Edge Rusher What Would You Do?

[Woodman]

What should the Bills do at edge rusher this offseason?

• Keep the same DEs in 2021
• Keep the same guys, add a free agent
• Keep the same guys, add top draft pick
• Cut Addison or Hughes, add a free agent
• Cut Addison or Hughes, add top draft pick
• Cut Addison AND Hughes, add a free agent
• Cut Addison AND Hughes, add top draft pick
• Cut Addison AND Hughes, count on Epenesa, Johnson, Love, and Cox

Can a poll be added to this please.

[Woodman]

My vote would be to cut Addison and add a draft pick.

[OpIv37]

Sign JJ Watt....oh, wait....

[DraftBoy]

Poll Added.

[Night Train]

Beane gave the 3 Carolina guys ( Addison, Jefferson, Butler ) contracts that were easy for the Bills to get out of after 1 year. Hughes also has a cap savings.

In the next week or two, we'll get some answers with cap saving moves, followed by some signings in FA...probably modest ones but just guessing. I don't get the calls like Skooby.

I honestly have no idea how Beane envisions the DL at present but a pass rush from anywhere needs to improve. Will Star L be returning ? That decision alone probably will trigger certain moves. Missed someone of his ilk last season.

My guess is add in FA . Drafted Epenesa and Johnson recently and they are 23 years old. You don't bail on youth. No way. If they did indeed check in a bit on Watt, then they are adding before the draft.

[DraftBoy]

Not a poll option, but I'm cutting both Hughes and Addison and adding through both FA and the draft. The pass rush was horrible last year and that means we need to invest serious resource capital to fix it.

[OpIv37]

Beane gave the 3 Carolina guys ( Addison, Jefferson, Butler ) contracts that were easy for the Bills to get out of after 1 year. Hughes also has a cap savings.

In the next week or two, we'll get some answers with cap saving moves, followed by some signings in FA...probably modest ones but just guessing. I don't get the calls like Skooby.

I honestly have no idea how Beane envisions the DL at present but a pass rush from anywhere needs to improve. Will Star L be returning ? That decision alone probably will trigger certain moves. Missed someone of his ilk last season.

My guess is add in FA . Drafted Epenesa and Johnson recently and they are 23 years old. You don't bail on youth. No way. If they did indeed check in a bit on Watt, then they are adding before the draft.

I owe Star an apology. It's easy to forget he's there because he doesn't rack up tackles or sacks and the announcers don't call his name often, but the push he gets off the line is disruptive to both the pass and the run. I don't blame him for opting out because his health and family have to come before football, but I do think the lack of his presence is a major factor in why the D took a step back in 2020 from where they were in 2019.

[The last buffalo fan]

Cut the Panthers, add by FA ...... and if there is a GREAT prospect by draft take it.

[Kenny]

Definitely cutting Addison and Murphy. Both were garbage.

Hughes wasnt spectacular, but still the best we got. Would I love an upgrade on both ends - absolutely! But it's slim pickings in the FA pool, we pick near the end of the draft, and Hugues only costs us $7.5MM.

No way I'd take a chance and cut Hughes and risk our pass rush getting even worse than last year. Fix the other side first, and then we can talk about Hughes.

[jimmifli]

Butler is the only easy cut. Addison would be better to restructure, but I could accept a cut.

Otherwise we can keep about the same guys.

[Turf]

I owe Star an apology. It's easy to forget he's there because he doesn't rack up tackles or sacks and the announcers don't call his name often, but the push he gets off the line is disruptive to both the pass and the run. I don't blame him for opting out because his health and family have to come before football, but I do think the lack of his presence is a major factor in why the D took a step back in 2020 from where they were in 2019.

I agree he was an asset but will he be able to play at that level after 2 yrs older and 1 yr off? I'm not sure his hearts in football anymore.

[EDS]

I would cut Addison and Jefferson. Since Murphy is also leaving as a free agent I ideally want a vet DE via free agency but the salary cap situation means I am more likely to add a draft pick and hope for the best.

[YardRat]

Definitely cutting Addison and Murphy. Both were garbage.

Hughes wasnt spectacular, but still the best we got. Would I love an upgrade on both ends - absolutely! But it's slim pickings in the FA pool, we pick near the end of the draft, and Hugues only costs us $7.5MM.

No way I'd take a chance and cut Hughes and risk our pass rush getting even worse than last year. Fix the other side first, and then we can talk about Hughes.

Butler is the only easy cut. Addison would be better to restructure, but I could accept a cut.

Otherwise we can keep about the same guys.

This and this, but....I would add somebody in free agency, either a prove-it deal or high risk/high reward bargain, and look for an edge guy in the draft to add to the rotation.

[ParanoidAndroid]

The entire D-line needs work. Hughes remains a high leverage player. He definitely stays. Star, assuming he returns and is in shape, will be a welcome presence. Epenesa is developmental. Other than that, no one should be safe. Phillips is a 3rd string guy who is being outplayed by Zimmerman. Butler is a busted experiment. Jefferson is unnecessary. Addison is a toss-up. He at least gets a pay cut and maybe let him do a FA float while we scour for an upgrade. Bye Murphy. Johnson is depth only as is Love.

Add a FA and a rookie, preferably high as the heir apparent to Hughes (Jalen Phillips, Greg Rousseau)

[ParanoidAndroid]

So, anyone outside of Hughes, Star, Oliver and Epenesa are expendable to make room for FA DE, and day one and two picks at DE and DT.

DE: Hughes, FA, Epenesa, Johnson, Rookie

DT: Star, Oliver, Zimmerman, Phillips, Rookie

[EDS]

If the Bills have only a limited amount of money to spend on free agents I would prioritize getting the veteran help on the oline (to protect the franchise QB) versus on the dline. Others may take a different view.

[Kenny]

This and this, but....I would add somebody in free agency, either a prove-it deal or high risk/high reward bargain, and look for an edge guy in the draft to add to the rotation.

Yeah agreed. I think this will have to come via FA. I've always been intrigued with Clowney - all the talent in the world, but just can't seem to put it together. Seems like the ideal high risk/reward type of signing if we ant to that route.
Otherwise I'm not sure who we should target. Carl Lawson by everything I've read seems like a young up and comer that might be a good signing.

The draft I just dont know what will be available. Outside QB, left tackles and DEs are always in high demand.

[DraftBoy]

For the record Murphy is already a UFA so we don’t need to do anything with him.

Also I don’t think that we can assume that Star is coming back for sure yet. Has anybody heard anything from him since he opted out?

I’d be fine dumping basically the entire DL and starting new. That’s how bad they were last year. Obviously that will never happen but I don’t consider any player safe on the DL.

[jimmifli]

Hughes was spectacular. That was probably the best season of his career.

Oliver was solid, Jefferson was excellent when not playing the 1tech, Addison was disappointing. Murphy would be loved if he had a low cap hit, but is a big disappointment for his contract. I'd be fine if we signed him for vet min.

Butler was bad and costs nothing to cut. Star's contract makes him uncuttable so he better come back and not suck. So I think we get Hughes/Addison (restructured) at RDE, Star at 1tech, Oliver/Jefferson at 3tech, Epenesa at RDE. Phillips didn't do well at 1tech, and he's behind Oliver/Jefferson at the 3tech, he'll see snaps on obvious pass downs, but otherwise... Rolling with Epenesa as the starting RDE is a little risky.

If we can't upgrade Addison (he's not cheap to cut), I think we roll with a similar DL. A blitzing safety or LB might be interesting.

I'd really prefer to invest in CB2 and a coverage LB. Our DL wins battles but good QBs find open receivers too quickly for them to get there.

[Jimkelly12203]

definitely keep Hughes. Obviously we're keeping Eponesa. Between edge, DT and interior OL i don't much care how we do it (draft, FA or both) as long as we do it.