The Buffalo Bills are going to have a rough time determining a rotation for their defensive ends this season. It’s quite likely that they’ll have six players on the roster at the position at some point this year, and while math isn’t exactly my strong suit, there are only two defensive ends on the field at once on most plays.
Luckily for the players who play the defensive edge, the Bills rotate their defensive line heavily. That means that each player who dresses on game day is likely to see some
time on the field at some point. With quite a few players on board who have a history of injury issues, it’s possible that the Bills could find themselves in a situation where their lineup is forced rather than chosen. With that in mind, it’s a good thing that they have as many players with starting experience as they do.
In our latest edition of “90 players in 90 days,” we discuss a defensive end coming off the first fully healthy season of his professional career.
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Name: A.J. Epenesa
Number: 57
Position: DE
Height/Weight: 6’6”, 260 pounds
Age: 26 (27 on 9/15/2025)
Experience/Draft: 6; selected by Buffalo in the second round (No. 54 overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft
College: Iowa
Acquired: Second-round draft choice
Financial situation (per Spotrac): Epenesa enters the final year of the two-year, $12 million extension he signed prior to last season. For the year, his cap hit is $7.487 million. If the Bills were to release him, they would be on the hook for a dead-cap charge of $10.008 million.
2024 Recap: Epenesa played a full 17-game slate for the first time in his professional career, yet his production remained essentially on par with what has been his norm throughout. While he doubled his career-high in total tackles, notching 39 combined, he maintained his streak of hitting exactly six sacks in the season. Well, it was close, anyway — he had 6.5 sacks in the 2022 and 2023 seasons — but he’s been a six-sacks-per-season player over the last few years. He added eight tackles for loss and 11 quarterback hits, both career-highs. He also notched two pass breakups and two forced fumbles on the season.
Epenesa started 13 games, too, which was easily a high-water mark for him in his career. During the playoffs, he started all three of Buffalo’s games. He totaled eight tackles, two tackles for loss, and one quarterback hit. In the regular season, he played on a career-high 55% of the Bills’ defensive snaps. In the postseason, that number increased a bit, as he appeared on 59% of the team’s total snaps on defense. Both of those numbers would likely have been higher, but he sat for most of the regular-season finale against the New England Patriots since the game’s outcome had no bearing on the team’s playoff standing, and he also sat nearly 60% of the team’s blowout victory over the Denver Broncos in the Wild Card Round.
Positional outlook: Epenesa is once again slated to be one of Buffalo’s top edge players, though whether he’ll retain his starting gig is yet to be determined. Greg Rousseau, Joey Bosa, Javon Solomon, and Landon Jackson are the other defensive ends on the current roster. Michael Hoecht is suspended for the first six games of the year, but he’ll be back to take snaps, as well.
2025 Offseason: Epenesa is healthy and ready to roll for Week 1.
2025 Season outlook: I can’t foresee a scenario where the Bills will willingly allow Epenesa to play as many snaps as he did last season during the 2025 season. The team clearly felt that an upgrade was necessary up front, hence the signings of Bosa and Hoecht and the drafting of Jackson. However, Jackson seems to be a little ways away from being a solid contributor, and Hoecht’s suspension means that the first month and a half will likely be the time where Epenesa sees the greatest amount of run on defense. If the team experiences injuries up front, they know they have a solid baseline for production in No. 57, who does a nice job setting the edge against the run and provides solid, albeit inconsistent, value as a pass rusher.
Whether or not Epenesa is a starter might not truly matter given how much the Bills rotate their defensive linemen throughout a game. In fact, I could see Epenesa starting each of the team’s first six games while they wait for Hoecht to return. Bosa will come in on obvious passing downs, as well as some other plays where Epenesa needs a breather.
When Hoecht returns, I’d bet that he’ll be the starter by season’s end, with Epenesa giving him and Rousseau a break on early downs. With as much depth as they have up front, the Bills shouldn’t need to play Jackson until he’s ready.
Epenesa is a solid player who fits Buffalo’s rotational model quite well. Given the investment they’ve made in the position, I’d be surprised if he’s with the team beyond this year, which could also be a motivator to see the best from him on an expiring contract. He’s a good player who likely will play a role more suitable to his level this season than he did last year.