The Buffalo Bills missed out on the elite edge rusher sweepstakes in the NFL. The top sack artists available in the free agency pool have been scooped up by other teams around the league, leaving Buffalo with few options to replace Joey Bosa.
The limited options remaining likely won’t keep the Bills from needing to address the position in the draft, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t worth bringing in. Veteran leadership in the depth of a new scheme is incredibly valuable, especially when you’re effectively forced into entrusting a rookie starter, as the Bills may well be.
Luckily for Buffalo, the Kansas City Chiefs released one of the best veteran depth pieces on the edge of their defense, Mike Danna, who, to hear it from Chiefs fans themselves, is a bargain-bin player worth targeting.
Mike Danna could quietly be an ideal fit for Bills' new defense
Arrowhead Addict site expert Matt Connor told BuffaLowDown what Bills Mafia will love most about Danna if the Bills target the edge rusher in free agency.
“The former fifth-round pick might be the single favorite player of [defensive coordinator] Steve Spagnuolo, who will undoubtedly be sad to see the veteran defensive end released from the team. But Danna was pricey, and his limited ceiling wasn't helping an already thin position. That said, Danna sets the edge well and is a stout run defender. He's extremely reliable and a true overlooked glue guy. Every depth chart needs 1-2 of these guys outside, which makes Danna an asset for any team.”
Connor added that he wouldn’t be surprised if Danna takes a pay cut to rejoin the Chiefs, but that shouldn’t dissuade the Bills from taking a look at the 28-year-old edge defender.
Danna isn’t the pass-rush specialist the Bills need, having recorded just 4.5 sacks over the past two seasons across 28 games. However, as Connor pointed out, he’s strong against the run, which is a value that shouldn't be overlooked as the Bills retool their new 3-4 defense. Buffalo finished 28th against the run last season, and with many new faces on that side of the ball, the Bills need all the help they can get to improve in that area.
That said, Dana is undersized for the position at 6-foot-2, 247 pounds. The fact that he has stayed consistently active and productive in his six years with the Chiefs, helping them to win two Super Bowls and reach two more. That’s valuable experience to not only take away from Kansas City as an AFC rival, but to bring to a Bills defense that lacks such championship-level experience.
Danna won’t be expensive, having been cut from his three-year, $24 million deal in its final year earlier this offseason. He saw $14 million of it paid, so a two-to-three-year deal worth $3-4 million per year could be enough to land him and keep him away from a return to Kansas City.
Should the Bills sign Danna, then he can work in on early downs opposite Greg Rousseau to beef up the run defense. Presumably, the Bills will have to target the position in the draft if that’s the case. Should it play out that way, then the rookie can develop his run defense skills at a comfortable pace while taking his opportunities to get after the passer in obvious passing situations.
In a pool of limited options, the Bills could do a lot worse than Danna. The benefit of pulling him away from the Chiefs, getting the extra help against the run, his championship experience, and the buffer he offers to a potential rookie pass rusher sounds too good for the Bills to pass up.