Getty Buffalo Bills edge rusher Gregory Rousseau goes through a drill at training camp.
The top draft pick of the Buffalo Bills made a big first impression in the team’s preseason opener.
Pass-rusher Gregory Rousseau had already been turning in a strong training camp, and continued that in the team’s game against the Detroit Lions on Friday, recording a sack on the team’s first defensive series. The performance in the 16-15 win helped Rousseau earn some big praise from analysts, and could set him up to play a significant role in the team’s defensive line rotation this season.
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Rousseau Called ‘Defensive Force’
Rousseau’s strong first performance for the Bills caught the attention of Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox, who wrote that the rookie could become a “defensive force” this coming season. Rousseau earned praise for the first-quarter sack, where he overpowered No. 7 overall draft pick Penei Swell, pushing him back into Lions quarterback Jared Goff.
Gregory Rousseau vs. Penei Sewell 👀
As Knox wrote, the strong performance was especially important given that Rousseau didn’t have much of a chance to prove himself in college. The 6-foot-6, 267-pound pass rusher had a breakout season as a redshirt freshman at the University of Miami, racking up 15.5 sacks and projecting as a top 10 pick. But he decided to opt out last season, causing him to fall down he draft board and to the Bills with the No. 30 pick.
“Rousseau’s quick progression—and his ability to translate it to the playing field—is a tremendous sign for Bills fans,” Knox wrote. “Rousseau came into the draft with limited edge-rushing experience and only 15 collegiate games on his resume. However, it’s already looking like he can be an early contributor.”
Bills Happy With Rousseau’s Play
Bills head coach Sean McDermott was happy with his rookie’s performance, saying after the game that it was impressive to see Rousseau get the best of one of the draft’s top players.
“That’s what we want to see,” said McDermott in a postgame press conference. “We want to improve our pass rush, we were very intentional about that this offseason, so it’s good to see in particular against a guy that was picked high like Penei.”
The Bills have emphasized the need to improve the pass rush, using their first two draft picks to take Rousseau and Wake Forest defensive end Carlos Basham Jr. The Bills had 38 team sacks last season and struggled at times to get pressure on opposing quarterbacks. The team struggled with the loss of defensive tackle Star Lotulelei, who opted out due to COVID-19 concerns. Lotulelei often occupied two blockers, freeing up the team’s edge rushers to get to the quarterback, but his absence led fellow defensive lineman Ed Oliver to play outside his natural position.
After not playing a snap in the first half, Darryl Johnson makes immediate impact here in the 3rd quarter. He combines with Boogie Basham to sack Tim Boyle.
Rousseau said his performance against the Lions was a reflection of the play of the entire defense.
“It was a great feeling to get my first sack and be able to get back there but really it’s just a testament to the whole defense, you know the secondary holding up in coverage, the other three d-linemen rushing their butts off so really even though I got the sack it’s really just a team effort and I’m happy we got him down,” Rousseau said after the game, via WIVB.
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