Many key pieces to the Buffalo Bills’ 2019 defensive line will return in 2020.
Jerry Hughes, Trent Murphy and Star Lotulelei, all 16-game starters from one season ago, are back. Hughes and Murphy accounted for 9 1/2 sacks in the regular season and performed well in the Bills’ playoff loss to the Houston Texans. Lotulelei, despite not playing at the level he had during his days in Carolina, still makes life easier for the players around him.
Ed Oliver, the team’s 2019 first round pick and a seven-game starter, will also return to the Bills’ defense. Oliver will be looking to build off a strong second half of his rookie year that saw him record five sacks. The defensive tackle recently had all charges dropped against him following an arrest in May.
Despite several key players returning, the Bills’ defensive line is going to look a lot different in 2020 from its coach to its personnel.
Buffalo lost some significant talent this offseason in free agency, but it could be argued that GM Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott upgraded the talent along the line from one year ago. With no shortage of talent, depth and versatility, Buffalo’s new look defensive line could help take Buffalo’s already strong defense to an elite level.
WHO’S OUT, WHO’S IN?
Buffalo lost Shaq Lawson and Jordan Phillips in free agency. The duo was at the top of Buffalo’s sack leaders in 2019 with Phillips leading the way at 9 1/2 sacks and Lawson at 6 1/2 sacks. Both signed big deals in free agency that the Bills were not comfortable matching.
Although the duo is gone, Buffalo made several additions to its line.
Perhaps the biggest upgrade there was at the coaching position. Buffalo hired former Panthers defensive coordinator and defensive line coach Eric Washington to replace Bill Teerlinck after the latter resigned and took the same position at Virginia Tech.
In Washington, the Bills are getting a coach that McDermott and Beane know well from their time together in Carolina. What makes the addition promising is what Washington has done throughout his career.
Washington has a good track record of getting the most out of his defensive linemen. From 2011-2017, no unit in the NFL had more sacks than Washington’s with the Panthers (244.5). Last year, Carolina’s defense finished second in the league in sacks (53) so the Bills could be seeing their sack totals on the rise in 2020.
As for personnel along the defensive line, Buffalo added the likes of Mario Addison, Quinton Jefferson and Vernon Butler in free agency while drafting A.J. Epenesa in the second round of the draft.
NEW FACES TO KNOW
Addison should be a significant help to the Bills from a sack perspective.
In the last four seasons, Addison has recorded 39 sacks with no fewer than nine sacks in a season over the same span.
Jefferson is a versatile lineman that can be used on the inside or outside. Leslie Frazier and Washington should be able to find creative ways to use the former Seahawk.
Although it did not show up on his stat sheet, Jefferson was outstanding at getting after the quarterback. As pointed out by The Draft Network’s Joe Marino, Jefferson had more success in terms of QB pressures than Jordan Phillips in 2019.
Early in the draft process, Epenesa, out of Iowa, was viewed as a top-15 talent in the draft class. A poor combine and the fact that Epenesa did not get to take top-30 visits or hold private workouts due to COVID-19 led to Epenesa falling into the Bills’ lap in round two.
Epenesa will likely be brought along slowly due to the shortened offseason, but his athletic traits could lead to him getting more snaps sooner rather than later.
BIG QUESTION:
Will Trent Murphy make the final roster?
Is there room for Murphy on the Bills roster considering Buffalo’s new additions?
Addison and Hughes should assume the Bills’ starting DE spots. Epenesa will fit into a rotation behind the duo and, as mentioned, Jefferson can play at the defensive end position as well.
That’s four talented linemen with younger players like Darryl Johnson, Mike Love and others fighting for depth. Murphy’s spot is not a given by any means and the Bills could save $8 million by releasing the defensive end, but don’t count him out just yet.
McDermott likes to rotate his defensive linemen to keep them fresh which helps Murphy’s odds of making the roster. Also working in his favor is the fact that Murphy played well late in the season. He recorded a sack on Sunday Night Football against the Pittsburgh Steelers, two sacks in the regular season finale against the Jets and added two more sacks in Buffalo’s playoff loss to the Texans.
Murphy is not a lock to make the final roster, but his odds are better than many believe.
PLAYER TO WATCH:
Jerry Hughes
Hughes played throughout the 2019 season with injuries. At the conclusion of the season, he underwent wrist and groin surgery. A healthy Hughes in 2020 could be a problem for opposing offenses.
The addition of Addison gives Hughes his most talented starting teammate at the position since Mario Williams. With Addison and some defensive tackles who can also collapse the pocket, Hughes could be in for a big year in 2020.
