The Buffalo Bills have a deal in place to add some depth to their defense.聽
This is a 2024 photo of Michael Hoecht of the Los Angeles Rams NFL football team.聽
It remains to be, exactly, where that depth will be utilized, though. The Bills on Monday night agreed to a three-year contract with Michael Hoecht, an unrestricted free agent from the Los Angeles Rams, a league source told The Buffalo News. The deal won't be made official until the start of the NFL's new league year at 4 p.m. Wednesday.
Hoecht, 27, joined the Rams as an undrafted free agent out of Brown in 2020. He spent that season on their practice squad before making the 53-man roster in 2021.
He has remarkable versatility, playing defensive tackle, edge rusher and linebacker at different times for the Rams. He's listed on their website at 6-foot-4, 267 pounds, but depending on where you look, he's been listed as much as 310 pounds at other times in his career.聽
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For his career, he has 180 tackles and 13.5 sacks in 68 games, with 31 starts. Hoecht started all 17 games in 2023 and played 962 defensive snaps, which was 85% of the team's defensive total. His usage decreased somewhat in 2024, as he appeared in all 17 games, but started just five times and played 639 snaps, 57% of the defensive total. He has nine sacks the past two seasons as the Rams have primarily used him as an edge rusher from both sides. He has also been a key contributor on special teams for the Rams, playing at least 38% of the snaps there in all four of his NFL seasons, including 83% in the 2022 season. He led the NFL in blocked kicks in 2024 with three, two extra points and a field goal.聽
The Bills enter the new league year with just three edge rushers under contract for 2025 after releasing Von Miller -- Greg Rousseau, A.J. Epenesa and Javon Solomon. Veteran Dawuane Smoot is a pending unrestricted free agent, and it's possible Hoecht could replace him in the Bills' lineup.聽
According to sports finanical website , Hoecht's three-year contract carries a maximum potential value of $21 million, $13.43 million of which is guaranteed. His cap hit in the first year of the deal will be $4.488 million, which includes a $3 million base salary. Both his 2025 base salary and 2026 base salary of $6.04 million are guaranteed. The deal includes two void years.
Hoecht was born in Oakville, Ontario, just about an hour from Buffalo.
"Bills Mafia!!! I'm coming home," Hoecht posted on X after news of his contract agreement went public Monday night.
He was a two-year captain and second-team All-Ivy League selection in 2019. He graduated from Brown with a degree in business and managerial economics.
