The Buffalo Bills put a lot of work into fortifying their front seven this offseason. Buffalo's biggest splash was adding superstar edge rusher Joey Bosa, but Buffalo will also be flanking him with newcomers Larry Ogunjobi and Michael Hoecht.
The Bills also drafted three defensive linemen in the 2025 NFL Draft. However, Ogunjobi and Hoecht will both be serving six-game suspensions to start the 2025 campaign due to PED usage, and it'd be a big ask for their rookies to take on big roles immediately.
Sports Illustrated's Gilberto Manzano thinks a marriage between the Bills and three-time Pro Bowler Za'Darius Smith would be a perfect pairing.
"Smith’s best days are behind him, but he proved last season with the Detroit Lions that he’s still capable of being a reliable rotational player for a Super Bowl contender," Manzano writes. "The Bills have already added Joey Bosa, but he has struggled to stay healthy in recent seasons and recently injured his calf. Even if Bosa stays healthy when the season arrives, Buffalo still needs depth behind No. 1 edge rusher Gregory Rousseau. Smith, who’s entering his age-33 season, has 69 career sacks in 10 NFL seasons."
Despite entering his age-33 season, Smith can still get to the quarterback. Smith split his 2024 campaign between the Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions, but still managed nine sacks and 17 quarterback hits. Smith has posted double-digit sacks in three of his last six NFL seasons.
Smith would provide a lot of insurance behind Bosa, and could also potentially be platooned with him opposite of Greg Rousseau, in order to keep Bosa on a snap limit in an attempt to keep him healthy.
Bosa was relatively healthy last season, making nine starts over 14 games and earning Pro Bowl honors despite a five sack season. Bosa played in 14 games combined over the two seasons prior, which ended a streak of three-consecutive Pro Bowls.
Smith actually had better stat sheet numbers than Bosa last season, beating him out in both sacks and quarterback hits. Bosa, entering his age-30 NFL season, is still immensely talented and, if healthy, will be a massive part of Buffalo's defense. But you can never have too many pass rushers.