Changes expected and necessary for Bills' defensive line as offseason nears
How big are the plans of general manager Brandon Beane for the defensive upgrading? And how much salary cap space does he need to carve out?
This is the first in a seven-part series looking at the Buffalo Bills roster heading into the 2025 NFL offseason.
The Philadelphia Eagles’ domination of the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX indirectly shined a big spotlight on the Buffalo Bills’ defensive line.
The Eagles’ defensive line sacked Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes six times and pressured him 16 other times, while not having to blitz even once. The Eagles’ pressure rate was 38%, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.
In the AFC championship game, the Bills sacked Mahomes twice and pressured him nine times. The Bills’ pressure rate was 21%.
Obviously, the Bills’ front four suffers in comparison. Big changes are expected this offseason.
“A really good defense starts up front,” said coach Sean McDermott after the loss to the Chiefs. “Winning games, winning the line of scrimmage, is critical. And I felt like we did that at some times this year, not enough. And so that’s an area where I did see some of our players, maybe not statistically, but just overall factor- wise or performance-wise, improve up front.
In order to move forward just as a team in games where I’ve been in the Super Bowl, it’s your front is what gets you there.”
Edge rusher Von Miller walks off the field after Buffalo’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Jan. 26. Was it his last game with the Bills? Harry Scull Jr., Buffalo News
The obvious big move is the release of Von Miller, who turns 36 in March. Miller has the second-highest salary cap figure on the team for 2025, at $23.8 million. Josh Allen is No. 1 at $44.7 million.
The Bills need to create salary cap space, and parting with Miller is by far the easiest way to do it. If they designate Miller as a post-June 1 cut under salary cap rules (spreading out the cap hit over two years), they can drop his cap figure down to $6.37 million and save $14.77 million on the cap. If they release him without the June 1 designation in March, it’s an $8.4 million savings. Could Miller accept a pay cut? Sure. But it’s hard to imagine a $14 million pay cut.
The question becomes: How big are the plans of general manager Brandon Beane for the defensive upgrading? And how much salary cap space does he need to carve out?
Greg Rousseau was by far the best edge rusher on the team in 2024. He led the team with 8.0 sacks and ranked tied for 10th in the NFL among edge rushers in pressures with 63. He also had 16 tackles for loss, three passes defensed and three forced fumbles. Rousseau is under contract for 2025 on the fifth and final year of his rookie deal at $13.38 million.
The Bills probably want to give him an extension in the late summer. It’s hard to see them letting him walk in free agency after 2025, and he’s not worth the cost of a franchise tag a year from now (more than $25 million for one year).
After Rousseau, the Bills need an injection of edge rush talent.
A.J. Epenesa’s production dropped in 2024. He was 86th among edge rushers in pressures with 20, according to Pro Football Focus. Epenesa has a cap hit of $7.48 million this year. Releasing him in March would save $3.3 million. But finding someone better than Epenesa with a pick late in the second round (or later) would be difficult.
Javon Solomon is a young pass rusher with some talent but he got only 12% of the snaps as a rookie. Veteran Dawuane Smoot played 29% of the snaps. Could the Bills get him back on another low-cost, one-year deal? Maybe. (He cost just $1.46 million vs. the cap in 2024. But he will cost $1 million on the Bills’ ledger in 2025 even if he doesn’t come back due to a void year in his deal, which is a popular bookkeeping tactic to spread costs over multiple years.)
Then there’s the question of upgrading the interior of the defensive line. Ed Oliver is entrenched as the 3-technique starter, under contract through 2027. Oliver’s sacks dropped from 9.5 in 2023 to 3.0 in 2024. Oliver ranked 20th among DTs in pressures with 39, but it was a big drop-off from 65 in 2023.
That leaves the status of 1-technique starter DaQuan Jones uncertain. He turned 33 on Dec. 27. His cap figure is $9.4 million for the final year of his deal. Releasing him and designating him as one of the two post-June 1 cuts would save $5.68 million. The replacement cost at defensive tackle in free agency is high. But this is a great draft for defensive tackle talent.
The Bills invested a third-round pick in DeWayne Carter, and he showed some good signs as a rookie. He’s surely the No. 3 DT in 2025. Pending free agent Austin Johnson will be 31 in May. The Bills need more players at defensive tackle. Look for additions in both free agency and the draft.
Under contract: Greg Rousseau, Von Miller, Ed Oliver, A.J. Epenesa, DaQuan Jones, DeWayne Carter, Javon Solomon, Zion Logue, Branson Deen.
Pending free agents: Dawuane Smoot, Austin Johnson, Quinton Jefferson, Jordan Phillips, Casey Toohill, Kingsley Jonathan.
Key questions: What salary cap casualties will there be after Miller? Might Beane engineer a big move via free agency or a trade? How many big investments can be made in the draft?
Free agency and draft priority: Extremely high.