Sean McDermott was officially welcomed as the Buffalo Bills’ new head coach on Friday. From there, McDermott began to fill out his coaching staff by confirming the hiring of defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier and offensive line coach Juan Castillo.

McDermott and Frazier have a history together, both working under the legendary defensive coordinator Jim Johnson during their time together with the Philadelphia Eagles.

From 2001-2004, the Eagles enjoyed a trip to four straight NFC championship games. Therefore, McDermott and Frazier’s winning pedigree should assist in turning around a Bills defense that finished 19th in the past two seasons.

With McDermott vowing to put players in a position to win and be successful, here are four players that will benefit in McDermott’s defensive scheme.

Marcell Dareus

In 2014, defensive tackle Marcell Dareus put together a fantastic season in Jim Schwartz’s 4-3, wide-nine scheme. Schwartz’s attacking front-four allowed Dareus to rack up an astonishing 10 sacks, which is impressive for an interior defender.

When Rex Ryan was hired in 2015, Dareus’ pass rushing abilities were limited as he was forced to play the nose tackle position in Ryan’s 3-4 defensive front.

At 6-foot-3, 331-pounds, Dareus was the only capable nose tackle on the entire roster. Dareus’s main responsibility at nose tackle was to two-gap and absorb blockers in run defense, while consistently battling double teams in rushing the quarterback. This led to his decline in stats in 2015 and 2016.

The infusion of McDermott’s 4-3 front should greatly benefit Dareus. He would be able to unlock his attacking style via his excellent one-gapping, penetrating technique. Dareus’s true value to Buffalo’s defense would be recognized, and he’d finally be able to live up to his hefty contract.

Preston Brown

The Bills’ third-round pick out of Louisville enjoyed a tremendous rookie season in 2014 within Schwartz’s 4-3 scheme.

Brown was placed at outside linebacker in Schwartz’s defense, where he recorded 103 tackles. From there, Brown finished as Pro Football Focus’ third-best pass coverage linebacker, tallying two pass defections and one interception. Brown was not only the Bills’ best coverage linebacker, but he was one of the best in the NFL.

Switching to inside linebacker in Ryan’s 3-4 defense was a tough transition for Brown. He couldn’t comprehend Ryan’s complex play calls, and he routinely failed in informing the defense when calling out specific checks within Ryan’s multiple defense.

Brown also endured a difficult time shedding blocks in Ryan’s scheme. With the return of McDermott’s 4-3 philosophy, Brown would be able to play with more freedom. McDermott relies on his linebackers to make plays in space — as Brown displayed in 2014 — and he’s more than capable of returning to his rookie form

Shaq Lawson

The 19th pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, Shaq Lawson, didn’t have the rookie season he’d hoped for in comparison to his fellow draft classmates. Lawson aggravated his shoulder during the team’s minicamp last spring, causing him to miss the first six games of the season.

In the eight games he played, Lawson recorded 13 tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble — all while constantly disrupting the opposing backfield.

However, in Ryan’s 3-4 defense, Lawson often lined up as an outside linebacker. The reason why Lawson was such a dominant player out of Clemson was due to his effectiveness as a defensive end in Clemson’s aggressive 4-3 scheme.

Lawson is best suited in a 4-3 scheme where he can play his natural defensive end position. Containing a high motor with violent hands in both facets of the pass and run game, this will enable Lawson to deploy his power and athleticism in optimizing his production on the field. Hiring McDermott assures Lawson will be playing as a defensive end once again.

Ronald Darby

After an outstanding rookie campaign in 2015, cornerback Ronald Darby, along with the entire Bills’ secondary, experienced a setback in 2016.

Although he was not as consistent as he was in pass coverage in 2015, Darby made a major impact in run defense, finishing as PFF’s No. 2 cornerback against the run.

McDermott executed a ton of Cover-2 during his time with the Carolina Panthers. When defending the run, with Darby squatting in the flat in Cover-2, he should be able to utilize his aggressive and fearless nature and continue to thrive against the run.

More importantly, McDermott’s history of drawing up exotic blitzes should allow Darby to play to his strengths, using his physical ability and superb athleticism in one-on-one situations, similarly to his role in Ryan’s defense.