Bills training camp 2025 defensive back preview: What to expect from Joey Bosa, overhauled group

New York Times

20-07-2025

As long as head coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane have been around, they have stressed the importance of a consistent pass rush. It's an all-around effort from their defensive line, but the focus on getting sustainable reps from their defensive ends has always been a priority for the Bills in their collective offseasons.
Advertisement
This year wasn't any different. The Bills again went back to the drawing board to try to improve what has, at times in the postseason, let them down. Now, with another fresh group in for the 2025 season, the team will see if this is the year the defensive ends can help put them over the top in the playoffs.
What stands out about this year's group? Here is a detailed outlook for when the Bills return for training camp this week.
After being disappointed with their consistent ability to get to the quarterback, the Bills went into overhaul mode of their defensive end room. The only thing intact from 2024 is that Greg Rousseau will be one of their two starters. Von Miller was released in a cap-saving move. The team didn't re-sign Dawuane Smoot. Depth edge rushers Casey Toohill and Kingsley Jonathan are also gone. A.J. Epenesa was a starter last season, and if all pieces are healthy, he will likely return to a rotational role in 2025. The team signed Joey Bosa to a one-year deal in the hopes that he has one big year left in him. They also signed Rams defensive lineman Michael Hoecht and drafted Landon Jackson with an early third-round pick. Although there is no certainty that 2025 will provide better results than last season, it, at the very least, will be much different personnel-wise.
How much will Joey Bosa be able to contribute every week?
The Bills made all of their moves during the 2024 offseason in an effort to have far more flexibility in the 2025 offseason, and after another disappointing season of having an inconsistent pass rush, the team invested one of their biggest free agent contracts on Bosa. As name recognition goes, the Bills couldn't have done much better in free agency — but as we well know about the NFL, what a player was able to do in the past is not a fair predictor of future success. Bosa became a household name because he generated 10 sacks or more in four of his first six seasons with the Chargers and was thought of as one of the best at his position in the NFL. That began to slip in 2022 as injuries became the story of the second stage of his career.
Advertisement
Bosa missed 12 games in 2022 and another eight games in 2023. Last year was his healthiest since his string of Pro Bowl seasons ended in 2021, but Bosa still missed three games, and generated only five sacks. Even beyond just that statistic, over the last two seasons, his pass-rushing efficiency has fallen from where it once was. His pressure rate in 2023 was 12.2 percent, and in 2024, it went down to 11.8 percent. For context, in the four years prior, Bosa's pressure rate never dipped below 15.7 percent, according to TruMedia. Even though that rate dropped, it still puts him in the realm of an effective pass rusher, though it's worth wondering if the accumulation of injuries has worn down that effectiveness. The Bills know that, and were able to sign him to a manageable one-year, $12.6 million contract because of the injury concerns. It was a calculated risk, as Bosa has missed 45 percent of the regular season over the last three years.
That will be the biggest hurdle for the Bills in going from an average pass-rushing group to taking a step forward, as Bosa is one of the most critical pieces to that retooling from 2024. Before Bosa could even step foot onto the practice field, Bosa suffered a calf injury just days ahead of Organized Team Activities, and that ruled him out of the entire three-week span of spring practices. While it would be a bit over the top to say it's a bad omen, it's more so a stark reminder of how important their practice and in-game plan will be for Bosa. Back in 2022, ahead of Miller's season-ending injury, the Bills had as good a pass rush as they have under McDermott. But none of that regular season success mattered because Miller wasn't available when it mattered most in the postseason. That is likely to be the point the Bills want to drive home the most, which sets up the conversation of what is fair to expect from Bosa every week in the regular season, given his lengthy injury history?
The plan in place from the Bills to keep Bosa available and avoid the temptation to deviate from it will be of utmost importance this season. Bosa, when healthy, will be the starter opposite Rousseau. But it wouldn't be a shock to see him hover around the 50 percent of defensive snaps mark this season. Even for the Bills, who employ a heavy rotation with their edge rushers, 50 percent is on the low side for a starting defensive end in their scheme. Even Epenesa got to 56 percent for the year, who, despite being a starter, was not used on obvious passing downs the vast majority of the season. However, all of this will depend on how much Bosa's body will stand up to the plan the Bills have for him this season. Their ideal scenario would be to keep him fresh enough to play a heavier amount of snaps in the postseason, but he has to get there in a healthy state before that plan can come to fruition. Either way, how the Bills handle Bosa's usage will likely be a major talking point all season.
Michael Hoecht vs. Landon Jackson
This battle is a weird one because it's a competition that could extend into the regular season when only one of the players is available to the team. Hoecht will be suspended for the first six games of the season for violating the NFL's policy against performance-enhancing drugs. As of now, the Bills have three players that, when healthy, are a pretty safe bet to get snaps. That trio includes Rousseau, Bosa and Epenesa. Hoecht and Jackson both had a fairly significant investment made in them by the team in the offseason and are both a part of the Bills' plan in 2026 as well. However, the Bills usually operate most smoothly with a four-person rotation at defensive end. They've used five at times, but usually, there is a favored player for reps between the fourth and fifth best on the depth chart.
That's where the competition comes into play. Hoecht and Jackson will have all summer to convince the Bills that they should be that fourth defensive end. Hoecht will have to make every rep count during practices and the preseason because those will be his only chances before he's gone for the first month and a half. That absence will give Jackson a massive opportunity to force the Bills' hand and make him the last player to round out the pass rusher rotation, and given their draft investment in him, if he shows accelerated potential, they could easily lean into that even though he's a rookie. Should Jackson stand out, Hoecht will have the ability to move around the defense as a versatile piece they could use in different situations. But with so few options to be gameday inactive across the roster, whoever is the fifth-best between these two could wind up being a healthy scratch, which is why this bears watching.
Advertisement
Javon Solomon
Although he doesn't have quite the investment level as Hoecht and Jackson, Solomon is a name to keep an eye on. He showed some real pass rushing skills during his rookie training camp, and in small doses of reps near the end of games, he also showed that it translated into regular season results. What prevented Solomon from getting on the field more on defense was his inconsistency as a run defender, or in containing the edge against mobile quarterbacks. The Bills like their edge rushers to be all-around defenders, so Solomon must improve in this area this summer to warrant additional playing time consideration. But anytime a young player has some pass rushing juice, it gets the coaching staff's attention. If he winds up getting a stable amount of snaps by the end of the season, it would not be a shock, given what he showed as a rookie.
Defensive end isn't one of those positions that makes it a requirement for the depth pieces to play special teams, but the more athletic ones can certainly lend themselves to playing multiple units. Of the group this year, Solomon has a great chance to be an every-week core-four special teams asset, which could provide some safety to dress on game days throughout the season. Hoecht and Jackson could also be considered for special teams, but perhaps not as every unit player. Solomon is the star of the show for special teams as far as this group is concerned.
Greg Rousseau, Joey Bosa, A.J. Epenesa, Landon Jackson, Javon Solomon, Michael Hoecht (suspended)
Because Hoecht will be suspended for six games, he does not count against the 53-man roster to begin the season, which gives the Bills some flexibility to start the year. Outside of him, Rousseau, Bosa and Jackson are all roster locks. If Bosa wasn't such an injury risk, the Bills could at least consider trading Epenesa ahead of final cuts. However, moving on from a player like Epenesa, who they trust as a starter if Bosa isn't available, likely pushes an Epenesa trade far down the list of considerations. Solomon makes the team for special teams purposes, and if he can show more as an all-around defensive end, he could even be a bit more than that. The big question will be what the Bills do with their roster once Hoecht is eligible to return in Week 7 and how they make room to add him. However, there's a good chance it won't be releasing any of these defensive ends, as they all serve a purpose on the roster.
(Top photo of Landon Jackson: Gregory Fisher / Imagn Images)