Greg Rousseau is going to get some help in his quest to become the Buffalo Bills’ next great pass rusher. In fact, he’s going to learn from the best who’s ever done it.
When Rousseau arrived in Buffalo on Friday, he was greeted with a video from Hall of Fame pass rusher Bruce Smith, who promised to work with the University of Miami standout.
The Bills posted a video of Rousseau watching the message on their Twitter account.
“I am extremely excited, man, that they chose you in this year’s first round draft,” Smith said. “You’ve got a skill set, your physical attributes can take you a long way. But it’s that knowledge that folks like myself can help instill in you that will take you to the next level. We got big things planned for the future. Looking forward to getting together with you man. Enjoy the experience.”
The Bills have been searching for Smith’s replacement for the last 20 years, cycling through multiple veteran pass rushers — Mario Williams, Aaron Schobel, Marcell Dareus and Jerry Hughes — but never finding their next lynchpin up front.
Rousseau certainly fits the profile: He recorded 19.5 tackles for loss and 15.5 sacks during the 2019 campaign. He sat out last season due to concerns over COVID-19, prompting him to fall to the end of the first round.
Otherwise, he almost certainly would’ve been off the board by the time Buffalo picked at No. 30 overall. In that sense, general manager Brandon Beane lucked out.
Rousseau joined the “Howard and Jeremy Show” on Friday, saying he couldn’t imagine winding up anywhere besides Buffalo. His mom lived in the city for five years, and educated him on all things "Bills Mafia".
“I couldn’t be any happier,” Rousseau said. “That is the one place I really wanted to go. I’m genuinely saying this.”
And now, he’ll get to learn from Smith, the team’s all-time sack leader. What a star-studded welcome.