Long and strong, Shand looks like a player the Bills would have rostered along the edge early in head coach Sean McDermott’s tenure
The Buffalo Bills have shifted the style of defensive end they deploy throughout head coach Sean McDermott’s tenure. Whereas they used to feature long, edge-setting types who could contain the quarterback, they now have begun to prioritize lighter, bendier players who have the agility and the pass-rush acumen to make plays on their own.
It’s a shift in philosophy that, frankly, is borne out of necessity, as the Bills have remained unable to generate consistent pressure on the best teams in the league with just their defensive front four. Each offseason, the Bills invest heavily in their defensive front in hopes that this is the group to stop the NFL’s high-powered passing offenses and elite quarterbacks.
In today’s edition of “90 players in 90 days,” we discuss an undrafted rookie along the defensive line who profiles more along the lines of a 2017-2019 Bills’ edge prototype.
Name: Paris Shand
Number: 59
Position: DE
Height/Weight: 6’4”, 268 pounds
Age: 24 (25 on 5/7/2026)
Experience/Draft: R; signed with Buffalo following the 2025 NFL Draft
College: LSU
Acquired: UDFA signing
Financial situation (per Spotrac): Shand signed a three-year deal worth a total of $2.99 million. For the 2025 season, he carries a cap hit of $848,333 if he makes the 53-man roster. If he’s released, the Bills will be on the hook for a dead-cap charge of $25,000, which is the total sum of the guarantees on the deal.
2024 Recap: Shand started nine games at defensive end for the Tigers, and he had his most productive NCAA season as a result. He totaled 24 tackles, four tackles for loss, and two sacks, adding one pass knockdown, as well. He showed solid athleticism at LSU’s Pro Day, running the 40-yard dash in 4.9 seconds, leaping 33.5” in the vertical jump and 9’7” in the broad jump, and pumping out 17 reps of the 225-pound bench press.
Positional outlook: The Bills have eight defensive ends, including Shand, on the 90-man roster. Landon Jackson, Joey Bosa, A.J. Epenesa, Greg Rousseau, Michael Hoecht, Javon Solomon, and Hayden Harris are the others.
2025 Offseason: Shand has attended all offseason workouts to date.
2025 Season outlook: Shand is a throwback style of defensive end for the Bills, as he profiles more like an edge-setter a la Shaq Lawson than he does a bendy pass-rusher like the team has featured of late. With an 81.25” wingspan, he’s definitely a longer player who, with the right technique, could give opposing offensive linemen problems when trying to set the edge.
There’s a small chance that Shand can show enough this summer to make the 53-man roster out of camp if someone ahead of him on the depth chart is injured. Given that Hoecht is suspended for the first six games thanks to a positive test for performance-enhancing drugs, the Bills are already down one of their presumed edge rushers. Bosa is dealing with an injury and has been a risk in that department over the last few seasons, as well.
Even with those question marks, though, you’d have to assume that Epenesa, Rousseau, and Jackson are all well ahead of Shand, and last year’s fifth-round draft choice, Javon Solomon, showed promise and should be ready for a leap this year, as well. That’s at least six players ahead of Shand here in June.
Shand is likely fighting for a spot on the practice squad or auditioning for other clubs this preseason.