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Joey Bosa Looming As Bills' Biggest Wild Card Of 2025

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Adam Schultz | Last updated Jun 5, 2025 10:39 PM ET

One of the biggest issues with the Buffalo Bills signing veteran defensive end Joey Bosa in free agency was his ability to stay on the field.

And we aren't even at mandatory mini-camp, and Joey already has a calf issue that could keep him out until training camp.

That's not a good start.

But if, and that's a big if, Bosa can get back on the field and stay there, the Bills' pass rush will be significantly upgraded. However, Los Angeles Chargers fans know that's asking a lot.

And for ESPN's Bill Barnwell, when assessing whether Bosa could be a breakout candidate or a flop, it all comes down to one thing: health.

"If he could just stay healthy." You know the story with Bosa," Barnwell wrote. "After a 10.5-sack, 20-knockdown season in 2021, the 2016 No. 3 pick has been unable to stay on the field. When Bosa has been healthy enough to play a significant portion of the snaps, he has been good, if not the superstar we saw earlier in his career. A healthy Bosa would be the exact sort of addition the Bills need. It's just not clear whether we'll ever see that guy for 17 games again."

At this stage of his career, expecting 17 regular-season games plus playoffs out of Bosa isn't feasible. In truth, Buffalo doesn't really need him until the postseason, as they struggled to get off the field on third down last year.

Bosa helps with that.

But he can only help if he's on the field.

We know that calf injuries can linger, and if there is a silver lining to Bosa's injury, it's that it occurred early in the offseason, allowing ample time to get it right.

But the biggest red flag on acquiring Joey was his ability to stay healthy, and we are already seeing that it is a challenge.

The best ability is availability, and how we determine Bosa's time in Buffalo will depend on how often he is available for the Bills.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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