How did the rookies on the Buffalo Bills do in their first regular season game against the Pittsburgh Steelers?
The Buffalo Bills kicked off the 2021 season with the matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers. While it was just the start of another season for most of the roster, this was the first time some players were playing in an NFL regular season game.
The Bills had drafted seven players in the 2021 NFL Draft however with the depth of the roster, the team only was able to keep five of them on their 53-man roster with Jack Anderson and Rachad Wildgoose being added to the practice squad.
In the first week of the season, the Bills had only three of the five rookies on the active this week with second round pick Boogie Basham and fifth round pick Tommy Doyle among the team’s inactives against the Steelers.
This is a recap of how Greg Rousseau, Spencer Brown, and Damar Hamlin did this week against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Greg Rousseau
The Buffalo Bills first round pick saw the most snaps this week among the rookies and in fact got the start and played the second-most snaps among defensive ends in this game. He finished the game playing 30 snaps (52% of the defensive snaps), which was three behind Jerry Hughes and four more than Mario Addison.
He finished the game with two total tackles and impressed the coaching staff, including Leslie Frazier.
#Bills rookie DE Greg Rousseau got the start at DE and played 52% of the defensive snaps vs. Steelers.
— Heather Prusak (@haprusak) September 13, 2021
Leslie Frazier: "All the things that we had seen in the preseason with his poise and control and not just getting overwhelmed was still evident yesterday." pic.twitter.com/CclgCo2VM4
The expectations around Greg Rousseau this season have shift dramatically from when they selected him in the first round. He was viewed as a player with all the physical tools but could need some time to develop.
However, that clearly is not the case and is going to be a big part of this defense this year.
Spencer Brown
The Buffalo Bills’ third round pick only saw four snaps on offense and four snaps on special teams. Brown’s playing time will likely be limited this year, unless the team loses one of their starting offensive tackles. He came into the game at times as an extra blocker lining up on the edge. Brown also came in for Dion Dawkins briefly when he lost his shoe.
Dion Dawkins walks off the field and has his shoe off so rookie Spencer Brown will come in #Bills
— Maddy Glab (@MadGlab) September 12, 2021
Damar Hamlin
The Buffalo Bills sixth round pick didn’t see the field on defense but did play 11 special teams snaps, which was 38% of the team’s snaps on special teams. However, he did not register any stats.
He is in a similar situation to Brown in that he is unlikely to see stats on defense unless there is an injury at the safety position to create an opportunity for Hamlin.