Last week, we touched on the Buffalo Bills’ free agent WRs. Now, let’s cover the DL room. We finally saw what AJ Epenesa could be. However, it came in a contract year, and he may have priced himself out of Buffalo. DaQuan Jones has been a cornerstone for this IDL group for the last couple of years, and the duo of him and Ed Oliver was remarkable. And finally, Leonard Floyd proved to be the veteran leader this young pass rush group needed with Von Miller non-existent for the entire season. But, the Bills can’t re-sign everybody. So, who returns to Buffalo?
DaQuan Jones
Since arriving to Buffalo in 2022, Jones has started in all 23 regular season games he’s played. In those 23 games, he’s totaled 54 tackles, 4.5 sacks, seven TFLs, and 16 QB hits. While Jones recently turned 32 years old, he still looks like he can play football at a competitive level, and the Bills may need him to return for at least next year, if not the year after. The only thing that could hold up a return to Buffalo is what his contract would look like. Spotrac projects his new deal to be one year/$6.8M, which is very affordable if the Bills decide to bring him back.
Leonard Floyd
Floyd signed a one-year deal with Buffalo after the draft concluded. The deal ended up being a very good one for Buffalo, as he was signed to just a $7M deal and allowed Floyd to hit the free agent market again this year with a chance to get paid. Unfortunately, Floyd likely won’t return to Buffalo since he’ll likely get a hefty contract. As Spotrac projects a two year/$16.2M deal, Buffalo can’t afford to give that to a 31-year-old pass rusher. Buffalo still needs to figure out their Greg Rousseau problem as he has a fifth-year option, and a contract extension coming up within the next two years. Buffalo may want to give more snaps to Rousseau before making a decision on his contract.
AJ Epenesa
As Epenesa’s best year as a Buffalo Bill comes to a close, will his Bills tenure also? Spotrac projects him to sign a two-year/$11.2M deal this off-season. Buffalo can afford to fit that contract in their salary cap. Epenesa finished the year with 6.5 sacks, and two INTs and, outside of Leonard Floyd, was their best pass rusher when he was healthy. If the Bills want to get younger, Epenesa and Rousseau may be the future of this defense.
What the fans say
While this poll doesn’t have AJ Epenesa on it, the fans overwhelmingly want DaQuan Jones back over Leonard Floyd. If that’s the case, they have to bring back Epenesa. At his Spotrac value, having Epenesa back for $5.6M annually would be a steal.
Where the Buffalo Bills are currently with their salary cap, returning most of their defensive starters will be a challenge, even when they do get cap compliant. They will still look to add veterans from outside of the building, while also trying to keep as much of the band together as they possibly can. However, Brandon Beane could bring back Jones/Epenesa and let the rest of their free agenta walk. With 10 draft picks, Beane will get creative to rework his roster, mainly the Safety/DT rooms.
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