With just weeks until the beginning of the 2022 NFL regular season and two preseason games under Buffalo’s belt, it's the time of year when rosters begin to trim down and sadly, cuts have to be made. This season, the Bills front office will have to make many difficult decisions, a credit to their hard work in building such a talented roster. In this article, we’ll highlight the make-up of the Bills defensive line, discussing notable additions, the returning young core and possible diamond in the rough-esque players on the bubble of the roster.
The defensive line saw the most overturn among any position group on the Bills roster. Despite ending the regular season as the NFL’s number one defense, it was clear that some changes needed to be made on the defensive line, and Brandon Beane did just that.
In last year’s regular season, Buffalo had 40 sacks, but just five of those 40 came against playoff teams, proving that Beane had to make some changes if the team wanted to get over the hump and reach the ultimate goal of winning a Super Bowl. The most obvious of those changes was the addition of Von Miller. Miller is widely known as one of the league’s best edge rushers and his ability to close out a game with a sack or strip-sack has been seen a variety of times on the league’s biggest stages. There is no doubt that Miller will impact this defense immensely and hopefully be the piece that helps the Bills get over the top and raise a Lombardi Trophy. However, for a team to have a game-changing pass rush, it takes multiple playmakers, especially with Buffalo’s rotation at defensive line, a staple of Sean McDermott and Leslie Frazier’s defense.
Veteran Additions (5):
Revamping the defensive line was a must for Beane in the offseason and the front office did so by bringing in interior defensive linemen Jordan Phillips, DaQuan Jones and Tim Settle Jr. Outside of Miller, the front office also decided to bring back Shaq Lawson, adding to an already stout group of edge defenders.
One of the most notable additions outside of Miller was Phillips, who returns to the Bills defense after a breakout campaign in 2019 with Buffalo. Phillips mustered up 9.5 sacks that season, before signing a new deal and heading out west to play with Arizona. The interior defensive lineman didn’t find as much success with the Cardinals, appearing in just 18 games throughout two seasons, struggling to remain healthy with his new club. However, advanced metrics still show that Phillips was elite when it comes to pressuring the passer. In “True Pass Sets” Phillips posted elite numbers in 2021 with Arizona, which should help in freeing up Ed Oliver and unleashing the defensive line’s potential.
Likely the least talked about among the newest additions to the defense, DaQuan Jones should be eating up snaps on early downs. Solid against the pass and rush, his versatility is the reason why the veteran is currently listed as the starting interior defensive lineman next to Oliver. At 6’4, 320-pounds, Jones’ frame commands more than one blocker, eating up offensive linemen for other defensive players to make plays in one on one matchups. Doing his best work against the run game and playing snaps on early downs will allow Oliver, Settle and Phillips to stay fresh and get after the passer late into the game as well.
Speaking of Settle, the 25-year-old interior defensive lineman comes to Buffalo from Washington seeking more opportunities. Stashed behind Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne, Settle struggled to get chances with the Commanders, leading Bills fans to believe the 25-year-old could be a diamond in the rough addition to the defensive line.
Settle is already turning heads early in the preseason, coming off a strong week one performance against the Colts, who trotted out their first-team offense and one of the league’s best offensive lines. On multiple occasions, Settle was seen making plays against Colts’ first-team center Ryan Kelly.
If that wasn’t enough for you to believe in Settle’s potential, the 25-year-old also performed well against All-Pro Guard Quenton Nelson, doing much more than just holding his own.
The last addition to the defensive line is another homecoming in “Crane” Lawson. The former first-round pick struggled to live up to the hype through three seasons in Buffalo, but in his fourth season, Lawson found his game, racking up a career-high 6.5 sacks, while also being one of the league’s most underrated edge run defenders. Lawson left for greener pastures following the 2019 season just like Phillips, but after bouncing around from Miami to Houston and then to New York (Jets), Crane has returned to McDermott and Frazier’s defense, the unit in which he found the most success. Both Buffalo and Lawson hope to re-ignite the success that Shaq saw in 2019, while also bringing that same energy that was brought to the defense in 2019.
It seems almost as if the Bills had the perfect model for revamping their defensive line. Bringing in a pass rusher of Miller’s status was a dream come true for the organization, along with bringing home Lawson and Phillips, who both saw their best career years in Buffalo, as well as being key pieces to the culture and mentality of the defense. The additions of Settle and Jones are cost-affordable veterans who will play a role and hopefully be a part of the solution to the Bills getting over the top and getting their first Lombardi Trophy. But these additions also complement what the defensive line already has: young defenders with promise.
The Young Guns (4):
The returning four defenders on the Bills’ defensive line are all young, with two just coming off of their rookie seasons in the NFL. The most notable of the young core being Oliver, who is entering his fourth season since being drafted by Buffalo in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
There are certainly critics of Oliver’s game, with some pointing to his lack of production as a worry, but advanced metrics highlight the defensive tackle’s progression and actual dominance as an interior pass rusher. Oliver could certainly improve in multiple areas of his game, but the addition of veterans could take pressure off of the young defensive tackle and help to free the Houston product up to produce more numbers.
Oliver is currently labeled as a starting defensive tackle on the Bills’ defense, a position in which the ninth overall selection has manned for two full seasons now. But, as previously stated, the additions of Settle, Phillips and Jones should give Buffalo the much-needed depth to rely on the rotation that is a staple of the McDermott and Frazier defense. The more the Bills can rely on their depth, the fresher and healthier Oliver stays, meaning he can make a difference later in games.
Looking on the outside now, the Bills defensive line truly has a talented young core of edge defenders. Headlining the list, Gregory “Groot” Rousseau stood out as a rookie in 2021, tied for fifth among rookies in sacks with four. However, looking deeper than sacks, one could certainly make the case that Rousseau was the best rookie edge defender.
Pro Football Focus has two advanced metrics that can tell a little bit more about a pass rusher’s productivity: PRP and WIN%. Among qualified edge-rushing rookies, Rousseau ranked first in PRP (7.6), which combines a pass rusher’s sacks, hits and hurries relative to how many times they rushed the passer. Qualified denoting that the edge rusher has at least 20% of the league-leading 597 pass-rushing snaps. Groot also ranked fourth in WIN% (12.6%), which indicates how many of a rusher’s pass-rushing attempts resulted in a “win.”
Rousseau stood out amongst rookies against the run too, where his numbers are even more impressive. Groot played the second most snaps amongst rookies against the run, with 249 snaps, only trailing Azeez Ojulari (NYG). Rousseau was productive against the run, being tied for the most stops (32) across all edge defenders in the NFL. Rousseau also had the best STOP% (13.3%) in the league across all qualified edge defenders. These metrics clearly show Groot’s dominance against the run, and his potential to become an elite edge defender in the NFL.
Rousseau wasn’t the only Bills rookie defensive end turning heads though, so did Carlos “Boogie” Basham Jr.
Basham, Buffalo’s second-round selection, didn’t see the field as much as Rousseau did in year one, but earned more playing time as the season progressed. A healthy scratch in six of the Bills first eight games, Boogie ended the year dressing for six of the last nine regular season games and played in both of Buffalo’s playoff games.
Basham was also productive in his snaps, registering the second-ranked PRP (7.3) among all rookie rushers, only behind Malcolm Koonce (UB-Product), who had a small sample size of just 25 pass-rushing snaps in comparison to Boogie’s 107. Basham didn’t fare nearly as well against the rush in his rookie campaign, but the good news for the young edge defender is that Rousseau, Lawson and Miller are sound in run defense, allowing Basham to learn from his teammates.
The final young piece of the Bills defensive line is AJ Epenesa. Epenesa certainly has critics through his two seasons in Buffalo, mostly due to high expectations of being a second-round selection by the Bills in 2020. But coming into the NFL during the COVID-19 pandemic was easy for no rookie. On top of that, Epenesa was expected to drop his playing weight and change up his playstyle.
At 6’6, roaming around 280-pounds in college, Epenesa relied on power to get to the passer. However, when dropping weight ahead of the 2020 season, the rookie lost some of that power, hoping to exchange it for quickness off the ball. The weight loss and change of playstyle were tough for Epenesa, who has lacked production through two seasons in Buffalo.
Despite the lack of production, Epenesa has had no issue receiving playing time, developing as a defender and also making contributions on special teams. The edge defender was inactive for just two games in the 2021 season, playing 30.61% of defensive snaps and 33.18% of special teams snaps. With his special teams role and sure potential from being 6’6, 260-pounds, keeping Epenesa on the roster is a must for the Bills in 2022.
Between the four young core players of the defensive line and the five veteran additions, the nine total defensive linemen should all make the 53-man roster, filling their respective roles on defense and in special teams.
However, there is always room on the practice squad for two and possibly three more defensive linemen, so we will highlight who has stood out thus far through two preseason games.
Other Notable Names (3):
The most notable of the remaining names on the Bills defensive line has been Kingsley Jonathan. Leading the Buffalo defense through two weeks of preseason football with four quarterback pressures, Jonathan has flashed among the bubble players on the edge. On a less talented team, Kingsley could make the case to be on the 53-man roster, but credit to Beane, the Bills may just have the most talented roster in football.
Kingsley signed with the Bills as an un-drafted free agent, coming from Syracuse where he played five years with the Orange. The 6’4, 260-pound edge defender has turned heads thus far in preseason and could be stashed on Buffalo’s practice squad in case of injury to another edge rusher. However, if other teams have taken notice of Jonathan, he could also find a home elsewhere, having a role on a team’s 53-man roster and playing on most, if not all Sundays.
Another notable name among the bubble players of the 53-man roster is Mike Love. Love joined the Bills in 2018 and has been in Buffalo for quite some time now. A member of the practice squad in 2018, then placed on Injured Reserve for the majority of the 2019 season, and back on the Bills practice squad for 2021, Love is familiar with the defense, the coaches and the players around him.
The South Florida product has shown out in preseason yet again, acquiring three quarterback pressures while also registering two stops against the run. Between the flashes we’ve seen through the first two games of the preseason and the familiarity with the team, it would be hard to see Love not finding himself on the practice squad yet again, but it could depend on how many defensive linemen the Bills want to keep around.
Now looking at the bubble players on the interior of the defensive line, Brandin Bryant appears to be the most likely practice squad candidate. Bryant spent the 2021 season on the Bills practice squad and appeared in two games throughout the season, but is also the only Buffalo defensive lineman to have a hit, hurry and sack through two preseason games. Again, the flashes and familiarity bode well for the big man and his chances to make the practice squad.
With nine defensive linemen likely on the 53-man roster and likely two to three more defensive linemen on the practice squad, that should be the foundation for the team’s front. But, there could be one more underrated addition to the unit.
A Dark Horse (1):
Not currently on the Bills roster due to injury, Justin Zimmer has been a diamond in the rough for Buffalo for a couple of years now. Signing with the Bills in 2020, Zimmer appeared in 18 games between two seasons before being placed on IR with a season-ending knee injury that required surgery. zimmer has shined in the games he has played, making the most of his chances.
The defensive lineman is rehabbing currently, working to get back to playing football. The team did not extend a qualifying offer to the restricted free agent, but when Zimmer is 100%, it would be a surprise to see the Bills not bring back the beloved veteran. Beane also did mention having conversations with “guys who are rehabbing” with the team still “continuing to look and churn the back-end of the roster.”
With that all being said, it is refreshing to see so much talent on the Bills defensive line. The 2022 defensive line is truly the most talented unit the team has seen in many years, dating back to the “Cold Front” in 2014 with Mario Williams, Marcell Dareus, Kyle Williams and Jerry Hughes. This unit though appears to have much more depth while still having those top-end starters in multiple positions.
Later this week we intend to release a similar blog discussing Buffalo’s wide receivers and running backs, projecting the roster and discussing who’s shined through preseason thus far.
Until then, Go Bills!
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