Bills position preview: Defensive line looks to retool
There’s some orientation going on in the Buffalo Bills’ defensive end room these days. The Bills have seen some turnover at the position, as they now gear up for the 2024 season.
This is the ninth in a series looking at the status of each position before the Buffalo Bills report to training camp on July 23. This installment: Defensive ends.
There’s some orientation going on in the Buffalo Bills’ defensive end room these days. The Bills have seen some turnover at the position, as they now gear up for the 2024 season.
Fourth-year defensive end Greg Rousseau is now in more of a veteran’s role. He making sure to welcome in the newcomers and have them mixing with the old.
“Getting to know each other, obviously we got a lot of new players, so just getting to know each other so we can just have that bond,” Rousseau said during OTAs.
“And I feel like teams who have a good bond, it really shows out there on the field on Sundays when you’re connecting, and you build that trust for each other over the offseason.”
There’s pressure on the unit to perform to the highest standards. Veteran Von Miller and his coaches believe that Miller should look much better this season. Rousseau and A.J. Epenesa still need to put on a strong performance. Head coach Sean McDermott believes both have the ability to do so.
“When you talk about Greg and A.J. both, they’ve put good things out there,” McDermott said during minicamp. “They flashed really high-level moments, now it’s about being full-time starters and taking that next step to continue to take their game to another level and they’re aware of that. And both of those guys worked extremely hard. And that’s the opportunity that’s really quite frankly in front of both of them.”
Bills defensive linemen Ed Oliver, left, Von Miller, center, and Greg Rousseau leave the field after an OTA practice in June. Harry Scull Jr., Buffalo News
As for Miller, he recently opined that he should not have played at all last season, a contrast from this time last year when he was hoping to play Week 1. Miller was held without a sack last season, and for the most part did not look like himself. But McDermott and other coaches were optimistic based on how his season ended.
Defensive coordinator Bobby Babich says the tail end of last season showed him that Miller is on track to return.
“The things I did see, there was flashes of some Von Miller there at the end of the year,” Babich said. “Von’s working hard to get back. ... The expectation is that minute by minute, we’re just continuing to get better and continuing to hone back in on the skills and to train the skills that are needed for him to impact the game like we need him to.”
Still, the group will also be defined by the newcomers.
Casey Toohill joins the Bills after a career-high five sacks for the Washington Commanders last season.
The team drafted Javon Solomon, who tallied 16 sacks last season on his way to collecting 33 career sacks at Troy.
“I like him. I like him, real twitchy, real bendy,” Rousseau said of Solomon. “He’s got good hands. He’s really mature. Asks a lot of questions. You can tell that he wants it and he’s not just along for the ride. He’s trying to get better every day and he’s doing just that.”
Returnees: Von Miller, Greg Rousseau, A.J. Epenesa, Kingsley Jonathan, Kameron Cline.
Newcomers (how acquired): Casey Toohill (Commanders), Javon Solomon (Round 5), David Ugwoegbu (undrafted free agent), Dawuane Smoot (Jaguars), Rondell Bothroyd (UDFA).
Departures: Leonard Floyd (49ers), Shaq Lawson (free agent).
Key number: 10.5. That’s how many sacks defensive end Floyd had last season to lead the Bills. The team will need to find ways to make up for that, now that Floyd is with the NFC-champion 49ers.
Defensive tackle Ed Oliver had the second most with 9.5 sacks, then Epenesa tied linebacker Terrel Bernard with 6.5. Look to Rousseau as a candidate to step up – he had just five sacks last season after eight sacks the previous year.
Top battle: Rousseau, Miller and Epenesa are likely set as the top three. Can anyone dethrone them? Who will slide in as the fourth defensive end on the depth chart?
What to expect: The defensive ends need to step up a bit. If Miller can return somewhat to form, that would be a huge boost for the defensive line. But he’s up against Father Time as well as his injury. If Epenesa can match his production from last season – during which he did miss time with an injury – that would also strengthen the Bills. Look for Rousseau to have an uptick in sack production.
