The Buffalo Bills made several investments into their defensive line in recent years, including a second-round pick on edge rusher A.J. Epenesa in 2020.
But one insider believes the Bills may need to part ways with Epenesa if they look to make an even bigger upgrade to their pass-rushing group. The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia predicted the Bills could make a run at Cleveland Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett, who requested a trade from his team earlier this offseason, and suggested that Epenesa would need to be part of the deal.
Bills Take a Big Swing This Offseason
Buscaglia noted that the Bills have been in need of a “game-changing defender” and a motivation to take advantage of quarterback Josh Allen’s prime window. That could make this the perfect time to trade for Garrett, he wrote.
“The move is actually perfect in every way you look at it,” Buscaglia wrote. “The Bills predicate their entire defensive scheme on the ability to win with their front four. However, they haven’t had that consistently dominant player doing so outside of 2022, Von Miller’s first season in Buffalo before he suffered a season-ending torn ACL.”
But Buscaglia added that it would not be cheap. He predicted the Bills would need to send two first-round picks to the Browns, as well as a fourth-round pick and Epenesa. The Bills would get some picks back along with Garrett, a fifth-rounder next year and a seventh-rounder in 2027.
“Moving Epenesa clears out $3.3 million on the cap to help the move, but the necessary next step is to immediately restructure Garrett’s deal to create more short-term cap space,” Buscaglia wrote. “His 2025 cap hit is $19.8 million, and converting most of it to a prorated signing bonus would save $14.8 million. The Bills then get the immediate flexibility to add more pieces to the team and the time to negotiate a long-term deal with their new star pass rusher.”
The Bills would likely face stiff competition in seeking Garrett, with several teams listed as potential trade partners and other insiders suggesting the Browns prefer to hold onto their former NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
Bills Extended A.J. Epenesa
The Bills just gave Epenesa a two-year contract extension in March 2024, a two-year deal worth $12 million with $10.6 million in guaranteed money. As SI.com’s Anthony Licciardi noted at the time, the deal came in under Epenesa’s expected market value.
“If this seems below-market rate and a bit underwhelming, that’s because it is – Pro Football Focus projected Epenesa to receive a three-year deal worth $22.5 million ($14.5 million guaranteed),” Licciardi wrote. “It has been a fairly robust edge market, too, with teams happy to splurge on pass rushing in the early goings of the offseason.”
Epenesa had a slow start to his tenure with the Bills, registering just 2.5 total sacks through his first two seasons, but showed steady improvement beginning in 2022. He logged 6.5 sacks that season, another 6.5 in 2023 and 6.0 last season. He also made a total of five forced fumbles and two interceptions — one of which he returned for a touchdown — over the last three years.
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