Bills' Late Free Agent Signing Pushes Former NCAA Sacks Leader Onto Roster Bubble

The heat is on Buffalo Bills' edge rusher Javon Solomon going into Year 3 as a pro.

The 2023 NCAA FBS sacks leader found a way to contribute on special teams, but he hasn't seen much of an opportunity for a role on defense through his first two seasons. The 2024 fifth-round draft pick played in all 17 regular season games for the Bills during the 2025 campaign, totaling 1.0 sack and 195 defensive snaps (20 percent).

"Javon really found a nice niche on special teams his first two years. Had some opportunities, but not a lot as kind of some third down packages or variety, things like that," said Bills' general manager Brandon Beane in April.

Simply put, defensive reps have been hard to come by for Solomon, and they likely won't come any easier in 2026. He'll have to navigate through a crowded edge rusher room in what should be a fierce competition for playing time.

As part of a large-scale defensive makeover this past offseason, the Bills significantly altered the composition of Solomon's position group.

Nov 9, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Buffalo Bills defensive end Javon Solomon (56) celebrates after a missed field goal during the first half against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium. | Jeff Romance-Imagn Images

Buffalo subtracted Joey Bosa and AJ Epenesa from the rotation while adding former Top 5 pick Bradley Chubb and second-round rookie TJ Parker. Chubb immediately enters as the presumed starter across from veteran Greg Rousseau, who signed a lucrative contract extension in 2025.

With Rousseau and Chubb likely in the two starting outside linebacker spots, Michael Hoecht, who is returning from an Achilles tear, projects as the third wheel when healthy. Being that they used the No. 35 overall pick on Parker, one would think the Bills plan to work the rookie in early as a fourth option.

Essentially, four OLB spots are already spoken for, and that's before even mentioning two-time Super Bowl champion Mike Danna. The Bills added the 28-year-old Danna to the mix in May, bringing in an edge rusher that started the past three seasons for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Danna, a 2020 fifth-rounder, spent his first six season with Chiefs. Over 87 appearances (49 starts), the 6-foot-2 edge defender recorded 21.5 sacks, six forced fumbles and 51 quarterback hits.

By all indications, Danna is excited for his post-Chiefs opportunity with another AFC powerhouse.

Jun 9, 2026; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills defensive end Mike Danna (51) trains during Buffalo Bills Minicamp. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

"I'm looking forward to continuing being part of something special like this, because there's special moments like this in sports that people love, the fans love, the players play for," said Danna while addressing reporters during OTAs.

It's important for one to consider that most teams elect not to use more than six 53-man roster spots for edge rushers, and all six aren't always active on gamedays. Following that rationale, one can speculate that Danna's signing sets up a situation where Solomon is battling for a sixth OLB job that may not exist.

Scheme change could save Solomon

Moving to a 3-4 base, using two standup outside linebackers as opposed to two defensive ends with their hands in the dirt, may allow Solomon to better use the skillset that resulted in 33.0 career sacks for Troy.

Solomon seems like more of a natural fit in defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard's scheme as opposed to the system that Sean McDermott had in place. We wrote about when Rousseau suggested just that this past spring.

“I think an easy one is Javon Solomon. In our old defense, you would kind of call him like a DPR, designated pass rusher," said Beane. "I think he fits more of a 3-4 stand-up outside backer than a hand in the dirt defensive end when we selected him."

Although he appears to be a scheme match, there's no guarantee that this defensive coaching staff winds up liking Solomon more than Andre Jones or the others who will claw for that coveted final roster spot.

Bills' edge rushers

Greg Rousseau

Bradley Chubb

Michael Hoecht

Mike Danna

TJ Parker (R)

Andre Jones

Javon Solomon

Cade Denhoff (R)

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