Orchard Park, N.Y. — Larry Ogunjobi smiled and then laughed to himself for a moment on Wednesday when a reporter asked him if it felt like the cavalry was on the way.
The 31-year-old with nine years of NFL experience hadn’t thought of his return to the field in those terms.
But given a moment to ponder, Ogunjobi seemed amused by the idea. And the Buffalo Bills definitely could use some reinforcements.
The Bills (4-2) return from their bye week riding a two-game losing streak. It hasn’t been pretty at times for a Bills defense that ranks dead last in the NFL in rush defense DVOA (11.0%) and 26th in total defensive DVOA (11.1%), according to FTNfantasy.com.
Ogunjobi and fellow defensive linemen Michael Hoecht practiced this week after being reinstated to the Buffalo Bills’ roster following a six-game suspension because of failed offseason tests for performance-enhancing drugs. Bills general manager Brandon Beane targeted both players early in free agency in a targeted effort to reshape Buffalo’s defensive line.
Without Ogunjobi and Hoecht over the first six games, the Bills had to rely on rookie tackles Deone Walker and T.J. Sanders to help fill the void left by Ogunjobi, who brings 108 NFL starts with him to Buffalo. Hoecht is set to add his unique skill set on the perimeter to help give Bills defensive coordinator Bobby Babich some more options.
“I think it’s just me and Mike coming back, being able to just help how we can,” Ogunjobi said. “You want to rally, you want to get this thing going in the right direction.”
Hoecht was part of a Rams defense in 2024 that went through an identity crisis after the retirement of defensive tackle Aaron Donald. In the first two games without the future Hall of Famer, the Rams gave up 163 yards rushing to the Detroit Lions and 231 to the Arizona Cardinals. The Rams needed to find a new path forward, and the Bills face a similar task after spinning their wheels against the run through the first six games.
Adding Hoecht and Ogunjobi should provide a boost and help Beane finally realize the vision he had for the defense back in March and April. Ed Oliver is the superstar in the middle, and the Bills have had a solid pass rush on the outside with Joey Bosa and A.J. Epenesa. Bosa has posted 24 pressures in his first season with the Bills. His 18.46% pressure rate ranks 7th overall in the NFL. Epenesa’s 17.65% pressure rate ranks 12th in the league.
Hoecht can do a variety of things as he showcased in L.A. He’ll line up on the outside and rush but can also be a factor in coverage as a hybrid linebacker. The 28-year-old was ecstatic to get back in the building the past few weeks after practicing at Hamburg High School while serving his suspension. He said he felt fresh and ran at 19 miles per hour during practice on Thursday. He’s planning to bring energy when he returns to the field, which should be this Sunday against the Carolina Panthers.
“Defensive football, it’s juice and energy,” Hoecht said. “You can fix all the scheme that you want, but at the end of the day, if you run through somebody’s face and blow something up, all the scheme that matters, all the scheme in the world is not going to fix that.”
Ogunjobi used his four weeks away during his suspension to head to Boulder, Colo. There, he began altitude training to be ready to start strong when he returned to the field.
Bills coach Sean McDermott said this week that it’s easy to add Ogunjobi and Hoecht back into the defense because of all the reps they both had during the summer.
“I guess you know a little bit more what you have over here and then so when you bring these two in, you hope through six games you have a pretty decent feel for each position,” he said. “It’s somewhat unique where you have two guys, sometimes you have one in a six-game suspension, in this case we’ve got two. So, we’re happy to have them back and get them signed up here ready to go.”
The vision for the Bills defense centered around the reconfigured defensive line. Hoecht and Ogunjobi were two major players in the plan. Beane also double-dipped at defensive tackle and seems to have landed a gem in Walker, who has seven tackles for loss this season. Only five players in the NFL have more.
Hoecht joked that while he was practicing every morning at the high school field, students would show up and think he was Bosa because of his haircut. He joked that they were close but not quite right. The duo now finally gets to play together and see if the carefully crafted offseason plan can pay off for the Buffalo defense.
Hoecht said he’ll be focused on fitting into the system and finding a way to do his 1/11th.
“You get into trouble when you start to chase things or, you’re like, oh, if I don’t get a sack this week, my comeback’s a failure,” he said. “That’s just not how football’s played. The job this week is to go beat the Carolina Panthers. And the number one best way to do that is, for me, snap in, snap out, get lined up, play my assignment, know my checks, help everybody else out, and play complementary football.”
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