Bills Central

Buffalo Bills offseason gamble paying off in a huge way through four games

The Buffalo Bills rolled the dice in free agency, and through the first four games of the 2025 season, it appears they won the gamble.
Randy Gurzi|
Bills DE Joey Bosa fist-bumps rookie DT T.J. Sanders between drills during the opening day of Buffalo Bills training camp.
Bills DE Joey Bosa fist-bumps rookie DT T.J. Sanders between drills during the opening day of Buffalo Bills training camp. | Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

During NFL free agency, the Buffalo Bills decided to roll the dice on a big name free agent, signing Joey Bosa to a one-year deal worth $12.6 million.

That's a bargain for the level of talent he brings to the table, but there was a major risk with Bosa. The fifth overall pick from the 2016 NFL draft has struggled to stay healthy. While he suited up for 14 games in 2024, Bosa missed a total of 20 games the previous two years.

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Bosa's career in Buffalo was off to a rocky start, with the defensive end suffering a calf injury during offseason workouts. He recovered by training camp, however, and has played in all four games this season. In those games, he's proven to be a game-wrecker, earning the sixth-highest defensive EPA in the league.

EPA, or expected points added, is an advanced stat used to measure how much a single play increases or decreases a team’s expected points. So when Bosa comes in and makes a tackle for a loss, or a sack, it serves as a positive EPA for the Bills' defense, and lowers the opponents' chances of scoring.

His high score makes sense given the number of impact plays he's already made. Bosa has just eight tackles, but he's recorded two sacks, and forced four fumbles. Those are the type of game-changing plays general manager Brandon Beane was looking for when he signed Bosa.

As long as he stays healthy, this will continue to look like a brilliant move.

Buffalo Bills defensive end Joey Bosa causes a fumble on New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields.
Buffalo Bills defensive end Joey Bosa causes a fumble on New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields. | Robert Deutsch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Randy Gurzi
RANDY GURZI

Randy Gurzi is a graduate of Arizona State and has focused on NFL coverage since 2014.