It's the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. fans of your team, and you can even jump into the national chats and talk about whatever's happening across the league. Tap the Everydayer Club link in the show notes to learn more. The Bills need to add some veteran reinforcements to the defensive line, and I have plenty of ideas that I'm going to share with you right now on Locked on Bills. You are locked on bills, your daily Buffalo bills podcast, part of the locked on podcast network, your team every day. What's up, Bill's mafia. It's Joe Marino, author of the herd mentality, sub stack co-host of the locked on NFL scouting podcast, co-host of the NFL first read podcast. and I am your host of Locked On Bills. Locked On Bills is a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, now the number one sports podcast network. I want to thank you for making Locked On Bills your first listen every day and a big welcome and shout out to our everydayers. You know who you are, those of you who never miss a single episode. I appreciate you all being here very, very much. Well, folks, welcome in. We are continuing to get ready for free agency. Today, focusing on the Bills' needs along the defensive line. And obviously, with a scheme change coming, it changes the landscape of this conversation. It's a lot different than what we've discussed in years past under Sean McDermott. And so, I want to spend a little bit of time at the Open, diving into the situation and what the Bills actually need to find. And then in segment two and three, I want to really get into options to fill the voids that I think exist right now with the Bills defensive line. So yesterday we talked edge rushers. So stand up outside edge rushers. Today we're going to talk about true hand in the dirt defensive linemen. And so when you consider this scheme that's coming with the defensive line, odd fronts, you're going to have five techniques. which is somewhat like your traditional 4-3 defensive end. You'll have a nose tackle, and you'll need the run-stuffing, big-bodied, space-eating nose tackle, but you're also going to want to have nose tackles that can rush a little bit. And I think the Bills have that piece, but maybe the other piece is what they're missing. And then there's that four-eye position where it aligns on the inside shoulder of the tackle, and it's a little bit more of a penetration-style player, somewhat comparable to a three technique. And that player is traditionally going to have a, a outside linebacker that's walked down on the line of scrimmage that's playing outside of that tackle. So those are the positions. And when I think five technique for the bills, I feel like Greg Russo is a ideal player to be a five technique in a three, four. Now behind him, I think that's where you slot Landon Jackson, not really sure what to expect from Landon Jackson, he's coming off of a knee injury he's had knee injuries he didn't look comfortable as a rookie at really any point whether that was during training camp pre-season he didn't really earn a jersey for game days very often then of course he got hurt so it's hard for me to really expect much from Landon Jackson I'm hopeful he's a third round pick entering his second season I'm hopeful but I don't really know what to expect although I do think he's best suited to play that five technique role and maybe provide some depth behind Greg Rousseau. When it comes to the nose tackle position, Deion Walker's kind of the name here that makes some sense. He's a bigger body guy with a lot of length. The challenge with Deion Walker is that he's not your traditional six, seven, 350 pound, you know, nose tackle. You know, he's not a guy with a super firm anchor. He's very good at finding the football. He's got good lateral quickness. He's got good upper body strength. He's, you know, this past year, he showed that ability to get his hands into throwing lanes. But if you're going to ask him to defend multiple gaps, take on doubles, just not really his strength, right? It's not where he wins. And so I think you want to play him kind of in a nose tackle role, but he's not going to be your early down run stuff or that is going to anchor down and keep the second level free, right? That's just not his game. That's not how he wins. So he's your nose tackle kind of other players that fit into that nose tackle conversation for Darian Mathis who the bills re-signed to a very minimum type one-year deal I think he factors into that conversation and a guy that I'll shout out is Zion Logue I think Zion Logue is built right for being a nose tackle in a 3-4 type defense has that frame has that length now you know he's got to put it all together which I don't think he has to this point but there's been some intriguing flashes he's a guy that I'm curious about fitting into this defense and what Jim Leonard has in mind as a guy that's been on the practice squad for the last couple of seasons. Then you have that four-eye role, which we discussed is that penetration style player. That's where Ed Oliver slots. That's where I think TJ Sanders has an opportunity and Dwayne Carter coming off of the Achilles last year, pretty much missing his sophomore season. So those players factor into the four-eye. And so when I consider what the defense needs and what the Bills have, two things stand out in terms of what they're missing. Number one is that run stuffing nose tackle, a guy that's going to be the big bodied, clog up the middle and free up at Oliver, free up the second level level to fire downhill and make tackles against the run. So we'll discuss options for that role. The other thing is just depth behind Rousseau and Oliver. you need those guys that are going to play towards the edge that can reduce a little bit inside that can also maybe defend multiple gaps in a true five technique role. And so that depth behind Rousseau and Oliver, I think is really important. So we're going to identify those types of players as well. Now the Bills have several expiring contracts here. Daquan Jones, A.J. Epinesa, Joey Bosa, Larry Iganjobi. I want to comment on them quickly. Daquan Jones does feel like the type of player that could come back and help this defense as a nose tackle, although it sort of feels like his messaging on social media indicates that he's on to different things. We'll see where that ultimately lands. I don't completely dismiss the idea that he can come back and help, although I am somewhat hopeful that the bills will go with some different options. AJ Epinesa has a chance to be a five technique. I think that's a role that could fit him. But again, with your overall transition defensively, he feels like a player that run his course in Buffalo four years on a rookie deal signed a two extension He played it out You know maybe be on to something else I think Joey Bosa is a player that you don mess with this year I thought he started the year really, really well, and then I thought he was disappointing late in the year, which is disappointing. So while he's played in three, four defenses, I think you let him go play football somewhere else this coming season. Same with Larry Oganjobi, who's another expiring contract. a big black eye in the overall inventory of free agent signings that, that Brandon Bean has made. And unfortunately he just wasn't an answer for you. So I think you let him move on as well. So maybe Jones is back, maybe Epinesa, but I think ultimately you let those four players continue their careers elsewhere and start to bring in some new players and body types and skill sets to fill out this new defense with your new defensive coaching staff. All right. So we're going to talk options. I've got a handful of nose tackles, a handful of five techs and four, I type players that makes sense to me. And what I'm excited about with these players, that's a little bit different than what we've talked about at some of the other positions is that I feel like there's a lot of value. I think there's a lot of players that make sense that are going to be in the bills price range. So I'll start to break those down for you next folks. be sure to stick with me. Workplace chaos, the deadlines are stacking up, your inbox is overflowing, and the one position you have to fill is still sitting open. When the pressure's on and you need the right hire, this is a job for Indeed Sponsored Jobs. Indeed Sponsored Jobs helps you reach the people who actually fit what you're looking for, the skills, the experience, the location, so you're not just hoping the right candidate stumbles across your post. And here's a stat that says it all. In the minute I've been talking to you, companies like yours made 27 hires on Indeed according to Indeed data worldwide. So if you're hiring, spend less time searching and more time interviewing candidates who check all of your boxes with Indeed sponsored jobs. There'll be less stress. There'll be less time with more results. 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They're rated number one by users of other meal kits for quality, convenience, value, taste, and recipe ease, and it's easy to see why. The meals are going to come ready to fit into your schedule. 30-minute recipes, oven-ready trays. There's over 30 weekly options, including family-sized meals. Everything's going to arrive pre-portioned, so there's less press, less prep, less mess, and no wasted food. Check it out, folks, for a limited time. Home Chef is offering my listeners 50% off your first box, free shipping, and free dessert for life. Just go to homechef.com slash locked on. That's homechef.com slash locked on for 50% off your first box, free shipping and free dessert for life must be an active subscriber to receive free dessert all right folks let's talk about options and we will in this segment focus on nose tackles and i have four four of them to pitch to you today all of these make sense to me let's start with Crisis Tonga played for the Patriots in 2025. He turns 30 in July. He's 6'2", 335 pounds. Pro Football Focus estimates his contract to come in at $2.25 million per season, while SpotRack says $3.3 million. In 2025 with New England, 14 games, was on the field for 40% of snaps in those 14 games, collected 17 pressures and 17 run stops. The appeal here is very obvious. He is a tank against the run, an absolute tank. In fact, Conor McGovern, this offseason, he was, I think he was on a cover one podcast, or it could have been the Eric Wood podcast. I sometimes get these crossed up, but he was talking about like the hardest player he had to block, and he said it was Tonga from the Patriots just said he's a big, strong dude, but has like mentally figured out the game and understanding blocking schemes and how to, you know, get your body in the right positions. And you see that on his tape. He's a really good player. And that Patriots defense, when he wasn't available, because he missed a little time with a foot injury, you could tell they were missing him. And so he's a huge part of what made that defense good. You could tell when he wasn't on the field. I think he's a very clean projection to what the Bills need, and he's coming off his best season as a pro. You'll notice this about a couple of these players that I'm going to discuss. These are six seventh-round picks that bounce around a little bit, and then they finally kind of figure it out later in their career, and that's where Tonga's at. The concern here is that, well, he's played for a lot of teams. Already in five seasons in the NFL, he's played for four different teams. And so I'm not sure how much of that's just the nature of this type of niche role that doesn't have a ton of like overall value. You don't pay people big money to come in and be this type of player. Um, and you know, he's played for some, some teams that haven't had a lot of stability. So this would be his fifth team in six years, right? If he, if he comes to the bills or goes to any other team, that's not the Patriots. So I think he's an ideal option. I love these, these projections if he comes in between two and a quarter and three and a half million for a season that makes a lot of sense for the bills and would immediately give them the answer they're looking for in the a gaps let's talk about roy lopez played in 2025 for the lions he turns 29 in august 6 2 312 pounds pro football focus estimates two and a quarter million a season spot rack a little higher. They say $6.5 million a season. In 2025 with the Lions, he played in 17 games on the field for 39% of the snaps, collected 13 pressures and 14 run stops. The appeal here is that he's, well, an outstanding run defender. He owns his space in the middle, and he has some pass rush impact for sure as well, which is a little bit different than Tonga, who hasn't really proven to do that. Roy Lopez, not a dynamic pass rusher, but for this profile of player, he gives you a little bit. And I really can appreciate how some of the players around him in that front seven in Detroit had some of their best seasons. Jack Campbell at middle linebacker. Al-Khadeem Muhammad came in and gave them a lot of production. So it's cool to kind of see maybe how he helped other players improve, which is kind of the nature of this type of role. a little bit of an unselfish role that's going to be really about other players making plays and you doing the dirty work. And I think Roy Lopez kind of does that. The concern here is similar to what I said about Tonga three teams in five seasons You know Arizona for a couple He was with the Lions this past year I think he was with Houston for a couple seasons to start his career You know, maybe it's just all kind of coming together, which is, like I said, pretty common for defensive linemen in the NFL. But, you know, not a guy that's really been able to stay locked in in any one spot. The bottom line here is he's a terrific option. The money makes sense. I'd love it. Give me Roy Lopez. Give me Crisis Tonga. Either one would be fine. Speaking of other options I like, how about this one? DJ Reader spent last year with the Lions. He turns 32 in July, 6'3", 330 pounds. Pro Football Focus says $4.5 million a season. SpotRack says $3.8. In 2025, he played in 17 games, was on the field for 53% of snaps, 20 pressures, 15 run stuffs. The appeal here is that he's a fun player. I'm not sure if you've ever watched DJ Reader play ball, but he's good. He's a dancing bear, and he plays with a really, really cranked up motor at all times, and he's 330 pounds. You can't miss him on the field. You get a little bit of pass rush out of him as well, probably more than what I said about Lopez and Tonga. So that's an interesting part of his game, but he's certainly going to be that guy that you're looking for against the run. The concern here is he's a little older. He turns 32 in July. He's played a lot of football, a lot more football than the guys I've discussed to this point. And maybe it wasn't his best season last year. And so you worry a little bit about him being on the decent, which I think is not really something you should not acknowledge. I think it is true, but that doesn't mean he can't be a helpful player. And you just got to be careful to not think you're getting that DJ reader. We saw dominate for Houston in Cincinnati, right? Where he started his career. So bottom line here is I'd be down for DJ reader. on a one-year deal and I think he can give the Bills what they're looking for. Last player I'll shout out in terms of nose tackles, Greg Gaines with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He turns 30 in May, 6'1", 312 pounds, spot rack estimates $2 million per season. So a very economical option here. In 2025 for Tampa Bay, he played in 17 games on the field for 35% of snaps, had eight pressures and 14 run stuffs. The appeal with Greg Gaines, and I know that he was a fourth-round pick out of Washington, but he's always kind of been an overachiever, which I kind of like about him. Kind of a weird build, 6'1", 3'12", so he's kind of smushed together, right, if you will. He's only got 31-1-1-4-inch arms, but he still found a way to be a good player in the NFL, and in 2021 with the Rams, I mean, he was phenomenal. He actually had 46 of his 103 career pressures in that season, and he's been in the league for a while. He played out, I think, four seasons with the Rams, and then he's been on the Bucs for the last three. So it's not like he's new to the NFL. The concern with Greg Gaines is that I'm not sure there's a whole lot of ceiling. He hasn't really come close to being that player we watched in 2021 with the Rams. Of course, that was a season he's playing next to Aaron Donald, and they traded for Von Miller, and they had Leonard Floyd. It was a good group. But you're not getting that guy. But I think you're getting a serviceable player that can do what I'm talking about, which is play 30%, 35%, 40% of snaps, take some of those snaps away from Deion Walker on early downs and just kind of be a plug-type player. And I think that's what Greg Gaines can do. So he's a player I've always liked. he has some similarities to DJ Jones, who was the nose tackle for Denver, of course, with Jim Leonard the last couple of seasons. So I could see Gaines potentially being an option for the Bills. So Crisis Tonga, Roy Lopez, DJ Reader, Greg Gaines, four nose tackle options that pop for me. I think they're all reasonably priced. They'd all make sense for the Bills. And I certainly hope they get one of them to go with Deion Walker. And then you'll see what you have in Zion Logan. and maybe there's something to Phi Mathis as well. I think that mix on the nose will get you the answers you're looking for. All right, speaking of looking for answers, the Bills will need more depth at five tech in that four-eye role playing behind Greg Rousseau and Ed Oliver. I think Deion Walker can kick out a little bit, play towards the edge a little bit, but I think they need more to round out this rotation. So I have some names I want to discuss here on the other side of it, including one player that I just think would be so cool if the Bills were to add. We'll talk about them next. Folks, be sure to stick with us. 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All right, let's find some answers to go with Greg Russo and Ed Oliver and provide some depth and fill out this rotation. It'll be a little tighter of a rotation, I think, than you've seen in years past under McDermott, but I think you're still going to have about six players that will be involved with the overall transition. So got to find some guys to round it out. All right, here's a player that I just love for the Bills to sign. It's Calais Campbell. Calais Campbell played last season with the Cardinals. He is not young. He turns 40 in September. 6'8", 315 pounds. Pro Football Focus says $6 million for a season. SpotRack says 10.9. In 2025, at 49 years old, played in all 17 games like he does every year. on the field for 46% of snaps, six and a half sacks, 33 pressures, 24 run stuffs. The appeal here is that it's Calais freaking Campbell. He's an absolute dude, crazy durable. He's a monster still playing at a high level. And even for all the people that like to yell in the YouTube comments at me about, you know, bringing up an older player, that's really just a one-year fill in just realize that's a normal thing across the NFL. Every team's going to have a couple of players that are just like this maybe not exactly a 40 year old Calais Campbell but you're not going to have a young dynamic exciting option at every single spot that's just not how the NFL goes and so you're going to need some players that are what I like to label as one year mercenaries to do a job for you that you need filled and uh Calais Campbell I how could you not get excited about that guy being on your football team and um he's been durable he He still plays a lot of snaps for his age. The concern, I guess, is that he does turn 40 in September, but you watch Calais Campbell, and you tell me where the age has shown up on him. He's a monster. So the bottom line here is, yes, I'd love for Calais Campbell to be part of the mix. I think he be great for Greg Russo like a perfect player to maybe inspire the very best of Russo Remember Sean McDermott would talk about Russo and he'd be like, it's got to be consistently physical, right? That's Calais Campbell to a T. I think he'd be awesome for the team. I'd love it if the Bills signed Calais Campbell, assuming he wants to continue playing. The next guy I'll mention is John Franklin Myers. Played last year for the Broncos. He turns 30 in September, 6'4", 288 pounds. Spot rack estimates $7.8 million a season. Pro Football Focus has $15 million a season. I think it'll be closer to the 15, but I don't know if it's 15. We'll see where it lands. In 2025, he played in 16 games for Denver on the field for 49% of snaps, seven and a half sacks, 43 pressures, 18 run stops. The appeal here is that he's the perfect fit. obviously familiar with Jim Leonard. He gives you a pass rush. He gives you a run defense. He's a physical tone setter. I love watching John Franklin Myers play football. He's good. And I think he's pretty much exactly what you're looking for. It's as clean of a projection as I can give you. The concern here is maybe the price. I don't know if the Bills are in a position where they could spend $15 million a season for an answer here. But if it's lower, if the Bills can get them for two years, 16, something like that, that'd make a lot of sense. So the bottom line here to me is if the money works, it's the ideal player to add. Let's talk about Sebastian Joseph Day. Spent last year and the last couple of years with the Titans. He turns 31 in March, 6'4", 310 pounds. PFF says 6.5 million a season. spot rack says 6.8 in 2025 he played in 17 games on the field for 46 percent of snaps two sacks 19 pressures 28 run stuffs the appeal here is the versatility he can play really I think he could play up and down the line whatever you needed him to play in this odd front defense I think he can do it and give you pass rush and run defense very clean projection to the style of defense I think the Bills are going to want to run under Jim Leonard I don't have any major concerns here. I think it's a clean idea. He's been durable, consistent. I think you know what you're getting. And so the bottom line for me on Sebastian Joseph Day is that he's the ideal investment if the other options are priced out of the Bills range. I'll tell you about another one that I think will be a little bit expensive here in just a moment. But if you're kind of going through it and these guys are priced out and you need an option, go to Sebastian Joseph Day. I think you'll come in at the right price tag and give you what you're looking for. I want to mention Deshaun Hand played last year with the Chargers. He turns 31 in November. He's 6'3", 302. Pro football focus is $2.5 million. Spot rec says $3.9 million. 2025 with the Chargers, 13 games on the field for 56% of snaps, 17 pressures, 16 run stuffs. He's a balanced defender and has really kind of had a glow up over the last couple of years. Now, I will say that he started out looking pretty strong for the Lions. Then he had this stretch of like 2021, 2022, 2023, where those were like lost years. He's bouncing off of practice squads. Can't really find a home. And then in 2023 with Miami, he actually played very well. Or 2024 with Miami, excuse me, he played pretty well. In 2025, he goes to the Chargers, and I feel like he had a really solid season as well. And so I can appreciate kind of his staying power for a guy that really had some lost seasons along the way. So if he can be the player he's been the last couple of years, I think he's a clean idea. I think discount version of what I just talked about in Sebastian Joseph Day, I think he's another one of those ideal options if the bills get priced out. Two other guys like a John Franco Myers or a Calais Campbell. The last guy I'll mention might be a little pricey, but he's appealing. Logan Hall with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He turns 26 in April, So that automatically should stand out to you as one of the younger players I've discussed. 6'6", 283 pounds, a lot of length. SpotRack says $7.9 million per season. Pro Football Focus didn't have an estimation on him, which I don't understand why. So we'll assume it's somewhere around $8 million a season. The 2025 production, he had 17 games, played 58% of snaps, one and a half sacks, 32 pressures, 17 run stuffs. The appeal here is that he's an ideal five technique, a super clean projection. I think he's coming off of a career year. Maybe you hear one and a half sacks and that doesn't excite you. I think it's seven and a half the year before when they had like Elijah Cansey healthy and Tampa just, they didn't have the right mix of players in their front. And I think that affects a player like Logan Hall, who's not necessarily a sack artist, but a player that I think can be more productive than maybe he was rushing the passer. But I do think overall it was probably his most stable season as a pro. I felt like he kind of put it all together. They picked him like 33rd in the draft four years ago, and it's taken him some time. And it's defensive lineman. It takes him some time. And so you can maybe benefit from his development already happening somewhere else and bring him on and kind of get more of a finished product to step into your odd front defense. So I like kind of how he's ascended. I think the other side of that is, well, I think he was mostly disappointing for two or three seasons to start his career, and then he has a contract year surge, and you're wondering, is that, well, did you have the light bulb come on, or was it a contract year and you realize what was at stake? I certainly can't answer that question, but I think with these types of players, you can't help but speculate a little bit. So the bottom line here is that he might ultimately be more expensive than what the Bills want to invest, but he's at least an intriguing option as a younger player that I think has been on the upswing and really is a clean projection to that five technique type role. There you have it, folks. Options, options, options. That's what I'm trying to do for you here as we've went through what receivers, guards, centers, edge rushers, now defensive linemen. And we'll do the same for linebackers and safeties here in the next couple of episodes as we get ready for this free agency period that's going to be here very soon. Next week will be the last week prior to it opening. And so we'll finish up all of those conversations. By the end of the week, you'll get my mock off season, which is always a fun project. And then before you know it, we'll be reacting to the actual players the Bills add to this football team. So don't miss anything. There's a lot of content, a lot of content on this feed right now with me giving you the regular episode every day. We're giving you that second episode every day, plus Bill's squad a couple times a week. A lot of content. Don't miss it. Make sure you're subscribed. Would love it if you took a second to rate, review, and share the podcast. Have a great rest of your day. Go Bills! And I look forward to catching up with you again real soon. The Winter Games are officially here. 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