One area that Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane definitely improved as much as he could was the defensive line going into the 2025 season. This unit has been inconsistent for quite some time and Beane is now telling the NFL that there should be a difference for the better upfront on the defense.
In both free agency and the NFL draft, the Bills made fixing the defensive line across the board a priority. First, the Bills decided to take care of their own draft picks as they extended Greg Rousseau to a four-year, $80 million extension after being a solid player the last four seasons.
Beane’s first free agency move was signing OLB/DE Michael Hoecht to a three-year deal and will be a versatile player in Buffalo’s defense (once he comes back from his six game suspension). Then Beane struck after dark once it was reported that the Bills were in agreement on a one-year, $12.6 million deal with edge rusher Joey Bosa.
About 12 hours after reportedly agreeing to terms with Bosa, the Bills would then sign defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi, who was not being utilized correctly in Pittsburgh and should bounce back with the Bills. However, just like Hoecht, Ogunjobi will also be serving a six game suspension.
During the NFL Draft, the Bills traded up 15 spots in the second round to draft South Carolina defensive tackle T.J. Sanders. In that trade with the Chicago Bears, not only did the Bills acquire Sanders but they also acquired No. 72 overall (3rd round pick) and used on Arkansas edge rusher Landon Jackson.
Then in another shocker, the Bills would move up in the fourth round to draft a massive prospect in Kentucky defensive tackle Deone Walker. Overall, the defensive line in Buffalo should look a lot different very soon as the Bills utilize a heavy rotation upfront.
Despite overhaul of defensive line, Bills still earn great ranking spot on latest PFF list
With these moves that Beane pulled off in the offseason, you would think that it was because the Bills needed to vastly improve the unit. While it’s not a wrong take, Zoltan Buday from Pro Football Focus (PFF) is a big believer in the Bills’ defensive line heading into 2025. Buday recently ranked the defensive line units for all 32 teams and not only did the Bills get a great placement, they made it in the top five at No. 5.
"The Bills' unit might lack a true star — none of their defensive linemen ranked among the top 10 players at their positions in PFF overall grade in 2024 — but there are no obvious weak links and it is one of the NFL's deeper defensive lines.Zoltan Buday, Pro Football Focus
Ed Oliver and DaQuan Jones have formed a reliable interior defender duo for the past couple of years, and the Bills added veteran Larry Ogunjobi to the mix this offseason. Similarly, the team signed veteran edge defender Joey Bosa, who could be a significant addition if he can stay on the field. Opposite of him is Greg Rousseau, who ranked as a top-20 edge defender in PFF overall grade in each of the past three seasons."
The Bills have a ton of depth now on the defensive line, more than they have ever had. They also have edge rushers in A.J. Epenesa and Javon Solomon who can serve as quality rotational players. Overall, the Bills have too much depth to not produce and stop the run, as well as create a pass rush on opposing quarterbacks. This unit could be an x-factor and be the difference between the Bills going far and coming up short.