Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) - As the Buffalo Bills look towards free agency and the NFL Draft, my 2023 "State of the Bills" position-by-position series continues.
Here’s a look at the defensive ends:
Under contract:
- Von Miller
- Greg Rousseau
- Boogie Basham
- A.J. Epenesa
- Kingsley Jonathan
Pending Free Agents:
- Shaq Lawson
State of the position:
Everything changed with the Bills pass rush and defense after Miller tore his ACL on Thanksgiving in Detroit against the Lions.
Miller was near the top of the NFL in sacks and pressures, and despite playing only 11 games, still finished tied for the team lead with eight sacks and tied for second with 10 tackles for loss.
Who knows how the season turns out if Miller doesn’t get injured, but now the team will hope to get him back as early and healthy as possible next season.
He will be 34-years-old and is under contract for five more years on the six-year, $120 million deal he signed last offseason.
Rousseau continued to ascend in his second season, and even though he was impacted by Miller’s loss opposite him on the edge - as the whole defense was - still put up fairly consistent numbers after that. He finished the season with the exact same totals as Miller - eight sacks and 10 tackles for loss - with three of each coming in the final five games without Miller there.
Several players have made their biggest strides from Year 2 to Year 3 under the Brandon Beane/Sean McDermott regime. If Rousseau is the next, he might be in for an excellent 2023.
Since the 2021 first-round pick is going into his third year, the Bills will have to decide on whether or not to pick up Rousseau’s fifth-year option for 2025 after this coming season. Even though he has two years remaining on his rookie deal, the team still has control for three more seasons, if they choose.
Basham, the team’s second-round pick in 2021, looked like he was starting to figure things out as last season went on. It wasn’t incredibly consistent, but Basham had flashes where he made impactful plays. He finished the regular season with a pair of sacks and 19 total tackles, while playing 37% of the defensive snaps.
Then Basham was one of the best defensive players on the field in the Bills’ first playoff game, a win over the Miami Dolphins, finishing with a sack and season-high five tackles.
Going into his third season, Basham needs to continue on that path and become more consistent. With Miller most likely not being fully able to participate throughout training camp and the preseason, that will be a chance for Basham to show his growth and stake a claim for more playing time in the regular season.
Inconsistent is a good word to describe Epenesa's career through three seasons. He's had some really excellent moments, but has also been non-existent on the stat sheet far too often.
However, that was certainly not the case after Miller went out. That led to Epenesa's snap count and opportunities to increase.
In the 10 games prior to Miller's injury, Epenesa had 3.5 sacks, three tackles for loss, and eight total tackles. In the five games after Miller's injury, he had three sacks, four tackles for loss, and eight total tackles. He essentially had the exact same production in half the games. That's really interesting, and something the Bills need to look at going forward as far as how to use him and why that occurred.
Epenesa is going into the final year of his rookie contract. With the way he ended the season and Miller's early status up-in-the-air, he may, once again, have a chance to have a significant role.
Lawson is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent. After starting his career with the Bills as a first-round pick in 2016, then moving on to the Dolphins, Houston Texans and New York Jets, Lawson returned to Buffalo and played a significant role, collecting 31 total tackles, six tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks.
There's no doubt Lawson has been the best version of himself when in a Bills uniform. He spoke after the season about wanting to come back to Buffalo in 2023, but also that he believes he’s put himself in a good position to make money on the open market.
Maybe that’s the case. Otherwise, a return to the Bills on a lower-end veteran deal could be in order.
The Bills really liked Jonathan when they signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Syracuse. He showed he was capable of playing at the NFL level during training camp and the preseason, but the roster numbers just weren't in his favor. He was waived and claimed by the Chicago Bears.
After suiting up for five games in Chicago, Jonathan was once again waived and came back to Buffalo to finish the season on the Bills’ practice squad.
Ironically, the one game he was elevated and active for the Bills was against the Bears on Christmas Eve. He made several plays and stood out along the defensive line in that contest, playing 18 defensive snaps, the most he had all season with either team.
Jonathan signed a Reserve/Future contract at the end of the season.
Overall, a lot with this group will depend on the status of Miller and his recovery from ACL surgery.
The Bills have been searching for an elite pass rushing defensive end for quite some time, and obviously Miller is that. Outside of him, they still need players they've drafted highly in recent years to step up and continue their growth.
With Miller's early-season status uncertain, it wouldn't be a surprise if they sign another veteran to plug in and eat up snaps. It's doubtful the Bills use another high pick on the position, given how many resources they've sunk into the spot over the last few years, including draft picks and dollars.
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