3 Buffalo Bills upcoming free agents that should be re-signed after salary cap explosion

A.J. Epenesa - Edge defender

I went back and forth on this last one. The options were between A.J. Epenesa and Taylor Rapp. I like both players but also have my concerns with both. Epenesa lacks consistency and there are games when it seems like he's not on the field. Sort of the same thing we see with Gabe Davis, right? I'm sure there are areas Epenesa contributes that don't always show up on the stat sheet but still, I want to see more from him going forward. I would welcome him back as well.

I chose Epenesa over Rapp because I think there is a greater need on the defensive line than there is at safety. Don't get me wrong, safety is a huge need as well but I think you can find options in the draft and safeties tend to transition to the NFL must faster than defensive linemen. And unless you have a high draft pick, I'm talking top half of the first round, you're not likely to find a pass-rusher that will step in as a rookie. For this reason, I would rather re-sign Epenesa and have a solid rotational piece in there. Besides, maybe he'll make that leap similar to what Ed Oliver did last season, plus I want to see what new defensive line coach Marcus West can do with Epenesa. A.J. has the talent to be dominant, just needs to find that consistency.