The Bills dipped back into that sweet Carolina bucket and signed defensive end Mario Addison when free agency opened this week.
With the departures of Shaq Lawson and Jordan Phillips, Addison will be entrusted to come into Buffalo and make up for some of their sacks. Those two were the Bills’ top-two sackers in 2019 with 6.5 and 9.5, respectively. So if Addison can help fill those shoes, he’s a guy you’ll want to know more about.
With that, here are 10 things to know about new Bills defensive end Mario Addison:
Carolina connection
Of course, another former Panthers player is in Buffalo, so let’s get that one out of the way. Addison was with the Panthers from 2012 until this past year. The 32-year-old is familiar with Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane because of that. But he’s also familiar with Eric Washington, Buffalo’s new D-line coach. Washington was the defensive line coach in Carolina from 2012-2017, and then their defensive coordinator the past two season. Washington is highly-praised for his successes with Carolina’s defensive line.
In Carolina, Addison eventually became the team’s fourth all-time sack artist. His 55 trails Julius Peppers, Charles Johnson and Mike Rucker. Addison played 111 games for the Panthers.