Buffalo Bills defensive line poised for big season if healthy

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — In the trenches of the Buffalo Bills defense, you’ll find plenty of returning talent, from Ed Oliver to DaQuan Jones, Greg Rousseau, AJ Epenesa and Von Miller.

The return of talent is accompanied by a return of alchemy.

“I feel like we have a really good cohesion as a team on the field on Sundays. When we’re connected and we’ve built that trust over the offseason,” defensive end Greg Rousseau said.

Last season, the defensive line finished in the top five in total sacks and sack percentage. However, against the run, they were average compared to the rest of the league.

But as defensive coordinator Bobby Babich explained, having a healthy Jones back on the team will make a big difference in turning things around.

“We all know what kind of player he is, but for me, it’s consistency and leadership in that room,” Babich said. “You don’t want guys that are on a roller coaster, you don’t want the people that you work with to be on a roller coaster and not know what you’re going to get every day. He’s the same guy every day.”

So what about Miller? Is the Super Bowl champion edge rusher starting to revert to the “old Von” the Bills mob has come to love?

Even as his age continues to advance, his optimism about his status as a playmaker in this defense remains the same.

“I know what I can do and at the end of the day, you just have to keep pushing. When God says it’s over, it’s over, but I still feel like I’ve got a few more years left and I’m going to give it my all,” Miller told reporters during OTAs.

Babich views Miller’s final games of the season as a sign that he is moving up a gear in his career.

“The things I saw out there were flashes of Von Miller at the end of the year and Von is working hard to come back,” he added.

If there’s one positive that comes out of Miller’s absence due to his ACL injury, it’s the rise of defensive ends AJ Epenesa and Rousseau. Head coach Sean McDermott sees this season as a huge opportunity for both of them to take a big step forward.

“They’ve done some good things. They’ve shown a lot of talent and now it’s about playing full-time and they know that,” McDermott said. “Both guys have worked extremely hard and this is the opportunity that’s presented to them.”

This will be a position group to watch as we prepare for the start of Bills training camp on July 24 at St. John Fisher University.