Bills Central

Buffalo Bills receive telling grade on Joey Bosa dart-throw deal

The Buffalo Bills signed ex-Charger EDGE rusher Joey Bosa to a one year deal worth $12.6 millon on Tuesday night. Was it a mistake?

Brian Letscher

Dec 15, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Joey Bosa (97) warms up prior to the game.
Dec 15, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Joey Bosa (97) warms up prior to the game. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
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The Buffalo Bills have been very active on the EDGE rusher market this off-season, first holding onto one of their own by extending fifth-year player Greg Rousseau and then by releasing veteran Von Miller the following day — a move they followed up by signing another recently released veteran in five-time Pro-Bowler Joey Bosa.

The response to the Bosa signing has been middling at best with age -- Bosa turns 30 in July -- and injuries being cited as major concerns. ESPN's Seth Walder joined the chorus of 'meh' responses recently, giving Bills GM Brandon Beane a 'B' grade for the one year, $12.6 million deal.

"In signing the 29-year-old Bosa, the Bills are hoping to fight against two separate and powerful forces -- injury risk and decline, " Walder writes, " Bosa has been able to play only 28 games over the past three seasons, though 14 of those came in 2024. But when he was when on the field, his numbers have not been like the Bosa of the past."

Brandon Beane
Dec 8, 2024; Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane reacts during the game against the Los Angeles Rams. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Walder's 'B' is generous given that Bosa's stats back up the concerns. The Bills need pressures and sacks, that's why an organization brings in an EDGE rusher, particularly when they're sure to face the juggernaut of AFC quarterbacks that include Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow and, of course, Patrick Mahomes.

RELATED: DE Joey Bosa apologizes to Bills' offensive line for injuring Josh Allen

Bosa, however, has been going backward in those catergories, with his pass rush win rate plummeting to around 13% last year, putting him near the bottom of the league. For contextthe league leader was the Houston Texans' Danielle Hunter at 26% with the 20th ranked rusher, Will McDonald IV, coming in at 16%.

Joey Bosa, Patrick Mahomes
Dec 8, 2024; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) is sacked by Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Joey Bosa (97) / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

The Bills signed Bosa based on a fair amount of hope that he can somehow turn back time. Playing in 49.6 percent of snaps over 14 games last season, Bosa produced just five sacks and two forced fumbles. For a team looking to get over the hump and play in the Super Bowl, the Bosa deal is definitely a dart throw.

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Brian Letscher
BRIAN LETSCHER

A Michigan native, Brian graduated from the University of Michigan in another century, where he earned a degree in economics and a Rose Bowl Championship ring while playing football for the Wolverines under Head Coach Gary Moeller. Brian went on to coach Division 1A football for several years before becoming a full-time writer and actor while maintaining an unhealthy interest in sports. He is currently developing a scripted television series, THOSE WHO STAY, based on a series of historical fiction articles he wrote about Bo Schembechler's Michigan football program as they struggle to unite and win the championship - which requires beating #1 Ohio State - during the tumultuous civil rights and anti-war movements of 1969.

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