Buffalo Bills: 4 bold player predictions for the 2021 season
By Aaron Tully
A.J. Epenesa leads the Buffalo Bills in sacks
Entering his second year, A.J. Epenesa should be in for a big jump in production. Last season, Epenesa was buried at the bottom of the depth chart in Buffalo, sitting behind Jerry Hughes, Mario Addison, Quinton Jefferson, Trent Murphy, and Darryl Johnson.
Epenesa played just 27% of Buffalo’s defensive snaps in 2020, recording a sack and 14 combined tackles in those snaps.
Epenesa put in a lot of work over the 2020 season and the offseason that followed. He cut a significant amount of weight and now has a much leaner build (much like Brian Burns of the Carolina Panthers) that will allow him to be quicker.
After his first normal offseason and his second offseason with the Bills, Epenesa should be able to make a significant jump. Three of the players in front of him are no longer with the team, so his snap count should increase as well.
Another factor that should be taken into consideration for an Epenesa production increase is the age of Mario Addison. Father time may catch up to Addison sooner rather than later, and Epenesa is likely the next man up to take the snaps that Addison cannot.
It is also entirely possible that Epenesa overtakes Addison if he is more efficient in the snaps he is given.
Given all the work that Epenesa has put in over the last year and a half, it would not be a surprise to see him emerge as the pass rushing threat he was at Iowa. Given that the most sacks any individual Bills player had in 2020 were five (Mario Addison and A.J. Klein), it is not hard to imagine Epenesa leading the Bills in sacks in his second year.