Buffalo Bills: Picking the winners in key position battles from Bears game

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Jul 28, 2021; Orchard Park, NY, United States; Buffalo Bills defensive end Greg Rousseau (50) and defensive end Boogie Basham (96) come off the field after practice at the Buffalo Bills Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports /

Backup Defensive End

This battle is perhaps the most exciting of all the battles going on at camp. This is because of the abundance of talent at the position. There are not only guys trying to play their way onto the 53-man roster but also to earn more snaps in the regular season. This battle is interesting because so many players are playing so well. Greg Rousseau had another sack and added two QB hits in his limited snaps. A.J. Epenesa looks like the player Bills fans expected last year. He did not register a sack but was making plays like this one all day.

A pleasant surprise was the play of second rounder Boogie Basham. Basham has looked a little behind so far this season both in camp and against the Lions. However, he bounced back and was able to register a sack, two TFL, 2 QB hits, and 5 tackles. That is quite a stat line for a defensive end who did not even play much in the first half. Basham’s spot on the roster was always safe but he could be making some advances on playing time if he could keep that up.

Darryl Johnson who has often been one of the odd men out at the position also played well registering 0.5 a sack, 1 PD, 2 QB Hits, and 3 tackles. His special teams prowess would be the main reason he would make the team but he has shown improvement at defensive end as well.

Lastly Efe Obada, someone who many have been surprised with at camp probably had the worst game of the group but still registered a QB hit. Obada does offer some extra versatility with his ability to move inside and play defensive tackle but he seems to have lost a step in this battle this week.

Another week where the defensive line becomes extremely hard to predict in terms of who will make the roster. I would say that Rousseau, Epenesa, and Basham all helped themselves in terms of playtime when the season starts. Throughout all this discussion it is easy to forget that Jerry Hughes and Mario Addison are still the starters. Johnson helped himself in terms of making the 53-man roster and Efe Obada was certainly not bad but could not build on previous performances in camp and against the Lions.

All I can say about this battle is oh boy…Brandon Beane has his hands full.

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