Veteran DE one of the first Bills since Kyle Williams to fill this defensive role

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott spoke about veteran defensive end Dawuane Smoot, who is set to make his debut for the team this week.

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The injury bug has taken its toll on the Buffalo Bills defense to start the 2024 campaign, but the team will be getting one of their offseason signings in the lineup this week as veteran defensive end Dawuane Smoot looks set to make his Buffalo debut against his former club. The 29-year-old is also in line to fill a crucial role for the unit: he'll call the defense on third downs, a niche Buffalo has been looking to fill but hasn't been able to consistently throughout the past several years.

Head coach Sean McDermott spoke about Smoot quickly working his way into the role during his Saturday media availability, telling reporters that it's not an easy niche to fill.

"Well it was a role that we needed," McDermott said. "We'd been looking for it for some time, and being able to find the right person is hard because you have to have certain traits that go with that role, so we're fortunate that we were able to find him and he has some of those traits."

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McDermott then touched on some of the select few players who have filled the role for him throughout his tenure, mentioning a former fan favorite and stalwart who manned the interior of Buffalo’s defensive line for 13 years.

“I can’t say with great certainty right now who the last person was,” McDermott said. “One of the earlier people that you’ll remember was Kyle [Williams], right, to be able to do some things, call some fronts for us. I feel like we had maybe one or two in between there, but it’s nice when you can find that person.”

Smoot signed with the Bills in May after six seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He has made 133 tackles, 64 quarterback hits, 27 tackles for loss, 23.5 sacks, five forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries throughout his professional career.

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The Bills have not had Smoot at their disposal in the first two games of the season as he has been dealing with a toe injury. McDermott spoke highly of the veteran's character and what he'll add to the defense.

"Football is important to him," McDermott said. "I know his family is, as well. He's a good guy. He brings a certain level of toughness to our defense and veteran leadership at the same time."

The Buffalo Bills' depth chart lists Smoot as the backup edge rusher behind Greg Rousseau. Smoot adds to a front seven that has six sacks and 10 quarterback hits through two games.

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