Bills' Dawuane Smoot out to prove 'best guy gets the job'

There are snaps to be had amongst the Buffalo Bills' edge rusher rotation and Dawuane Smoot is ready to 'compete.'

Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Dawuane Smoot (91) goes after Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) during early second quarter action at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, FL Sunday, November 27, 2022. / Bob Self/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY

It's what veteran defensive end Dawuane Smoot signed up for when he joined the Buffalo Bills.

"They say, 'Yea, I mean out here in Buffalo, we compete. The best guy gets the job and it's all love at the end of the day,'" said Smoot during an appearance on One Bills Live last month. "I'm trying to come here and compete for a major role."

The 29-year-old Smoot has only played for the Jacksonville Jaguars after being drafted at No. 68 overall in 2017. Following seven seasons and 99 regular season appearances, the Jaguars let Smoot walk in free agency and he eventually landed with the Bills on a low-cost contract.

"They asked me what my plan was when I first came in," said Smoot. "My plan is I want to be able to compete, wherever I went, going forward I wanted to be able to compete for a starting job and be able to really contribute. That was my major thing."

In addition to becoming acclimated in his new surroundings, Smoot must show he is fully recovered from the torn Achilles he suffered against the New York Jets in December 2022. The edge rusher returned in time to play 12 games in 2023, but arguably never returned to his pre-injury form. He totaled 10 tackles and 1.0 sack over 340 defensive snaps.

"I'm definitely trying to get back to my season form, get back to what I do best and that's rushing the passer and stopping the run. I feel like this is going to be one of my better years," said Smoot.