Although the quality and consistency of the Buffalo Bills’ pass rush has been called into question at times this season, the team has been generally effective at getting after opposing quarterbacks, currently ranking 12th in the NFL sack total with 25. No player has been more impactful on Buffalo’s defensive front than fourth-year defensive end Greg Rousseau; The Bills yearned to see the 6-foot-7 defender take the next step in his development this season and evolve into a more consistent presence, and through the first 10 games of the 2024 campaign, that’s exactly what he’s done. do.
Rousseau has tallied 5.5 sacks and 16 quarterback hits so far this year, putting him firmly on track to blow his previous career highs out of the water in both stats. He has already tied his career in tackles for loss with 12, a testament not only to his increase in passing efficiency, but also to his status as one of the best defenders in the league, an attribute that goes unnoticed for the most part. He now has 22.5 sacks in his career, and 1.5 more quarterback takedowns will put him in the top 15 in franchise history in the statistics.
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Long viewed by the Buffalo faithful as having a significant contributor who may not have received the national recognition he deserves, Rousseau’s numbers are becoming hard to ignore. NFL.com’s Kevin Patra agrees: recently circled Rousseau as an “under the radar” player who deserves a Pro Bowl nod this season.
“Rousseau’s career has grown this season,” Patra wrote. “The ultra-talented athlete was a threat for 10 games. Seemingly on every play there is number 50 flying across the screen, hitting a running back, hitting a quarterback, tipping a pass or missing a play. His 5.5 sacks put the former pick first-rounder on pace to reach a career high, and his 12 tackles for loss are tied for an NFL high (with three-time Pro Bowler and DPOY Trey Hendrickson).
“He’s been lightning, generating 36 QB pressures, and 20 of his pressures are of the quick variety (first 2.5 seconds of a play), tied for fifth most in the NFL. The only players above him in this metric: Myles Garrett (26), Hendrickson (24), Danielle Hunter (23) and Brian Burns (21). This is the kind of starting group that Rousseau surrounds himself with in 2024.”
Perhaps what scares opposing quarterbacks is that Rousseau still has room to improve; as Patra notes, he has 36 pressures this season but only 5.5 sacks, meaning the 24-year-old isn’t necessarily finishing pressures at an elite level. This is perhaps the next step in what has already been a discernible path of development for Rousseau; Buffalo needs a borderline game-changer to bring down players like Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who Rousseau and co. face this weekend. The defenseman has just one year remaining on his contract, the fifth-year option Buffalo picked up last spring; it looks like it’s on track to get a mega-expansion sooner rather than later.
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