Buffalo Bills: Ceiling/Floor projections for Quinton Jefferson in 2020

The Buffalo Bills added versatile defensive linemen Quinton Jefferson this offseason and we make our projections on what the floor and ceiling are in his first year with the team.

The defensive tackle position went through some significant changes this offseason for the Buffalo Bills. The team ended up losing their starting defensive tackle, Jordan Phillips, in free agency after he signed with the Arizona Cardinals.

He was the team’s leader in sacks with 9.5 and the front office knew they had to find a way to replace this production. While it is rare to find a single defensive tackle that can produce like that, they were able to piece together some depth that collectively can replicate that. One of those pieces was Quinton Jefferson, who signed a two-year deal with the team.

Jefferson was a fifth round pick by the Seahawks in the 2016 NFL Draft and got off to a slow start in his career. He played only three games as a rookie before landing on injured reserve due to a knee injury and was then released prior to the 2017 season. He joined the Los Angeles Rams on their practice squad before the Seahawks brought him back mid-way through the season and he played six games and registered his first career sack.

However, the last two games Jefferson became much more productive and was a key piece on their defensive line. He would end up playing roughly 55% of the defensive snaps and had 6.5 sacks and 25 QB hits over the past two years.

Ceiling/Floor projections for Quinton Jefferson in 2020

Ceiling: One of the reasons the Buffalo Bills likely were so interested in Quinton Jefferson is his position versatility. He can essentially line up anywhere on the defensive line, either at tackle or end. This will likely help his chances to get on the field among a group that has a number of players competing for snaps.

The ceiling for Jefferson is that he can maintain that 55% snap percentage and finish with 4-5 sacks and 15 QB hits.

Floor: Even if Jefferson is not able to reach the same snap percentage he has previously with the Seattle Seahawks, he will still be a key part of this defensive line. One of the areas he may be used, that may not always show up on the stat sheet is as an edge setting defensive end on run downs.

While this doesn’t play to his strengths, this is an area he could provide the defense a boost. However, expect his sack and QB hit totals to suffer and he may finish the year with 2-3 sacks and 8-9 QB hits.