Although the quality and consistency of the Buffalo Bills’ passing offense has been questioned at times this season, the team has generally been effective in getting after opposing quarterbacks and currently ranks 12th in the NFL in total sacks with 25. He’s more effective on Buffalo’s defensive front than fourth-year defensive end Greg Rousseau; The Bills were eager to see the 6-foot-11 defenseman take the next step in his development this season and develop into a more consistently noticeable presence, and that’s exactly what he’s done through the first 10 games of the 2024 season.

Rousseau is on pace to shatter previous career highs in both statistics, with 5.5 sacks and 16 quarterback hits so far this year. He already achieved the highest tackles in his career with 12 tackles for loss; This is a testament not only to his increase in passing efficiency, but also to his status as one of the league’s better running defenders, a trait that goes unnoticed by most. He now has 22.5 sacks in his career, and an additional 1.5 quarterback takedowns would put him in the top 15 in franchise history in statistics.

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It’s becoming difficult to ignore Rousseau’s numbers, long viewed by Buffalo faithful as a key contributor who perhaps hasn’t received the national recognition he deserves. NFL.com’s Kevin Patra shares this sentiment: Lately he’s been surrounding Rousseau as an “overlooked” player who was worthy of the Pro Bowl this season.

“Rousseau’s career is evolving heading into this season,” Patra wrote. “The gifted athlete has been a pain in the ass for 10 games. It seems like on every play, No. 50 is flying into the screen, hitting the ball carrier, lunging at the quarterback, deflecting the pass or missing the play. His 5.5 sacks put the former first-round draft pick at a career high.” and his 12 tackles for loss tied the NFL record (tied by three-time Pro Bowler and DPOY candidate Trey Hendrickson).

“He was a flash forward, producing 36 QB pressures, and 20 of his pressures were of the rushing variety (first 2.5 seconds of the game), fifth most in the NFL. The only players who outperform her in this metric are: Myles Garrett (26), Hendrickson (24), Danielle Hunter (23) and Brian Burns (21). This is the kind of breakout group Rousseau will surround himself with in 2024.”

Perhaps the scary thing for opposing quarterbacks is that Rousseau still has room for improvement; As Patra noted, he has 36 pressures this season but only 5.5 sacks, meaning the 24-year-old isn’t necessarily finishing pressures at an elite clip. This is perhaps the next step in what was already a discernible developmental path for Rousseau; Buffalo needs a game-changing player to take on players like Rousseau and friends like Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. face to face this weekend. The linebacker has just one year left on his contract, a fifth-year option that Buffalo accepted last spring; Looks like he’s on track to get a mega extension sooner rather than later.

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