Bills Central

Bills' free agency moves could lead to slow regular season start

The Buffalo Bills have made a couple of risky decisions in free agency that could jeopardize how well the team starts its season.
Jeremy Brener|
Feb 25, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane speaks during the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Feb 25, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane speaks during the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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The Buffalo Bills have made a concerted effort to fix the defensive line this offseason during free agency.

In addition to signing Los Angeles Chargers star Joey Bosa to a one-year deal, the Bills added Michael Hoecht from the Los Angeles Rams and Larry Ogunjobi, who last played for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Unfortunately for Hoecht and Ogunjobi, each of them have been suspended six games for violating the league's performance-enhancing drug policy. Their absence at the beginning of the season concerns CBS Sports writer Jordan Dajani.

"The Bills have had a pretty decent free agency so far, adding a young receiver in Palmer and several defensive linemen in Hoecht, Bosa and Ogunjobi," Dajani writes.

"However, Hoecht and Ogunjobi will unfortunately have to miss six games due to PED suspensions. So I do wonder if there will be some early season struggles defensively. The draft will be important for Buffalo, but this is still a legitimate contender led by the very well-paid reigning NFL MVP.

Michael Hoecht
Jan 5, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams linebacker Michael Hoecht (97) celebrates after a play against the Seattle Seahawks in the second half against at SoFi Stadium. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Bills are still chasing the Kansas City Chiefs for the No. 1 spot in the AFC, and not having two of their top free agent signees for the first six games could be costly.

RELATED: Bills' free agency tracker

The Baltimore Ravens were the reigning No. 1 seed, and they started 0-2, which led to a 12-5 final record and getting the No. 3 seed. Baltimore was forced to come to Buffalo for the Divisional Round, and Bills Mafia was able to help lift the team to victory.

Every game counts for the Bills in the AFC race, so they need to try and pull out all the stops for every game, but not being 100 percent at the beginning of the season could come back to bite them.

Larry Ogunjobi
Nov 17, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi (99) takes the field against the Baltimore Ravens at Acrisure Stadium. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several On SI sites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid and resides in Central Florida. He graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener.

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