The Buffalo Bills deploy a deep rotation along the defensive line. Players rarely see more than half the team’s defensive snaps over the course of the season, with the top-end linemen topping out around 60% of the snaps. Most players see between 35% and 50% of the snaps. This keeps the defensive line fresh, but it means that the team needs to invest heavily in depth players up front.
While the Bills will likely carry at least five defensive ends on the 53-man roster, it still means that they have
a large need for camp bodies throughout July and August. As injuries have mounted at all positions this summer, the Bills have added players to cope. Those players don’t have a great chance at making the roster come September, but they do have some chance. When chasing dreams, that’s all a person can ask.
In today’s installment of our “90 players in 90 days” series, we profile a new addition at defensive end.
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Name: Nelson Ceaser
Number: 51
Position: DE
Height/Weight: 6’2”, 254 pounds
Age: 24 (25 on 6/3/2026)
Experience/Draft: 1; signed with the Seattle Seahawks following the 2024 NFL Draft
College: Houston
Acquired: Signed with Buffalo on 8/14/2025
Financial situation (per Spotrac): Ceaser signed a one-year contract. While terms of the deal were not immediately available, it’s likely for the league minimum, which is $960,000 for someone with one year of service time. That will be the cap hit Ceaser carries if he makes the roster. There likely is no guaranteed money on the deal, meaning Buffalo won’t carry a dead-cap charge if they release him.
2024 Recap: Ceaser played in three preseason games with Seattle last season, totaling three tackles in those exhibition contests. He was waived as part of final roster cuts on August 27. He signed with the D.C. Defenders of the UFL on December 6, but he didn’t appear in a game with the club. He signed a contract with the San Antonio Brahmas, also of the UFL, on April 16. In six total games with the Brahmas, he had six tackles.
Positional outlook: Ceaser is one of eight defensive ends on the current roster. Michael Hoecht, Paris Shand, Landon Jackson, Greg Rousseau, Joey Bosa, A.J. Epenesa, and Javon Solomon are the others.
2025 Offseason: Ceaser is healthy and ready to participate in preseason action.
2025 Season outlook: While Ceaser has a good motor, the Bills have added too much at defensive end to assume that a mid-August signing is going to make the team for any reason other than copious injury issues. Buffalo has some players dinged, and they also have some players that they’re looking to keep on a tight leash as far as their rep count goes when the games don’t matter.
We’ll probably see plenty of Ceaser in the final preseason game, and if he performs well, perhaps he can parlay his efforts into a spot on the practice squad. Even that is a stretch, however. It’s likely that Ceaser is moving elsewhere at the end of the month.
