You could very much say that the Buffalo Bills had a busy offseason on defense. Brandon Beane made it a mission to bring in defensive help, both for the short-term and long-term. While they added some pieces on offense, the biggest difference that Bills fans should see is on the defense.
In the early stages of free agency, the Bills made two signings with defensive end Michael Hoecht and defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi. Hoecht was signed to a three-year deal worth $21 million, while Ogunjob was signed to just a one-year deal worth $8.3 million.
Both players were brought in to help stop the run and improve Buffalo’s defense overall and quite frankly, they provide both experience and versatility. It looked like two solid signings, until it wasn’t.
Bills signing Michael Hoecht and Larry Ogunjobi were weirdest signing moves
Not too long after it was reported the Bills had come to agreements with both Hoecht and Ogunjobi, Brandon Beane delivered some troubling news for both players. Both of them were set to face six-game suspensions for violating the league’s PED policy. According to Beane, per Maddy Glab, the Bills knew about Hoecht’s potential suspension but did not know about Ogunjobi facing the same suspension.
So, not only did Beane sign a player knowing that he was facing a suspension, but then he decided to sign someone who was also facing a suspension, whether he knew about it or not? Not to mention, Ogunjobi is only with the Bills for one season and he won’t be featured much throughout the beginning and part of the middle of the season.
Yeah, this was a weird reality to accept for Bills fans. Atleast Hoecht should be in Buffalo beyond the 2025 season and the Bills must think highly of him to know that he was facing a suspension but still giving him a three-year deal.
While getting both players back in the middle of the season will help the defense, losing them for the first six games is not exactly ideal, especially if injuries pop up.