My "2021 State of the Bills" series continues with a look at defensive end as the team heads into the offseason:
Under contract:
• Jerry Hughes
• Mario Addison
• A.J. Epenesa
• Darryl Johnson
• Bryan Cox, Jr.
• Mike Love
Pending Free Agents:
• Trent Murphy
State of the position:
Much like defensive tackle, the Buffalo Bills have almost all of their defensive ends under contract for 2021, but also have some important decisions to make.
Let’s start with the easy one.
Trent Murphy is going to be an unrestricted free agent, and it’s clear to see that the team will be moving on from him. Murphy spent three years in Buffalo, but was inactive for six regular season games this past season, as well as two of three playoff games.
As for those under contract, Mario Addison is probably the biggest question mark headed into this offseason, as far as whether or not the team keeps him on the roster.
Addison played the second-highest amount of snaps at defensive end behind Jerry Hughes, logging 56.6% on the season. While many don’t believe he made the kind of impact they expected, Addison tied for the team lead in sacks with five, and led the Bills in tackles for loss with seven.
That said, the five sacks and only eight quarterback hurries were his personal-lowest totals over his last seven seasons. He’s going to be 34-years-old when next season begins, so you have to wonder if those totals can even rise again.
Addison carries with him a $10.1 million cap hit for 2021. If the Bills release him prior to June 1, they’ll save close to $6.2 million, but also take on $4 million of dead money. That’s more than general manager Brandon Beane typically likes to eat in dead cap space. However, if they release him after June 1, they’ll save over $8.2 million on next year’s cap and count $2 million in dead space in each of the next two seasons. That’s also tricky because they wouldn’t be able to use that savings until after June 1, well after free agency begins, and many of the players on the market have already signed elsewhere.
Hughes is going to be 33-years-old, entering the final year of his contract, and scheduled to count for close to $9.5 million against the salary cap next season. Typically, all of that added up would mean a player is very much a candidate to be released.
However, Hughes has been one of the most consistent and reliable parts of the Bills defense since he arrived in Buffalo in 2013, and continued to play at a high-level last year. He was almost, without question, the Bills' best defensive lineman overall in 2020. He led all of them (ends and tackles) with 58.7% snaps. He was the only player on defense to have over 10 quarterback hurries in the regular season, finishing with 11, and he played his best football of the season as it went on, collecting all 4.5 of his sacks, as well as three tackles for loss, an interception, two forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown, all from Week 7 on.
If that wasn’t enough, Hughes continued his impressive play through the team’s three playoff games, leading them with three sacks (no one else had more than one), three quarterback hurries, and tied with Addison for three tackles for loss. He’s also never missed a game due to injury through his eight-year Bills career, playing in 127 out of 128 games, only missing the Week 17 finale against the Miami Dolphins this season as he rested for the playoffs.
Yes, the Bills could save $7.35 million by releasing Hughes, absorbing a $2.1 million salary cap hit. But considering what he means to the defense and how well he’s still playing, it’s hard to see that happening.
All of that said, Hughes finished with only 4.5 sacks for the second straight season and hasn’t topped more than seven sacks since 2014. The team needs more sacks from its front-four overall.
Epenesa came to the Bills weighing 280 pounds when he was selected with their first pick, in the second round, in the 2020 NFL Draft out of Iowa. The team wanted him to lose weight to be more effective. He did, getting all the way down to 260 pounds. However, Beane said after the season that it was a bit too much weight, and he struggled to put it back on.
He was inactive in the team’s opening game against the New York Jets, then played sparingly over the team's next nine games, including one more time being inactive, topping over 20 snaps only twice.
After the bye week in November, he became a much more regular part of the defensive end rotation, and never dipped below 20 snaps through the final nine contests, including the playoffs.
Statistically, Epenesa didn’t show up much, but there were times where it was clear he was starting to figure things out. A full offseason in the Bills' weight and training program, and knowing the playbook and understanding his role and fit will do him a lot of good as he heads into 2021.
Johnson was a roster-bubble player back in training camp, but made the team on the strength of his ability to play special teams and be used as a depth end. Then, much like Epenesa, his role on the defense increased as the season went on, playing much more over the final six games of the regular season, even playing 40% or more in key games in December against the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots.
At 6-foot-6, 253 pounds and very long, Johnson can make some plays on defense once in a while, but he’s still a backup player whose most valuable asset is his ability to play special teams. He will be in the same situation next camp, as he was this past season.
Love and Cox, Jr. both spent this season on the practice squad, and both were elevated for one game during the regular season.
I was really impressed with Cox during training camp, and thought he had an outside shot to make the roster. Love played really well in his one game, Week 17 against the Dolphins, when he played 35 snaps and logged a pair tackles, including one for a loss.
They each signed a reserve/future contract right after the season ended, which means the two 27-year-olds will go to camp next year fighting to make the roster once again.
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2021 State of the Bills:
- Quarterback
- Running back
- Tight end
- Wide receiver
- Offensive line
- Defensive tackle
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