B/R: Greg Rousseau is Buffalo Bills' 'X-factor'

The Buffalo Bills have a roster that has talent throughout it. Their defense specifically returns as the top-ranked unit from last year’s NFL season.

One player from that side of the ball was called the Bills’ “X-factor” by Bleacher Report ahead of 2022. It was defensive end Greg Rousseau.

Here is B/R’s reasoning:

The Buffalo Bills had the league’s No. 1 defense last year in terms of both yards and points per game allowed. However, they lost their sacks leader from last season, Mario Addison, who signed with the Houston Texans in free agency.

That ramps up the pressure on second-year edge-rusher Gregory Rousseau to become the player whom the Bills thought they were getting when they drafted him 30th overall in 2021.

Rousseau showed flashes as a rookie, finishing with four sacks (tied for second on the team). However, Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier told reporters that Rousseau hit the proverbial “rookie wall” last season.

“It’s a real occurrence, the rookie wall. I’ve had a lot of players who have experienced it, went through it myself. This is a long season compared to what those guys have experienced in college. And you take Greg’s situation, which is a unique one because he didn’t play any football in 2020, and all of sudden you have such a lengthy season, it can get to a point where you’re looking and saying, ‘Man, when is this thing gonna end?’ And it can affect your play.”

Rousseau had only one sack in his final 12 regular-season games last year, and he had zero across 68 snaps in his two playoff games. That has to change this season.

While the Bills did lose Addison, that came as little surprise. Despite Addison and Jerry Hughes leading Buffalo’s pass rush the past few years, with the way the team added younger pieces at recent drafts such as Rousseau, it was only a matter of time before those prospects were put into bigger roles.

Of those, Rousseau has showed the most promise. The Bills will hope the addition of All-Pro Von Miller will open up some opportunities for Rousseau to shine in his second season as well.