Editor鈥檚 note: This is the second story in a series previewing the Bills鈥 position groups as training camp looms. Today is edge rushers.
Over the past three seasons, Bills defensive end Greg Rousseau has collected 21 of his 25 career sacks.
Shortly after the Buffalo Bills鈥 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship game, general manager Brandon Beane resumed negotiations with the agent for arguably his best defensive player.
The talks ended in March with Greg Rousseau signing a that tied the talented edge rusher to the Bills through 2029.
The $49 million guaranteed to Rousseau ranks eighth in the NFL at his position, trailing Myles Garrett, Nick Bosa, T.J. Watt, Josh Hines-Allen, Brian Burns, Maxx Crosby and Danielle Hunter.
Rousseau鈥檚 $20 million average salary ranks 12th, a potential bargain for a 25-year-old athlete at a premium position with 10 sacks between the regular season and playoffs in 2024. The gradual improvement Rousseau has shown across the past four years, beginning as a rookie first-round pick in 2020, convinced Beane that the best is yet to come for their top defensive lineman.
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Rousseau set several career highs in 2024, including quarterback hits (24), tackles for loss (16), solo tackles (36) and forced fumbles (three). The 20 quick pressures 鈥 three seconds or less 鈥 Rousseau created were tied for seventh-most by an NFL defensive lineman, only one behind the Chiefs鈥 Chris Jones.
The Bills revamped their defensive line this offseason to try to create more pressure and improve against the run. If others can make more plays, including fellow edge rusher A.J. Epenesa, who鈥檚 entering the final season of his contract, then offenses won鈥檛 be able to run away from Rousseau or use multiple blockers to try to limit his impact.
Bills defensive end Greg Rousseau set several career highs in 2024, including quarterback hits (24), tackles for loss (16), solo tackles (36) and forced fumbles (three).
Rousseau needs to be more consistent and Bills coach Sean McDermott wants to see another level of physicality from him throughout the season. Someone as big (6-foot-7, 253 pounds) and athletic as Rousseau could be among the NFL鈥檚 elite edge rushers. He had some remarkable games last season, like Week 1 when he had six tackles for loss or Week 7 with his six quarterback hits, the highest single-game total by any player over the past two seasons.
But the Bills need more from Rousseau, particularly in key situations when McDermott needs his defensive line to get to quarterbacks like the Chiefs鈥 Patrick Mahomes and the Baltimore Ravens鈥 Lamar Jackson.
On the roster
Eight: Rousseau, Epenesa, Joey Bosa, Landon Jackson, Javon Solomon, Michael Hoecht, Hayden Harris and Paris Shand.
How many on the 53?
Five, not including Hoecht, who will be suspended six games to start the season. Harris and Shand aren鈥檛 expected to make the cut.
Most impactful offseason move
The Bills gave Bosa a one-year, incentive-laden contract to provide clutch, game-wrecking production in the playoffs. He had double-digit sacks in four of his nine seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers, but Beane understood the risk in signing the oft-injured 29-year-old pass rusher. Bosa played just 28 games in his last three seasons with the team that drafted him third overall in 2016. He鈥檚 already injured, having suffered a calf strain that kept him out of OTAs and mandatory minicamp. They鈥檒l have to monitor his snap count and usage, particularly early in the regular season.
Biggest question to answer in camp
How will the Bills use Hoecht? With the Rams last season, Hoecht lined up at defensive end, outside linebacker and inside linebacker. He鈥檚 a crafty pass rusher who鈥檚 reliable against the run and athletic enough to drop into coverage, invaluable versatility that can earn him a prominent role in this defense. The challenge, however, is Hoecht will be suspended for six games to start the season, and the Bills will need to use camp to prepare others, particularly Jackson, to make an impact during Hoecht鈥檚 absence.
Battle to watch
Can Jackson make enough of an impact in training camp to be used in place of Epenesa in obvious passing situations? Epenesa has at least six sacks in each of the last three seasons, however, Pro Football Focus credited him with the second-lowest win rate on pass-rush snaps among Bills edge rushers last season. Jackson, a third-round pick, became the first player at Arkansas since 1994-95 to lead the Razorbacks鈥 defense in tackles for a loss and sacks in consecutive seasons. He has the size, strength, explosiveness and experience to earn significant snaps as a rookie.
Under-the-radar player
Solomon created eight quarterback hurries in 89 pass-rush snaps, compared with Epenesa鈥檚 nine hurries in 356 snaps, according to PFF. Solomon, a rookie fifth-round draft pick in 2024, had two sacks and six quarterback hits while playing just 15% of the Bills鈥 defensive snaps during the regular season. He鈥檚 not as physically imposing as others in this position group at 6-2, 245 pounds and he鈥檒l need to earn a role in camp as a situational pass rusher, but he could emerge as a useful chess piece in this defense. The 2024 fifth-round pick has juice.
