The Buffalo Bills are reportedly interested in Ziggy Ansah but the addition doesn’t make much sense.
For the second consecutive year, the Buffalo Bills are supposedly interested in adding Ziggy Ansah. However, this year the team is much different and there is no reason to bring in the veteran pass rusher.
On Friday, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler tweeted that NFL teams received a workout video of Ansah and that he is recovered from shoulder issues. He also noted that Ansah recently worked out for the San Francisco 49ers but that the Baltimore Ravens and the Buffalo Bills were keeping the pass rusher on their radar.
NFL teams received this without video of free agent DE Ziggy Ansah, who’s healthy from shoulder issues and up to 280 pounds. He recently worked out for 49ers; Bills and Ravens have on their radar (via Frank Bauer/Kenny Chapman of Sun West Sports; @john_aguero17 shot video) pic.twitter.com/W4QgRGMVrv
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) August 21, 2020
About this time last year, the Buffalo Bills were reportedly interested in adding the pass rusher and that would have made sense. The depth at defensive end was suspect with only Jerry Hughes, Trent Murphy and Shaq Lawson at the top with a seventh round rookie Darryl Johnson behind him. In addition the team had defensive ends like Mike Love and Eddie Yarbrough.
Ansah ended up signing with the Seattle Seahawks and played 11 games, starting one, and finished with 18 total tackles, eight QB hits and 2.5 sacks.
The reason the Buffalo Bills should not consider adding Ansah this year is the position is vastly different. The team still has Jerry Hughes, Trent Murphy, Darryl Johnson and Mike Love but added Mario Addison and Bryan Cox Jr. in free agency and drafted A.J. Epenesa in the second round.
The depth is much better this year and the team may struggle to find meaningful snaps for someone like Epenesa with the veterans at the top of the depth chart. The durability should also be a concern, and while Fowler’s tweet did say he was past the shoulder issue, he has failed to play a full 16-game schedule since 2015.
At 31 years of age, it remains just how much he has left in the tank and if the Buffalo Bills are looking for a player at the bottom of the depth chart it would make more sense to keep a player like Bryan Cox Jr., who is younger and has experience in Sean McDermott’s defense.
It is hard to imagine what Ziggy Ansah could bring to this defense if the Buffalo Bills were to add him at this point in his career and with the roster they currently have.