Bills Add Four-Time Pro Bowl Pass Rusher to Practice Squad
Buffalo Bills General Manager Brandon Beane has been a very busy man this year. While most roster building typically comes from drafting, trading, and signing players during free agency, Beane has made a plethora of moves since the start of the regular season. Some have worked out, and some haven’t, as indicated by his signing of Darius Slay that backfired on the longtime Bills GM. This time, he’s continuing to build on the defensive side of the ball, signing Matt Judon to the practice squad.
When looking at many top edge rushers from the 2016 NFL Draft, such as Joey Bosa and Shaq Lawson, who are conveniently two current Buffalo Bills as well, you’d be surprised to see anyone who graduated high school in 2010. That’s how Judon’s story is unique since he went from redshirting for the Grand Valley State Lakers in 2010 to playing his final season for them in 2015. If playing a rookie season as a 24-year-old isn’t enough stress, then imagine the hoops that Judon had to jump through by also being the third edge rusher that the Ravens selected in that draft. Nonetheless, the 146th overall pick still made a name for himself by playing 34% of Baltimore’s defensive snaps and 28% of special teams snaps, notching four sacks in his rookie season. Soon thereafter, the Ravens fully leaned into Judon’s abilities, which saw the outside linebacker average 12 sacks, 2.3 forced fumbles, 53 tackles, and 13.7 tackles for loss per season from 2017- 2019, earning the then-27-year-old his first Pro Bowl nod. This created complicated contract discussions and led to the Pontiac, Michigan native playing on a one-year, $16.81 franchise tender for 2020, which led to another Pro Bowl but was his last season in Baltimore.
Judon got what he asked for in New England as he signed a long-term contract that paid him $56 million over four years and showed that you can teach an old dog new tricks. He continued being an elite pass rusher, breaking personal records with 12.5 and then 15.5 sacks during his first two years with the Patriots. Unfortunately, Judon suffered a torn lower bicep in Week Four of 2023 that sidelined him for the rest of the year. Perhaps seeing the writing on the wall for a 32-year-old defensive lineman coming off a season-ending injury, the Pats traded Judon to the Atlanta Falcons to play out the last year of his contract, a season that saw his lowest sack and tackle for loss totals since his rookie season. In his first contract signed since his long-term deal with the Patriots, Judon signed a one-year contract with the Dolphins worth up to three million dollars, which was even worse than his stint in Atlanta. After his release from Miami and clearing waivers, Judon is staying in the AFC East yet again with this signing to the Bills, and only time will tell how Sean McDermott plans to use him.
The Bills have had horrible injury luck this year to the defensive line. Out of the 11 players currently on IR for Buffalo, four of them are defensive linemen, so it’s no surprise to see McDermott going back to ol’ reliable, re-signing Lawson and Jordan Phillips to the team with such a shorthanded group. What is surprising is an unfamiliar face like Judon getting signed, which begs the question: Will Judon be featured in the defensive rotation? On the surface, you might think yes because he’s a veteran who clearly has a history of being great at rushing the passer. However, if you dig a little deeper, then this can be seen as just an insurance policy in case something happens to Bosa, Javon Solomon, Greg Rousseau, or AJ Epenesa. All four of those players have solidified themselves in the rotation, while Lawson knows McDermott’s system far more than Judon.
