[positional grouping] Bills Defensive Line

[Foxx]

Countdown to Training Camp: Mario Addison projects as 12th Most Valuable Bill

... What the Bills also are counting on is for veterans like Addison and Hughes to show some of their younger players the way before stepping aside and allowing them to take over in what is expected to be a transitional season on the defensive line.

 

Will it happen the way they envision?

 

How this question is answered could go a long way toward determining whether the Bills will be able to take the next step and get to the Super Bowl after falling one game short last season.

[Foxx]

Bills training camp position preview: All eyes on the defensive line

Look for the Buffalo Bills to give top draftee Greg Rousseau a lot of work in training camp and preseason.

Mark Mulville/Buffalo News

 

... All eyes will be on the Buffalo Bills’ defensive line during training camp and preseason.

 

How will General Manager Brandon Beane and coach Sean McDermott sort out the logjam of talent?

 

Even if the Bills keep 10 players – which is the betting-favorite number – some tough calls will need to be made.

 

Look for the Bills to give rookie draft picks Greg Rousseau and Carlos Basham plenty of snaps in training camp and preseason. That’s how it worked in spring. The coaches will want to get those two up to speed as much as possible before the season opener. ...

[Foxx]

Still-growing Darryl Johnson shooting for bigger presence on Bills' D-line

Darryl Johnson (92) rushes against the New York Jets during the 2020 regular-season opener.

Harry Scull Jr. /Buffalo News

 

The Buffalo Bills drafted diamond-in-the-rough prospect Darryl Johnson in 2019 partly because he had the kind of prototypical frame that NFL teams covet in a defensive end.

 

Johnson is three years into his NFL career ... and that frame still is growing.

 

The 24-year-old played at North Carolina A&T as a 232-pound defensive lineman. By the time he was drafted in the seventh round, he had 252 pounds on his 6-foot-6 body.

 

“I’m a little bit over 6-6 now,” Johnson told The News last month. “Last year, I was in a size 13 shoe. Now I’m in a 14. When I came back here in March, the trainers are like, ‘You’re still growing!’ I guess the little body screen we do before we start workouts, it showed I’m a little bigger. It’s crazy.”

 

“Last year I played at a solid 254,” Johnson said. “This year I know I needed to add a little bit of pounds. So I’m at 263, and I feel good at 263. My main move is stab, long arm. So you’ve got to have a little weight behind you to push those big guys back.”

 

Johnson showed last season he is a capable backup in the Bills’ defensive line rotation and a quality special teams player. This summer, he finds himself in a battle for a roster spot on the deepest unit on the Bills’ team.

 

Can he hold onto a backup roster spot and can he tap into his physical potential and produce a little more pass rush for the Bills? ...

[Ann]

 

 

https://twitter.com/Iam_jerryhughes/status/1417632866339545093

[B-Man]

 

 

State of the Bills roster: interior defensive linemen

 

 

 

[Ann]

 

 

https://twitter.com/Iam_jerryhughes/status/1418300133909860357

[Alaska Darin]

On 7/17/2021 at 7:33 AM, Foxx said:

Still-growing Darryl Johnson shooting for bigger presence on Bills' D-line

Darryl Johnson (92) rushes against the New York Jets during the 2020 regular-season opener.

Harry Scull Jr. /Buffalo News

 

The Buffalo Bills drafted diamond-in-the-rough prospect Darryl Johnson in 2019 partly because he had the kind of prototypical frame that NFL teams covet in a defensive end.

 

Johnson is three years into his NFL career ... and that frame still is growing.

 

The 24-year-old played at North Carolina A&T as a 232-pound defensive lineman. By the time he was drafted in the seventh round, he had 252 pounds on his 6-foot-6 body.

 

“I’m a little bit over 6-6 now,” Johnson told The News last month. “Last year, I was in a size 13 shoe. Now I’m in a 14. When I came back here in March, the trainers are like, ‘You’re still growing!’ I guess the little body screen we do before we start workouts, it showed I’m a little bigger. It’s crazy.”

 

“Last year I played at a solid 254,” Johnson said. “This year I know I needed to add a little bit of pounds. So I’m at 263, and I feel good at 263. My main move is stab, long arm. So you’ve got to have a little weight behind you to push those big guys back.”

 

Johnson showed last season he is a capable backup in the Bills’ defensive line rotation and a quality special teams player. This summer, he finds himself in a battle for a roster spot on the deepest unit on the Bills’ team.

 

Can he hold onto a backup roster spot and can he tap into his physical potential and produce a little more pass rush for the Bills? ...

I desperately want this kid to take a giant leap on the DLine...just seems like a great dude.  He's been REALLY good on special teams.

[Foxx]

8 minutes ago, Alaska Darin said:

I desperately want this kid to take a giant leap on the DLine...just seems like a great dude.  He's been REALLY good on special teams.

I've been watching a lot of last seasons games recently and this kid is a beast on special teams. I've watched him murtalize a lot of players. Would absolutely love to see him take the next step as a DE. He is one of the least payed players on the team that will probably make the roster, if he isn't traded that is.

[Foxx]

https://twitter.com/BuffaloBills/status/1417628386512547851

 

[Foxx]

I might be able to get on board with this...

https://twitter.com/GregTompsett/status/1419371914636767232

 

[Foxx]

https://twitter.com/itsnedhunt16/status/1419690189912428554

 

[Foxx]

I don't know about a 1st. But if Beane were to pull this off, I'd say we might be the odds on favorite to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.

 

Peter King: Bills should offer 1st-round pick for Cardinals’ Chandler Jones

...Here’s what he wrote:

“Buffalo has a crying need for a pass-rusher, which is why the Bills reached for the green Gregory Rousseau from Miami in the first round last April. Let me stick my nose in Buffalo GM’s Brandon Beane’s business: If I were Beane, and if Jones is healthy after missing the last three months last year with a torn biceps, I’d offer Arizona GM Steve Keim my 2022 first-round pick (likely to be between 27 and 32) to get one of the game’s most disruptive players, at 31. Keim won’t be motivated to trade him and would need a big offer to do it. He wants J.J. Watt and Jones to be a disruptive duo for the next two seasons in a pass-happy division, so it’d take something good to get Jones—if Keim would even consider it.”

...

[Foxx]

More opinion on why the Bills should pursue Jones.

 

Four Trade Destinations For Chandler Jones

... Buffalo Bills

 

The Bills finished in the middle of the pack with 38 sacks as a team in 2020, which isn't good enough for a team that fancies itself a Super Bowl contender. Jerry Hughes (five sacks), Mario Addison (five sacks) and A.J. Epenesa (one sack), didn't get the job done, which is why Buffalo selected Miami's Gregory Rousseau with the 30th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

 

Rousseau has ridiculous upside but could take time to develop. Jones would give the Bills an immediate boost off the edge while their prized rookie figures things out. Buffalo would have to shuffle some things to fit Jones under the cap but that shouldn't be an issue.

 

If the Bills want to challenge the Chiefs in the AFC, they need to be able to get to the quarterback. They need to go all-in now and make a deal like this happen. ...

 

5 Chandler Jones trade landing spots that make too much sense

... 4. Buffalo Bills – Considering that the Bills used their first and second-round picks on edge rushers (Gregory Rousseau and Carlos Basham Jr.), Buffalo might seem like an odd inclusion. But the fact of the matter is that one of the league’s most versatile defenses needs some more pop coming off the edge with an immediate impact player.

 

No one can deny that Jones would provide exactly that and would likely take the starting role from Jerry Hughes, thus allowing the latter to rotate with Mario Addison opposite Jones. For a team whose defense could possibly take a step back, trading for the sack artist would be a fantastic way to ensure they avoid such a fate. ...

[Koko]

I'd love for the Bills to get him, but I'm not a fan of 'win now at all costs'. That's how the drought began, when Butler mortgaged the future to win in 1998/1999, before skipping town and leaving the Bills to Donablow and cap jail.

[Foxx]

If it makes sense McBeane, get 'er done!

https://twitter.com/AroundTheNFL/status/1419762554042150921

 

[Alaska Darin]

If you're going to try to sell me that Chandler Jones isn't worth more than a 32 pick in the NFL draft, you're gonna have to work REALLY hard.  The idea of Jones mentoring Rousseau, Johnson, and AJE REALLY appeals to me.

 

I don't care about the cap stuff.  You're going to have to pay good players.  Chandler Jones is one of the most disruptive players in the NFL.

[Alaska Darin]

3 hours ago, Koko said:

I'd love for the Bills to get him, but I'm not a fan of 'win now at all costs'. That's how the drought began, when Butler mortgaged the future to win in 1998/1999, before skipping town and leaving the Bills to Donablow and cap jail.

The difference being this isn't an aging core.

[Ann]

 

 

https://twitter.com/SalSports/status/1420361246579335176 

[Ann]

From his media session today:

[Ann]

Full interview link






https://twitter.com/SalSports/status/1422170726480719877