Can Buffalo Bills DL led by Ed Oliver, Von Miller, Greg Rousseau & Daquan Jones take a step in 2024?

Can Buffalo Bills DL led by Ed Oliver, Von Miller, Greg Rousseau & Daquan Jones take a step in 2024?

there’s plenty to unpack regarding the Buffalo Bills defensive line Dynamics entering 2024 so we’re going to break them all down for you today on lock on bills you are locked on bills your daily Buffalo Bills podcast part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day what’s up bills Mafia it’s Joe Marino author of go bills and Buffalo’s run also the co-host of the lockdown NFL scouting podcast and I’m your host of lockon bills want to thank you for making lockdown bills your first listen every day and a big welcome and shout out to our every dayers you know who you are those of you who never miss a single episode I appreciate y’all being here very very much I’d also like to invite you to subscribe or follow for free on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcast we’re part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day today’s episode is brought to you by Game Time download the game time app create an account and use code locked on NFL for $20 off your first purchase terms apply well folks welcome in very excited to talk Buffalo Bills defensive line entering 2024 there is so much to unpack here and I think the performance of this defensive line is absolutely critical for not only the regular season success of the Buffalo Bills but how far they go in the playoffs I think that this defensive line has failed the bills in the playoffs to be quite honest with you and so I want to talk about all of it today I want to talk about why I’m excited I want to talk about Greg rouso the defensive tackle depth the new draft picks that were added to this mix Von Miller some of the competitions and then of course that big question that I have about what this team or what this team’s defensive line has and has not done in the playoffs so let’s get into it I want to start with some metrics though yesterday I talked offensive line Dynamics today is defensive line Dynamics and I want to bring up some of the same metrics but from the defensive line side of things so last season the bills defensive line enjoyed a pressure rate of 24.4% very good sixth best in the NFL and the fantasy points data Suite has a metric that I really like it’s pressure rate over expectation and what they factor in here is quarterback time to throw you hear me talk all the time in the quarterback previews for the upcoming bills game where I talk about average time to throw and some of these guys get the ball out so quick that you really can’t it’s just like mathematically not possible to be able to get there so this metric that fantasy points uses fact fa in historical time to throw it factors in down in distance and gives you a true reflection of pressure rate and the bills even with that still ranked sixth they had 54 sacks that’s the fourth most in the NFL last year and it’s not just a volume stat on an efficiency perspective it’s very good as well 8.9% of dropbacks against the bills last season were sacks that’s third best in the league and then there’s the yards before contact so 1.44 adjusted yards before contact per rushing attempt it’s actually middle of the pack 14th you like to see that actually be a little bit better so some very good metrics when it comes to the pass rush and some average metrics when it comes to run defense but there’s a lot to build off of and there’s some improvements to some parts of this defensive line that gets me excited but as I really get into what makes me excited it’s about three guys from 2023 that are back and are coming off what I would label as the best season of their career and of course that conversation starts with that Oliver we know it Ed Oliver had a huge breakout season last year and Brandon Bean rolled the dice extended him before the season and he’s looking like a genius for that coming in at at what was it $17 million a season these defensive tackles now are getting 25 you know tons of money look at what Christian Wilkins got and what Derrik Brown got that was a heck of a move by Brandon bean and that Oliver goes out and has nine and a half sacks after having 14 and a half combined in his first four seasons had nine and a half had a career-high 14 tackles for loss his previous career high was 10 career-high 16 quarterback hits career high 65 total pressures the previous High there was 40 and he’s entering his age 26 Season Ed Oliver where you start this conversation if you want to get excited about this bill’s defensive line it’s what he did and the trajectory here and with Ed Oliver top 10 pick expectations were always high of course you know there was times there was a time when Ed Oliver was at Houston where people thought this could be the number one pick in the draft the bills get him was it pick eight or nine something like that and so the expectations were always so high but there was probably some unfair expectations just being mindful of hey this guy played nose tackle in an odd front defense at Houston and he’s transitioning to a new position and a new style of Defense while he’s got a lot of athleticism and traits that gets you excited you know defense and tackles are a little bit slow developing at times and that was the case with that Oliver but if the norm is what he showcased last year and the bills have one heck of a three technique on their hands so Ed Oliver coming off of his best season AJ EP panessa also coming off of his best season in fact he’s coming off back toback six and a half sack seasons and he’s doing that with very you know modest amount of opportunity in 2023 only 221 pass rush snaps in 2022 only 245 pass rush snaps and he’s got six and a half sacks in both seasons I mean high volume pass rushers in the league get 500 or so pass rush snaps I mean epinesa is getting like half of that and I I think this season he’ll certainly be well over 300 maybe 350 pass rush snaps hopefully he can maintain what he’s done in a smaller sample size over a bigger opportunity but what gets lost in the conversation about AJ Essa is how good he was before the rib injury this guy was unbelievable in 13 games before the rib injury which happened against Kansas City after what he had the interception huge big play in that game the win against Kansas City during the regular season in those 13 games six six and a half sacks six tackles for loss two interceptions two interceptions 10 quarterback hits a force fumble a fumble recovery and six batted passes I want to call your attention to the six batted passes because that tied for the league lead with TJ Watt and khil Mack among Edge rushers when it comes to batting passes at the the line of scrimmage six keeping in mind that AJ Essa did that in 221 pass rushing snaps both TJ wat and khil Mack who tied him had over 520 pass rush snaps more than double comfortably more than double but AJ fessa tied them up when it comes to batted passes then he comes back after missing some time with a rib injury four games post rib injury and he’s really quiet two tackles for loss one quarterback hit and a pass break up that’s it Pro Football Focus uses a metric called pass rush productivity weeks 1 through 13 his pass rush productivity score was a 9.6 10th in the NFL 10th in the NFL among Edge rushers that had at least 100 pass rush snaps then weeks 14 through the divisional round that 9.6 went to a 4.3 and he was 94th in the NFL among pass rushers the dude was on an absolute tear and then he got derailed due to the rib injury the bills bring him back they sign him to a two-year extension and the opportunity for him is once again big if he can play like he did for those first 13 games for the entire season the bills got themselves an impact player on their hands now it’s got to happen but what he’s done over the last two years has been really strong and now there’s no Leonard Floyd right I mean there’s plenty plenty of snaps to be had here on this defensive end rotation and you got to feel like AJ Essa is going to eat up a lot of them the last guy that I want to mention in terms of coming off of the best season of their career it’s dayquon Jones and I know that it was a small sample size right like pre-injury dayquon Jones that guy was Unreal let me give you some numbers on him so in those first four games he got injured in week five against Jacksonville those first four games dayquon Jones had 15 pressures in 78 pass rush snaps which that’s an unbelievable rate he comfortably and I mean comfortably LED all interior defensive linemen in pass rush productivity over the first four weeks of the Season he also had seven run stuffs in 31 run defense snap snaps and a run stuff is when you stop the ball carrier with still more than like 70% of the line to gain like they’re they’re good impact full tackles then he gets injured in week five returns in week 17 not quite what we saw earlier in the season but all things considered coming back from a peck injury and not really playing in any games he was pretty good down those last you know four games two playoff games last two regular season games but if those guys are healthy and can build on what they did last year that is going to be Monumental as will Greg Russo’s development as will what Von Miller looks like we’ll get into those Dynamics here on the other side of it so be sure to stick with me folks I can’t wait for the NFL season I’m sure that’s the case for you as well and you probably want to get to some of these games well if you do you got to download the game time app game time is the fast and easy way to purchase tickets for all the sports music comedy and Theater events near you the app is awesome it’s easy to navigate they give you last minute tickets they give you Flash Deals they give you a seat view a picture so you know exactly what to expect when you get to the venue but my favorite part is the all-in pricing you know exactly what you’re going to pay at the beginning of the transaction at the end of the transaction no surprise processing fees coming your way so check it out take the guess work out of buying tickets with Game Time download the game time app create an account and use code locked on NFL for $20 off your first purchase terms apply again create an account and redeem code locked on NFL it’s l c k d o n NFL for $20 off download the game time app today last minute tickets lowest price guaranteed let’s talk Greg rouso this is a big year for Greg rouso Bill’s first round pick out of Miami only played like a SE like one or two seasons like a season and a half ever at defensive end he was like a safety and wide receiver in high school converts to defensive line at Miami has a pretty big season gets drafted in the first round by the bills there’s some rawness there but you can tell he’s got size and power and length and heavy hands and very quickly became a top tier run Defender and the pass rush has been good it just hasn’t been great and so that’s what I’m excited to kind of figure out this year you he had eight sacks in his second season he felt like he was well on his way and then you even felt that way going in you know the early season 2023 his first four games I mean Greg rouso was unbelievable first four games three sacks two pass breakups a force fumble four tackles for loss his pass rush productivity was a 9.2 which was 13th in the NFL among Edge rushers with at least 75 pass rush snaps through the first four games of 2023 and he he broke a bone in his foot missed the Jacksonville game and then just tried to play through it the rest of the year and he wasn’t quite the same Dynamic player that we saw in 2022 in the first four games of 2023 that pass rush productivity that was 13th fell to 28th over his last 14 games of the Season including the playoffs he’s only 24 years old there’s obviously a lot riding on this season for contract extension purposes you can make a case that you know Brandon Bean could consider giving him the Ed Oliver early extension and enjoying a bargain deal Greg rouso might say no I want to play this year I want to produce and I want that number to go up I’m not signing no contract extension right now I’m already locked in for the fifth year option and I think my numbers are going to be even better and so there’s there’s a lot that rides on Greg rouso but I’m pretty optimistic we know he’s going to be awesome against the Run we know he’s going to be a good pass rusher can he be a great pass rusher can he turn more of his pressures into sacks can he finish more can he take over in big moments that’s what I’m looking for out of Greg rouso again only 24 years old and he’s got three seasons under his belt excited to see what he looks like this coming year I’m also very excited for the improved defensive tackle depth I was asked a couple weeks ago I think it was for her mentality where I thought the bills improved the most during the off season and I think it’s backup defensive tackle of course you love Ed Oliver and dayquon Jones but we have been dealing with this pair of Tim settle and Jordan Phillips for a long time and those guys are not very good I label both of them replacement level depth players and I think that they’ve elevated that with the signings of Austin Johnson and DeShawn Williams who I think are both quality depth players I don’t think either one one you want as like a preferred starter but those guys are good depth players they’ve been good depth players Austin Johnson an AAP Defender firm against the Run heavy hands Stout anchor can play in the a gap can play out to the five a little bit if you want to do some odd front stuff he’s good so was DeShawn Williams really enjoyed studying his tape with the Carolina Panthers and now he gets to play in a penetration style defense where I think he can be even better so I think the swapping out of Tim settle and Jordan Phillips for Austin Johnson and DeShawn Williams not only did you get cheaper but you got better in my opinion and I think that’s going to be a big deal and that doesn’t even mention third round pick Dwayne Carter as part of this mix I’ll talk about him in just a minute but there’s another body there that gets you excited but I think what’s undeniable about Johnson and Williams is that they’re both good run Defenders and that matters a ton if you look at this bill schedule this run defense is going to be tested and the bills run defense metrically in terms of yards per per carry last year was kind of poor and you got some big matchups Arizona is a very good rushing offense you got Miami twice they’re amazing at running the ball Baltimore you got Seattle Indianapolis the ners the Rams the lions like you got some good rushing offenses on this schedule we know the the Patriots are going to want to run the football some good teams here and so I think not only do you or at least I like the swap of players but the emphasis on how important it’s going to be this season is big in my mind I’m intrigued about these two draft picks the bills had 10 draft picks they used two of them on defensive lineman one a defensive tackle one an edge rusher third round pick Dwayne Carter out of Duke as the defensive tackle had a good career at Duke three-year team captain 39 game starter collected 25 tackles for loss 12 sacks seven force fumbles 11 pass breakups but his production dipped in 2023 and I think that’s because they went underwent a scheme change at Duke and he winds up playing 20% of his snaps playing off the edge which is just not a good spot for him to play he’s a he’s a b-gap Defender 62 302 pounds 33 inch arms 10 and a quarter inch hands ra score of a 767 like I mentioned a three-time team captain size athleticism it comes from a family of football players was the ACC Jack Tatum Award winner that goes to the top student athletes so a High character guy plays with a hot motor quick explosive penetration style player very good pass rushing ability I think his run Def defense is going to need some work but I just went through all these players the bills added in terms of depth and that’s what they can do now you bring in Dwayne Carter as a sub rusher and you can get some you get some contributions there and you get younger right like that’s the other side of this equation you love at Oliver at 26 years old but Williams Johnson and Jones are all north of 30 so that’s nice to have a cost control player that’s on a rookie deal to give yourself another young building block for your defensive tackle group and then the bills drafted an edge rusher Javon Solomon fifth round out of Troy and he’s interesting as well wrestler right so don’t you gota can’t Overlook that he was a high school wrestler you know sea mcder loves that maybe Javon Solomon and Gable stevon can get some wrestling wrestling matches going on but had a unbelievable career at Troy 53 games 25 starts 49 and a half tackles for loss 32 and a half sacks five Force fumbles had 16 sacks this past season that led the country to go with 18 tackles for loss had 11 sacks in 2021 this guy can get to the quarterback now he’s got an interesting body type 61 246 33 and 78 inch arm so maybe not the tallest maybe not the most Mass but he’s got good length 10 and three quarters on the hand length for the hand size ra score of a 729 and like I mentioned 32 and a half career sacks you watch him play good first step flexible long has a lot of different pass rush moves good hand power and he’s a finisher now he’s not going to come in and help you against the run but I think as a designated pass rusher he can help this football team and so I think between those two new additions that you made through the draft you got some young guys with some pass rush ability so hopefully these guys can carve their roles right like earn a role and help get after the quarterback because the bills can use that in a big way now I’m really interested in a lot of Dynamics with this group in general and so on the other side of it I want to talk about this defensive end depth I want to talk about Von Miller and want to talk about showing up in the playoffs so we’ll get into all of that and be sure to stick with me when it comes to sorting out this defensive end depth we’re now getting into my biggest questions I want to lead with uh defensive ends and who’s gonna make the team I think you got four guys that are gonna make it Greg rouso AJ Essa Von Miller Dwayne smoo Dwayne Smoot the way that that contract is structured the guaranteed money the void years it all says he’s making the team and I like Dwayne smoo I think he can be a better version of what the bills got from their fourth defensive end in sha Lawson but then I think you have one more spot available for a fifth defensive end and and only one of Javon Solomon Kingsley Jonathan who made the team last year and Casey T Hill a veteran that the Bill signed from Washington there’s one spot for those guys so barring injury you’ve got some fun competitions there I think it should be Javon Solomon as a cost control rookie that has the highest upside of any of the players I just mentioned so we’ll see how that plays itself out but I’m really hopeful that it’s Javon Solomon all right let’s get into some Von Miller conversation I know that her mentality of Monday this week I talked a lot about Von Miller in the opening segment so I don’t want to reheat all that stuff you can go back and listen if you missed it but I do want to call to your attention some quotes from Von Miller this uh past week from a Sports Illustrated interview and he was asked about his goals personally and for the team in 2024 this is what he said quote my biggest individual goal is just getting back to playing my style of football it’s crazy how you get injured and you come back and you really shouldn’t have even been playing and people judge you by a product on the field I could have easily sat out all of last season but I couldn’t do my teammates like that I felt like being later in my career I didn’t want to sacrifice any of my years but at the same time I shouldn’t have been out there I feel like people are judging me on that so it’s making me a little bit angry to be honest it’s making me tap into a Von that I haven’t been in a while I just want to get back to playing my style of football getting back to talking exploitive exploitive making sacks dancing and making plays for my teammates that’s been my whole mindset this offseason he said twice that he shouldn’t have been out there I I agree I mean how many times did you hear me say during the season like he’s not helping this team he’s a liability like he’s not ready and that would have been a tough pill to swallow because I mean at the same time Von Miller well he’s he’s talking out of both sides of his mouth he was saying week one week one week one and now he’s like no I shouldn’t have played like dude what is it man I want to forget about all this crap I want him to just go out there and be like be something close to what you expect him to be I like that he’s motivated I like that he’s found a version of himself that he hasn’t seen in a while but I don’t know I feel like Von Miller in some ways feels like a politician to me listening to him throughout the last I guess now we’re over two years of Von Miller being part of the bills it’s like just optimism and promises and it’s like well that was all cool when you were really good for the 11 games prior to the injury but it’s it’s been kind of tough to listen to this guy right here I mean it I think the bills lack a Difference Maker like an absolute monster dude with their pass rush they don’t have a miles Garrett they don’t have a Nick Bosa they don’t have a TJ watt they don’t have a michah Parsons they don’t have a Chris Jones they don’t have an Aaron Donald they don’t have those guys they have lots of good players but not that dude Von Miller is supposed to be that dude right and for 11 games he absolutely was but the problem is like he gets injured and that’s unfortunate I totally get that like it’s very unfortunate but that doesn’t change that this is the money that you have earmarked and allocated for the dude right like the guy the finisher the guy that shows up and and seals games for you the guy that it’s late in the game they need to score and this guy’s going to dictate protection schemes for the bills defense and it’s not only is he going to be a problem but it’s going to make other people a problem that’s what he’s supposed to be it’s a missing piece of this team which is disappointing because you feel like you’ve identified it you’ve you’ve acquired it but he’s not that for you for 11 games he was and he’s 35 you know like he’s 35 yeah he’s further remov from the ACL ter but he’s 35 I don’t know how to set expectations for Von Miller this year but if he can be really good that would be Monumental for this defense and the last but most important thing that I do want to mention here is this defensive line has got to show up in a bigger way in the most critical moments to me you want to talk about why the bills have lost in the playoffs each of the last four years I guess it’s technically the last five right go back to the the Texans game but I’m talking the three to Kansas City the one to Cincinnati the reason I think the Bills lost those game is because the defensive line has not made enough of an impact they have not made as much of an impact like Josh Allen it’s it’s funny because like he wears this and people say yeah you can’t win the big games of the playoffs like what are you talking about Josh Allen’s awesome in the playoffs his defense doesn’t show up for him and I think that starts with the defensive line now there’s been injur right there’s injuries in the back seven like I totally get all of that but to me the defensive line is where things start with the defense and they got to be better Patrick Mahomes against the bills in the playoffs 3 and0 75% completion percentage 306 passing yards per game eight touchdowns zero interceptions in three games passer rating of 126. six he’s a great player and he’s great in the postseason but he’s the most extreme great great version of himself against the bills in the playoffs he stinks against the bills in the regular season one and three 277 passing yards per game seven touchdowns five interceptions passer rating of 85.1 super mid then he becomes super Mahomes against the bills in the playoffs why because it’s easy for him because the defensive line doesn’t make any impact zero interceptions zero turnover worthy plays and three playoff wins against the bills he’s been sacked a total of three times in those three games he’s been sacked 35 times in his other 15 playoff games so it’s not like he doesn’t get sacked in the playoffs the bills just don’t get to him Joe burrow in the one playoff game did not have a turnover turnover worthy play was 23 of 36 242 yards two touchdowns no interception was sacked one time the bills against momes and burrow in four games in the playoffs sacked those guys a total of four times and have zero turnover worthy plays the defensive line has been crap in those moments and you want to figure out like how the bills are going to do it and get over the hump and beat one of those teams in the playoffs their defensive Line’s got to show up and make an impact so we can enjoy all these cool regular season metrics go about pressure and Sack and Sack rate where y’all at in the playoffs where yall at when it matters the most that’s going to be critical so hopefully this conversation painted the right picture for you regarding the the Dynamics surrounding the bills defensive line entering 2024 this is what’s heavily on my mind heavily I think this is critical I hope you enjoyed as we get ready for this 2024 season that will be here very very quickly just a couple more weeks the bills will be at training camp I’m going to be there for a week it’s going to be awesome aome so as always I kindly ask that you share subscribe rate and review the podcast have a great rest of your day go bills and I look forward to catching up with you again real soon

How good can the Buffalo Bills defensive line be in 2024? For all the questions surrounding the team, the defensive line is often overlooked. On today’s episode, Host Joe Marino breaks down all of the dynamics surrounding the Buffalo Bills defensive line entering 2024. The show is focused on the Buffalo Bills, Sean McDermott, Brandon Beane, Joe Brady, Josh Allen, Bobby Babich, Ed Oliver, Daquan Jones, Austin Johnson, Dewayne Carter, Deshawn Williams, AJ Epenesa, Von Miller, Gregory Rousseau, Dawuane Smoot, Javon Solomon, Kingsley Jonathan, Casey Toohill, Eli Ankou, Gable Steveson, Marcus West and more!

JOIN THE LOCKED ON BILLS SUBTEXT COMMUNITY: https://joinsubtext.com/lockedonbills

Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…
🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LOBills?sid=Yo…

Locked On NFL League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft & More
🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNFL

Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!
BetterHelp
This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Make your brain your friend, with BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com/LOCKEDON today to get 10% off your first month.
eBay Motors
For parts that fit, head to eBay Motors and look for the green check. Stay in the game with eBay Guaranteed Fit at eBayMotors.com. Let’s ride. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply.
Gametime
Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNFL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms Apply.
FanDuel
FanDuel, America’s Number One Sportsbook. As playoffs wind down, the sports stop sporting like we want them to. But this summer, FanDuel is hooking up ALL CUSTOMERS with a boost or a bonus, DAILY! That’s right, there’s something for everyone, every day, all summer long! Visit FANDUEL.COM/LOCKEDON and add a big win to your summer bucket list!
FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)