how they varied their spacing along the defensive line to free up their front. Their interior defensive linemen on the first unit, like Deone Walker and Ed Oliver, found themselves in one-on-ones through the scheme, giving them several quality reps in the three drives they played. Coupled with well-timed pressure from an unpredictable place, it led to some really bright moments from the defense.Top Plays from Panthers @ BillsIn total, the first-team defense allowed only 16 yards on its three drives for 1.77 yards per play while forcing a negative gain on three of those plays and holding the Panthers to 0 yards gained two other times.On a more granular level, how they used some of their players is equally as interesting, specifically across their defensive front. While we’ve seen plenty of mixing and matching during camp with the first unit, it was abundantly clear that Oliver and Walker will be massive parts of their plan. The Bills were mostly in nickel through the three series, meaning only two defensive linemen on the field, with it making up 70 percent of their plays. In both nickel and base defense, Walker and Oliver were on the field for every snap with the first unit.In addition to that pair, Greg Rousseau and Bradley Chubb were the only edge-rushing outside linebackers on the field for the Bills’ first-team defense. Rousseau rushed from the defensive left side against the right tackle all but once, which could be a sign that they’re committing to having him on his most natural pass-rushing side this season. It’s worth noting that, in both the defensive line and outside linebacker cases, the three straight three-and-outs the first-team defense could have contributed to no one else getting time. However, even on longer drives with the second and third units later in the game, the Bills generally veered toward keeping a pass-rushing pair in the game for six-plus snaps at a time. That could mean we see a rotation that isn’t quite as flat as it was with the previous defense.No matter what, this brand-new defense couldn’t have asked for a better debut, though several questions still need to be answered once the regular season begins.Moore looks the part as Bills think they survived injury scareFor the first time since the Bills acquired wide receiver DJ Moore to be Josh Allen’s top target, fans at large were able to see their potential. What the duo has manufactured Saturday against the Panthers is a continuation of everything we’ve seen in training camp so far. Moore wound up running six routes on non-penalty plays that he was in the game, and Allen targeted him on a whopping 67 percent of those routes while bringing in three catches for 61 yards. That figure is certainly unsustainable, but it’s clear Allen often looks for Moore, as he hasn’t had that type of talent at receiver since Stefon Diggs was in Buffalo. Moore’s speed and run after catch are likely to be big assets in 2026. He also unsurprisingly led Bills receivers in snaps with Allen, registering 12 out of 16 (including penalties).The Bills seem like they avoided a potential disaster with Moore, though, after he suffered an apparent leg injury on his final snap and reception.The team sat him over by the bench area as athletic trainers and a team doctor examined his lower leg, then left him alone shortly after. He was moving around well on the sidelines during the second half, and Bills head coach Joe Brady told reporters that they think Moore is likely good to go.The Bills now have to determine how much more work they want Moore to get this preseason, as the risk analysis of weighing potential injury versus in-game time with Allen needs to be front and center.