Ever since Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott's tenure began with the Buffalo Bills, the defensive line has been an area of concentration. Throughout each free agency cycle and draft class, the Bills have dedicated significant resources to building a solid defensive front with enough depth to rotate personnel.
This offseason, Beane signed veterans Joey Bosa, Michael Hoecht, and Larry Ogunjobi in free agency, and drafted TJ Sanders, Landon Jackson, and Deone Walker in Rounds 2-4 of the NFL Draft. These six join returning starters Greg Rousseau, Ed Oliver, DaQuan Jones, and AJ Epenesa, as well as 2024 draft picks DeWayne Carter and Javon Solomon.
On paper, the Bills seem to have achieved the depth they're always looking for on the defensive line, with a good mix of proven vets and highly drafted rookies with untapped potential. This prompted PFF's Zoltán Buday to rank Buffalo's DL fifth-best in the NFL in his defensive line rankings.
Buday writes, "The Bills' unit might lack a true star - none of their defensive linemen ranked among the top 10 players at their positions in PFF overall grades in 2024 - but there are no obvious weak linkns and it is one of the NFL's deeper defensive lines."
Rousseau's 83.1 overall grade from PFF in 2024 ranked 12th among edge rushers, while Oliver's 71.0 ranked 25th among defensive tackles. While neither of them have taken the leap into the elite tier of defensive linemen, both are reliable starters who have had their fair share of big moments.
The teams ranked above Buffalo include the Steelers in the top spot, with the Eagles, Giants, and Texans rounding out the Top 5. These other four teams have at least two elite starters and solid depth, justifying their high ranks. Buffalo seems a bit out of place in the Top 5 without a high-end pass rusher or run stopper.
Buday is banking on a lot going right for Buffalo's defensive line in 2025. With Hoecht and Ogunjobi suspended for the first six games of the season, the Bills will need immediate contributions from their rookies and sophomores, which is risky to simply assume will happen. Sanders, Jackson, and Walker are all unproven players at the NFL level, while Carter and Solomon produced underwhelming rookie seasons last year.
Furthermore, Bosa will need to stay healthy, something much easier said than done for the 30-year old edge rusher. He's played only 28 games in the last three years, though he has recorded 14 sacks in that span. Ideally, his utilization as a designated pass rusher and constant rotation in McDermott's defense will help him stay healthy and maximize his talent.
Finally, Rousseau or Oliver (or preferably both) will need to take another leap in play to join the elites at their position. Either of them breaking their season-highs in sacks (8.0 for Rousseau and 9.5 for Oliver) by reaching double digits could greatly benefit the group and help justify their Top 5 ranking by the end of the season.
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