Bills elevate third-year DE from practice squad for Week 2 clash with Dolphins

The call-up isn’t necessarily unexpected given that both Dawuane Smoot and Javon Solomon are set to miss their second consecutive games with toe and oblique injuries, respectively, leaving Buffalo deficient at defensive end. The team has one other defensive end on its practice squad: fifth-year defender Kameron Cline, who was elevated from the unit for last week’s win over the Arizona Cardinals.

Jonathan, 26, has flashed in past preseasons but hasn’t been able to consistently translate that prowess to meaningful games. He’s tallied eight total quarterback pressures as a professional, per PFF, with all of these pressures coming in 2023. That said, Jonathan may not get too many defensive opportunities Thursday night, as he’s still the fifth-choice defensive end behind Greg Rousseau, A.J. Epenesa, Von Miller, and Casey Toohill; Cline, last week’s practice squad elevation, did not record a single defensive snap in Buffalo’s Week 1 win, instead taking 17 special teams snaps.