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That鈥檚 particularly true along the defensive line, where three rookies 鈥� tackles T.J. Sanders and Deone Walker and edge rusher Landon Jackson 鈥� are part of the 53-man roster.

Along with that comes some expected growing pains.

Jackson experienced those during an up-and-down preseason. Of the 42 players who took at least one defensive snap for the Bills during the preseason, Jackson鈥檚 grade of 46.1 (out of 100) by analytics website Pro Football Focus ranked 37th on the roster.

鈥淚鈥檓 confident in Landon,鈥� McDermott said. 鈥淚鈥檝e said it from the start, we鈥檙e going to have to count on some youth up front in particular, and that鈥檚 going to take some time. So again, I remain patient.鈥�

McDermott explained that defensive end in the Bills鈥� defensive scheme has more mental challenges than playing defensive tackle. Defensive ends have more of the playbook to digest, including coverage responsibilities that tackles do not have. It鈥檚 similar to a middle linebacker having more responsibilities than an outside linebacker, or a safety having more than a cornerback.

鈥淟andon鈥檚 a smart guy and he鈥檚 a smart player, but it just takes a little bit more time,鈥� McDermott said. 鈥淪o that also carries a weight with it in terms of it takes you a little bit more time to get back to playing fast. I think that鈥檚 probably him balancing some things right now.鈥�

Jackson agreed with that assessment. He had some coverage responsibilities during his junior season at Arkansas in 2023, but those mostly went away as a senior last year.

Learning the 鈥渨hy鈥� in the Bills鈥� defense has been Jackson鈥檚 top priority during training camp.

鈥淭rying to take it all in, trying to make sure I grasp the full understanding of the position, because we鈥檙e doing a lot more than, I guess, a lot of other team鈥檚 D-ends will do,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 feel like I鈥檓 progressing each and every day and feel like I鈥檓 getting a better understanding for everything each and every day as well.鈥�

That progression was apparent from the first to the second week of the preseason. In 23 defensive snaps against the New York Giants in the preseason opener, Jackson rushed the opposing quarterback 17 times, but logged just one pressure, according to PFF. Against the Chicago Bears in the second preseason game, he played 38 defensive snaps with 23 pass rushes, and registered four quarterback hurries and one hit.

Jackson admitted that he found himself thinking too much against the Giants. He was worried about trying not to make a mistake, which slowed him up.

鈥淵ou can鈥檛 play this game that way,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he second game, I feel like I progressed a lot, kind of loosened up, played a little bit more free and didn鈥檛 think as much, but there is definitely still a lot to learn. I鈥檓 not going to say I鈥檓 in my head, but I鈥檓 still trying to learn, be better. That鈥檚 the biggest thing.鈥�

The Bills will be counting on that process continuing into the regular season. When he does get into the lineup, Jackson won鈥檛 be going up against second- or third-team offensive linemen anymore.

Every rookie learns at a different pace. Sometimes, it takes the first half of the season for things to fully click, then they look like a different player in the second half. The only way to gain that experience is time on task. Jackson knows he鈥檚 got teammates and coaches who are going to rely on him at some point during the regular season, which is his greatest motivator.

Jackson projects as the fourth or fifth defensive end on the roster, behind Greg Rousseau, Joey Bosa and A.J. Epenesa, and in competition with second-year veteran Javon Solomon. It鈥檚 possible, because Solomon is reliable on special teams, that Jackson starts the season as a healthy inactive.

Whether that ends up being the case remains to be seen, but McDermott has liked what he鈥檚 seen from Jackson in the practice setting lately.

鈥淗e鈥檚 very passionate about football, and doing well is important to him, and I think he鈥檚 got the right wiring,鈥� the coach said. 鈥淣ow we鈥檝e just got to continue to kind of cut him loose and play and play fast.鈥�