Defensive line seeks to reorganize

There’s some direction going on in the Buffalo Bills’ defensive room these days. The Bills have seen some turnover at the position as they now prepare for the 2024 season.

Fourth-year defensive end Greg Rousseau is now more of a veteran, making sure to welcome the newcomers and get them mixed in with the veterans.

“We’ve gotten to know each other, we obviously have a lot of new players, so we’re getting to know each other so we can build that bond,” Rousseau said during OTAs. “And I feel like teams that have a good bond, it really shows on the field on Sundays when you connect, and you build that trust in each other over the offseason.”

The team is under pressure to perform at the highest level. Veteran Von Miller and his coaches believe Miller should look much better this season. Rousseau and AJ Epenesa have yet to perform well. Head coach Sean McDermott believes both have the ability to do so.

“When you talk about Greg and AJ, they’ve both done great things,” McDermott said during minicamp. “They’ve shown a lot of talent, now it’s about becoming full-time starters and taking the next step to continue to take their game to the next level and they know that. And both of those guys have worked extremely hard. And this is the opportunity that’s really presented to both of them, quite frankly.”

As for Miller, he recently said he shouldn’t have played at all last season, which is a contrast to this time last year when he was hoping to play in Week 1. Miller didn’t have a sack last season and, for the most part, was out of his element. But McDermott and other coaches were optimistic about how his season ended.

Defensive coordinator Bobby Babich says the end of last season showed him Miller was on the right track to return.

“What I saw was there were flashes of Von Miller at the end of the year,” Babich said. “Von is working hard to come back. … The expectation is that minute by minute, we’re going to continue to improve and hone the skills and train them so that he can impact the game the way we need him to.”

But the group will also be defined by the newcomers.

Casey Toohill fits perfectly into Buffalo Bills defense

Casey Toohill joins the Bills after recording a career-high five sacks for the Washington Commanders last season.

The team selected Javon Solomon, who recorded 16 sacks last season on his way to 33 career sacks at Troy.

“I like him. I like him, he’s very wiry, very smooth,” Rousseau said of Solomon. “He’s got good hands. He’s really mature. He asks a lot of questions. You can tell he wants what he wants and he’s not just going along for the ride. He’s trying to get better every day and he’s doing it.”

Repatriated: By Miller, Greg Rousseau, AJ Epenesa, Kingsley Jonathan, Kameron Cline.

New arrivals (how acquired): Casey Toohill (Commanders), Javon Solomon (Round 5), David Ugwoegbu (undrafted free agent), Dawuane Smoot (Jaguars), Rondell Bothroyd (UDFA).

Departures: Leonard Floyd (49ers), Shaq Lawson (free agent).

Key number: 10.5. That’s how many sacks Floyd, the defensive end, had last season to lead the Bills. The team will have to find ways to compensate for that now that Floyd is with the NFC champion 49ers.

Defensive tackle Ed Oliver was the second-leading scorer with 9.5 sacks, followed by Epenesa, who tied linebacker Terrel Bernard with 6.5. Rousseau could be a candidate to step up: He had just five sacks last season after eight the year before.

High Level Battle: Rousseau, Miller and Epenesa should probably be the top three. Can anyone dethrone them? Who will slide in as the fourth defensive end on the depth chart?

What to expect: The defensive ends need to improve a bit. If Miller can get back to some form, it would be a huge boost for the defensive line. But he has to deal with the clock as well as his injury. If Epenesa can match his production from last season — during which he missed time due to injury — it would also strengthen the Bills. Expect Rousseau to have higher sack production.