Although 29-year-old signed a one-year, $2.5 million contract over the summer, the veteran defensive end has earned a spot in the Bills’ starting lineup. The AFC East leaders have relied on the former Jaguars player as a starter for the last four games.
Buffalo’s edge-rushing depth will be impacted, as Sean McDermott has announced that star player will be placed on injured reserve due to a wrist injury that requires surgery. While the team hopes it won’t be a season-ending injury, there is currently no timeline for his return.
In response, the Bills have moved A.J. Epenesa back to a rotational role, despite recently signing him to a two-year, $12 million contract. This shift opened up a spot in the starting lineup for Smoot. While Epenesa’s performance against the run has faced criticism, Pro Football Focus rated him higher than Smoot in that regard, even though Smoot had started during Von Miller’s suspension.
Miller, who hasn’t started since his ACL tear in 2022, has shown improvement this season after a challenging 2023. Returning from a four-game suspension, he has three sacks heading into Week 10, while Epenesa and Gregory Rousseau have recorded four and 4.5 sacks, respectively. Smoot, primarily a rotational player, has contributed 1.5 sacks this season but has been effective in supporting Jacksonville’s pass rush previously.
At 29, Smoot averaged five to six sacks per season from 2019 to 2022, but an Achilles injury late last season affected his market, leading to a one-year, $3.5 million deal with the Jaguars. He had only one sack in 12 games as a backup before the Bills signed him as depth in May. He managed to play between 47% and 68% of the defensive snaps from Weeks 4 to 8, contributing three tackles for loss during that time.
With this injury occurring just two days before the trade deadline, it will be intriguing to see if the Bills, who have faced significant defensive injuries over the past four seasons, decide to add depth at the position. Miller is now 35 and has two ACL injuries in his history, but the team currently has six defensive ends on its roster. Offseason addition Casey Toohill and rookie Javon Solomon are behind Miller and Epenesa on the depth chart. As one of those players will need to step into a starting role, the Bills will need to evaluate whether their existing edge-rushing group is adequate.
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