It's no secret that the Buffalo Bills are looking for pressure off the edge. After the Eagles' defensive line domination in the Super Bowl, everyone in the NFL is scrambling for help rushing the passer. While the release of Joey Bosa by the Los Angeles Chargers on Wednesday has some predicting a bidding war for his talents, it's one game the Bills need to skip.
A nine-year vet, Bosa's career is a tale of two players -- the healthy Bosa and the injured Bosa, a scenario not uncommon in the physical world of the NFL but one that doesn't bode well for Bosa being a smart addition by Bills GM Brandon Beane.
Bosa had 58 sacks in his first six years, good for almost 10 per season. The last three years, however, it's a total of 14 sacks — about 4.5 sacks per campaign. Much of that is due to the simple fact that he has been hurt, a lot.
Yes, Bosa played in 14 games in 2024, but he only played 49.6 percent of the snaps, the lowest usage of his career. While he was effective against the run, a team doesn't pay Bosa to stop the run, they pay him to pressure and sack the quarterback. In that metric— pass-rush-win-rate —Bosa didn't register in the Top 20 of edge rushers in 2024.
Estimations to sign Bosa to a new deal range from $10-12 million a year. With the Bills navigating cap space and Bosa's consistent injuries and decline in production, Buffalo would be better off using that money for a player like Washington Commanders Dante Fowler Jr. or, possibly, make a trade for Cincinnatti Bengal Trey Henderickson.
