Move over Micah Parsons, Bills counting on second-year leap from fifth-round pick

Despite the teasing availability of premier pass-rushers around the league, the Buffalo Bills are encouraged by the development of Javon Solomon.

Jan 5, 2025; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Buffalo Bills defensive end Javon Solomon (56) reacts after recovering a fumble against the New England Patriots during the second half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

He may not be Trey Hendrickson or Micah Parsons or even Joey Bosa, but the Buffalo Bills may have a sleeper star already in their training camp. Javon Solomon, productive pass-rusher?

While many among the record 39,224 members of Bills Mafia at Friday night's Blue & Red practice at Highmark Stadium may have daydreamed about acquiring another elite pass-rusher from the stars recently on the trading block in Cincinnati and Dallas, Solomon again flashed his potential that could make a trade wholly unnecessary.

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"Just the ability to be comfortable in your own skin and your own abilities," Solomon said of his second-year leap. "Going out there performing and knowing that if I mess up, I'm going to get coached up. If I make a great play, I'm going to get coached up."

Drafted in the fifth round in 2024 out of Troy (same school as Hall-of-Fame pass-rusher DeMarcus Ware), Solomon played sparingly as a rookie and finished with two sacks, six quarterback hits and three tackles for loss. Like a lot of NFL players from smaller schools, his second season features a big improvement.

Bills edge Javon Solomon cuts a circle around a coach during the second day of Buffalo Bills training camp at St. John Fisher University Thursday, July 24, 2025 in Pittsford. | Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Said defensive coordinator Bobby Babich about Solomon's development, "I've seen a big jump from last year to this year."

Though undersized at 6-1 and 250 pounds, Solomon led the nation with 16 sacks at Troy in 2023 and earned All-America honors. Buffalo's investment may just be beginning to pay off.

Buffalo Bills running back James Cook (4) gets extra yards as he runs past Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons (11). Cook rushed for 179 yards in a 31-10 win. | Jamie Germano/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK

"My second year feels like a night and day difference (from the first)," Solomon said. "Being able to understand the scheme, the playbook, your teammates, being able to play off each other, it's a different feeling. Now the pressure is relinquished a little bit, and I can put focus into other things."

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Buffalo's pass rush produced only 39 sacks last season. Head coach Sean McDermott knows the only way to beat nemesis Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs is to get the quarterback on the ground. Enter ... Solomon?

"I think he's doing some really good things out there," Babich said. "He's a year more comfortable and he knows what to expect. "He has certainly shown some things, we'll see where it goes."

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