Epenesa tallied 39 total tackles (23 solo), including 6.0 sacks, two passes defended and two forced fumbles across 17 regular-season games in 2024. Epenesa served as a regular starter on the Bills' defense for the first time in his five-year NFL career in 2024. He played a career-high 583 defensive snaps and set a personal best with 39 total tackles in a single season. However, Epenesa's increased playing time didn't translate to more sacks, as he finished with 0.5 fewer sacks than his totals in 2022 and 2023. He's expected to return to Buffalo in 2025, having signed a two-year, $12 million extension with the team last offseason. He will likely compete for another starting role throughout the offseason but is expected to remain one of the Bills' top edge rushers regardless.
Epenesa logged four solo tackles, including 1.0 sacks, during Sunday's 40-14 win over the Jets. Epenesa logged his sixth sack of the season Sunday when he took down Aaron Rodgers in the end zone for a safety to extend the Bills' lead to nine points late in the second quarter. Epenesa is now up to 6.0 sacks through 16 regular-season games, and he's half a sack shy from tying a career best that he set in each of the last two seasons. However, with the Bills locked into the No. 2 seed of the AFC heading into the postseason, Epenesa may see little work in the regular-season finale against the Patriots next Sunday.
Epenesa recorded three total tackles (two solo), including 1.0 sacks, and defended one pass in Sunday's 34-10 win over the Titans. Epenesa has tallied 3.0 sacks over the last two weeks and now leads the Bills' defense with 4.0 sacks on the season. The 2020 second-round pick has also accumulated 15 total tackles, two forced fumbles and one pass defended through Buffalo's first seven games. He's expected to continue causing problems for opposing quarterbacks as the Bills travel to take on the Seahawks in Week 8.
Epenesa recorded four tackles (three solo), including 2.0 sacks, in the Bills' win over the Jets on Monday night. Additionally, Epenesa forced a fumble of Aaron Rodgers on the first of his two sacks, but Rodgers ended up recovering the loose ball. On Epenesa's second sack, he was flagged for a questionable roughing the passer call on a third-down takedown of Rodgers. Through five games, Epenesa has logged 12 tackles (eight solo), including 3.0 sacks, seven QB hits and one forced fumble on 56 percent of the defensive snaps.
Epenesa and the Bills agreed on a two-year contract worth up to $20 million Monday, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports. Epenesa will remain in Buffalo after having his most productive season since the team drafted him in 2020, recording 20 tackles, including 6.5 sacks, while also intercepting two passes and forcing a fumble over 15 games. He'll likely operate as the team's primary reserve option at defensive end behind Greg Rousseau and Shaq Lawson in 2024.