Buffalo Bills set to welcome two critical pieces back to practice after Saints game

Suspended defensive linemen Michael Hoecht and Larry Ogunjobi are both permitted to return to practice in Week 5.

Jun 11, 2025; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills defensive end Michael Hoecht (55) makes a catch during Minicamp | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

The Buffalo Bills will be getting some much-needed reinforcements back on the practice field following their Week 4 matchup with the New Orleans Saints.

Suspended defensive linemen Michael Hoecht and Larry Ogunjobi are currently serving six-game suspensions due to positive PED tests, which has left Buffalo a bit short-handed in the trenches defensively. Both players are eligible to return to practice to begin Week 5, but cannot return to game action until after the team’s Week 7 bye week, in Week 8 against the Carolina Panthers.

Bills tackle Larry Ogunjobi rushes after a blocker during position drills during the final day of Buffalo Bills training camp at St. John Fisher University Thursday, August 7, 2025 in Pittsford, NY. | Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Hoecht and Ogunjobi were both signed by the Bills through free agency this offseason as part of an extensive overhaul of Buffalo’s defensive line, which also included an influx of three rookies. Their suspensions were announced shortly after they put pen to paper, with Hoecht making the team aware of his situation early on during the negotiation process, while Ogunjobi’s suspension caught the team a bit by surprise.

Both players practiced with the team throughout training camp and the preseason, but have been away from the team facility since the start of the regular season.

Without Hoecht on the edge to start the year, veteran Joey Bosa has played a significant amount of snaps, with his snap share sitting at 72 percent on the year. That’s more than any player on the Bills’ defensive line.

Buffalo Bills defensive end Michael Hoecht gets ready to move to another area to start a new drill at Bills Training Camp at St. John Fisher University in Pittsford on Aug.6, 2025. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Hoecht appeared in all 17 games for the Los Angeles Rams last season, finishing with three sacks and a pressure rate of 12.1 percent. Edge rusher Greg Rousseau has recorded a pressure rate of 12.5 percent through three games this year. Expect Buffalo’s rotation up front to look different once Hoecht returns.

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The Bills have been banged up inside at defensive tackle, with starter Ed Oliver out for Weeks 2 and 3 with an ankle injury and 2024 third-round pick DeWayne Carter out for the year with an Achilles injury. And without Ogunjobi for the first several weeks, veteran DaQuan Jones has been forced to take on quite the load, while first-year DTs Deone Walker and T.J. Sanders have seen their respective snap share increase as well.

Ogunjobi failed to make an impression during training camp or the preseason and appeared to be expendable at the outset of the regular season. But with Carter’s injury, coupled with the way Buffalo’s defensive line has performed through three weeks, his services appear to be much-needed at this time.

Don’t worry, Bills fans. Help is on the way.

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