NFL analyst circles underrated Bills DE as potential 'breakout' candidate

The 33rd Team has identified Buffalo Bills defensive end Greg Rousseau as a potential breakout candidate in the 2024 NFL season.

Kyle Silagyi | Jul 14, 2024

Jan 21, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills defensive end Greg Rousseau (50) against the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2024 AFC divisional round game at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

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The Buffalo Bills—despite being one of the NFL’s most consistently competitive teams over the past handful of years—have several nationally overlooked and underrated players on their roster, perhaps no player better matching this description than defensive end Greg Rousseau.

There’s little national fanfare surrounding the 2021 first-round draft pick despite his draft capital, but the 24-year-old has inarguably developed into one of the better defenders on Buffalo's roster. Once viewed as a raw 6-foot-7 ball of clay, Rousseau is now a well-rounded contributor who, despite not being the most consistent player in the world, is both stout against the run and effective as a pass-rusher. Given Von Miller’s injury-related regression in the 2023 season, Rousseau is firmly penciled in at the top of the Bills’ depth chart at defensive end entering his fourth season.

Rousseau’s demonstrated ability and advantageous opportunity have been noticed by The 33rd Team’s Marcus Mosher, who recently identified the pass rusher as a defender who could breakout in the 2024 campaign. Mosher notes that Rousseau has been on a steady ascent throughout his professional career, something that could allow him to emerge into national prominence this fall.

“Rousseau was a much better player in 2023 as he created more pressures (68) and improved significantly as a run defender,” Mosher writes. “During the 2022 season, Rousseau was just an average run defender who teams would run toward when possible. But in 2023, he became an above-average run player, finishing the season with 19 stops. His improvement as a run defender has been a steady one despite it being a weakness coming out of college. Now, he is an every-down player who can thrive in any situation.

“. . . Another encouraging stat is his overall pass-rush win rate (16.0 percent), which is ahead of other star rushers including Maxx Crosby (15.5 percent), Danielle Hunter (15.7 percent), and not far off from T.J. Watt (16.9 percent). If that number continues to rise, we should see Rousseau post a double-digit sack season sooner rather than later . . . The Bills need Rousseau to be a star on the edge and be a consistent pass rusher in big games. And given his trajectory, it’s not hard to believe that it will happen given his rapid improvement.”

Dec 31, 2023; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills defensive end Greg Rousseau (50) encourages the crowd to cheer in the second quarter against the New England Patriots at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports / Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

As Mosher notes, 2023 was Rousseau’s best professional season despite his decrease in sack production. He notched just five last year after recording eight in 2022; however, his total pressures increased to a career-high 62, this up from 51 the previous season, per PFF.

We will, however, push back on the notion that Rousseau was previously an “average” run defender, as his ability against the run has long been one of the more surprising elements of his game. All things considered, he was relatively new to the defensive end position as a rookie, yet he still demonstrated mature form and technique as a run defender. He recorded a team-high 41 run stops in his debut campaign, sticking out as one of the team’s better run defenders ever since.

The Buffalo faithful have slowly seen Rousseau piece elements of his game together throughout his professional career, showing discernible development each year. If his ascent continues this season and sees him grow as a pass-rusher, he could be a household name at this time next summer. The defender is currently tied to the Bills through the 2025 season, as the club picked up his fifth-year option this spring.

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