It feels like yesterday when news broke that the Buffalo Bills had landed edge rusher Joey Bosa to a one-year deal worth $12.6 million. For as great as Bosa has been throughout his career, he developed an injury history that was concerning to a lot of fans throughout his time with the Chargers.
Eventually, LA opted to release him this past March for cap savings and just days later, the Bills landed him to have that veteran presence off the edge. It was funny timing considering that Buffalo had released Von Miller just days prior. Brandon Beane opted to give Bosa just the one-year deal rather than long-term commitment like he did with Miller which came back to haunt the Bills.
There was a good amount of concern with the Bills signing Bosa, but it there was also a lot of excitement considering that it’s not a long-term deal, and that Bosa has to prove that he can stay healthy and be the game wrecker he once was.
Bosa had 10+ sacks in four of his first six seasons, but then the injuries came up and he wasn’t the same for quite some time. However, he is providing a great amount of value to the Bills. Right now, he has 4 sacks which may not be the most impressive, but he does have 4 forced fumbles. In addition, he hasn’t missed a game this season.
Joey Bosa proving Bills made right choice to sign him
With Bosa, he’s not just attacking the ball, but he has really come alive when it comes to rushing the passer. According to Ryan Smith of Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Bosa is tied for the fifth-highest pass-rush grade at 91.1 with Jeffrey Simmons. The only players ahead of them are Will Anderson Jr., Myles Garrett, Aidan Hutchinson, and Micah Parsons.
According to PFF, Bosa has 35 pressures and has a pass-rush win rate of 18.3%. That is what the Bills ultimately brought Bosa in to do; to rush the quarterback and force mistakes to happen. His best game of the year has come against the Chiefs where he was constantly near the ball and hitting Patrick Mahomes in the pocket.
It’s just too bad that Buffalo’s defense has been average at best this season because Bosa is having one of his better seasons in the NFL. If the Bills could play better defense, then Bosa might be able to create even more of an impact as November and December play out.