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The Buffalo Bills ended their 2025 campaign feeling like an opportunity had been missed. Buffalo put together another strong season, ending the year with 12 wins. However, losses to New England, Miami, and Atlanta doomed the Bills, causing them to drop from the top of the AFC East standings for the first time in five seasons.
The Bills season, once again, ended heartbreakingly. Buffalo could not finish the job in the AFC Divisional Playoff Round, falling to the Denver Broncos in overtime.
Buffalo started their offseason with a bang, firing head coach Sean McDermott after nine seasons at the helm. Owner Terry Pegula highlighted McDermott’s inability to get the team to the Super Bowl as a primary reason for moving on from arguably the franchise’s second-best coach behind Marv Levy.
This series of articles will explore each positional group ahead of free agency. This edition will focus on the Bills defensive line.
Buffalo’s defensive line went through some ups and downs, looking solid for a good hunk of the season, but never reaching the dominant status that the coaching staff hoped it would achieve. The Bills were inundated with several major injuries during the season. Ed Oliver, Landon Jackson, Michael Hoecht, and DeWayne Carter all missed substantial time during the season.
Joey Bosa was expected to be the pass rusher that the defense was missing, and to be fair, there were some moments when the veteran flashed on the field. However, Bosa never became the massive force that Buffalo hoped for, as he recorded only five sacks this year.
As a whole, the defensive line was not as aggressive as one would have thought entering the season. Greg Rousseau led the way with seven sacks. However, no Bill reached double-digits in tackles for loss.
The defensive line got carved up during multiple games against the run. Buffalo’s defense gave up at least 189 yards on the ground in six of its games.
The lack of quarterback hits and sacks was a bit concerning for this line. More was expected from the unit. Yes, injuries complicated things for the unit. However, Sean McDermott and Bobby Babich couldn’t get enough of this unit, a group that Buffalo has heavily invested in.
Pending free agents:
What will this unit look like under new DC Jim Leonhard’s system?
The lack of production from the defensive line contributed to the Bills moving on from Sean McDermott. Buffalo sent the message that for this team to get over the playoff wall, the defense needs to be revamped.
Leonhard’s traditional system leans toward a 3-4 system. However, in the modern game, we know that players have to be versatile, so let’s not get too caught up in the nomenclature of the system.
A healthy Ed Oliver will do wonders for this line. However, he’s probably not going to play on the interior of the line where he has line up against a center. Deone Walker and TJ Sanders will most likely see time on the interior of the line.
Greg Rousseau, Michael Hoecht, Javon Solomon, and Landon Jackson will play on the outside. The hope is that this group can adjust to Leonhard’s system quickly. Whichever players in this group can move to the outside linebacker spot will see an uptick in their time on the field.
There’s a good chance that the Bills will use a high draft pick to add to the defensive line. The Bills need a difference maker on the defensive side of the ball. With a changing of the guard, it makes perfect sense for the Bills to invest in players who fit Leonard’s system.
The Bills have more holes on their roster than they’ve had in recent years, so a first-round pick may be a bit rich for a defensive lineman. However, a day two defensive line pick is definitely in the cards for this April.
This article originally appeared on Bills Wire: 2025 Bills positional review: Defensive line
Continue reading...
The Bills season, once again, ended heartbreakingly. Buffalo could not finish the job in the AFC Divisional Playoff Round, falling to the Denver Broncos in overtime.
Buffalo started their offseason with a bang, firing head coach Sean McDermott after nine seasons at the helm. Owner Terry Pegula highlighted McDermott’s inability to get the team to the Super Bowl as a primary reason for moving on from arguably the franchise’s second-best coach behind Marv Levy.
This series of articles will explore each positional group ahead of free agency. This edition will focus on the Bills defensive line.
Season Review
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Buffalo’s defensive line went through some ups and downs, looking solid for a good hunk of the season, but never reaching the dominant status that the coaching staff hoped it would achieve. The Bills were inundated with several major injuries during the season. Ed Oliver, Landon Jackson, Michael Hoecht, and DeWayne Carter all missed substantial time during the season.
Joey Bosa was expected to be the pass rusher that the defense was missing, and to be fair, there were some moments when the veteran flashed on the field. However, Bosa never became the massive force that Buffalo hoped for, as he recorded only five sacks this year.
As a whole, the defensive line was not as aggressive as one would have thought entering the season. Greg Rousseau led the way with seven sacks. However, no Bill reached double-digits in tackles for loss.
The defensive line got carved up during multiple games against the run. Buffalo’s defense gave up at least 189 yards on the ground in six of its games.
The lack of quarterback hits and sacks was a bit concerning for this line. More was expected from the unit. Yes, injuries complicated things for the unit. However, Sean McDermott and Bobby Babich couldn’t get enough of this unit, a group that Buffalo has heavily invested in.
Contracts
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- Ed Oliver--through 2027
- Michael Hoecht--through 2027
- Andre Jones, Jr.--through 2027
- Javon Solomon--through 2027
- Zion Logue--through 2027
- DeWayne Carter--through 2027
- Tommy Akingbesote--through 2027
- Landon Jackson--through 2028
- Deone Walker--through 2028
- TJ Sanders--through 2028
- Greg Rousseau--through 2029
Pending free agents:
- Joey Bosa
- DaQuan Jones
- AJ Epenesa
- Larry Ogunjobi
- Jordan Phillips
Important Stats
- Greg Rousseau--46 total tackles, 7 sacks
- Deone Walker--39 total tackles, 1 sack
- Joey Bosa--29 total tackles, 5 sacks
- AJ Epenesa--32 total tackles, 2.5 sacks
- DaQuan Jones--22 tackles, 3 sacks
Big Question
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What will this unit look like under new DC Jim Leonhard’s system?
The lack of production from the defensive line contributed to the Bills moving on from Sean McDermott. Buffalo sent the message that for this team to get over the playoff wall, the defense needs to be revamped.
Leonhard’s traditional system leans toward a 3-4 system. However, in the modern game, we know that players have to be versatile, so let’s not get too caught up in the nomenclature of the system.
A healthy Ed Oliver will do wonders for this line. However, he’s probably not going to play on the interior of the line where he has line up against a center. Deone Walker and TJ Sanders will most likely see time on the interior of the line.
Greg Rousseau, Michael Hoecht, Javon Solomon, and Landon Jackson will play on the outside. The hope is that this group can adjust to Leonhard’s system quickly. Whichever players in this group can move to the outside linebacker spot will see an uptick in their time on the field.
Draft status
There’s a good chance that the Bills will use a high draft pick to add to the defensive line. The Bills need a difference maker on the defensive side of the ball. With a changing of the guard, it makes perfect sense for the Bills to invest in players who fit Leonard’s system.
The Bills have more holes on their roster than they’ve had in recent years, so a first-round pick may be a bit rich for a defensive lineman. However, a day two defensive line pick is definitely in the cards for this April.
This article originally appeared on Bills Wire: 2025 Bills positional review: Defensive line
Continue reading...
