10 things to know about new Bills DE Mario Addison

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.

Panthers defensive end Mario Addison. Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

A true underdog

Addison has stuck around in the NFL for a long time, but it was an against the odds types of journey. After playing at Northeast Mississippi Community College, Addison then went to Troy University. Despite a breakout 2010 season, he went undrafted at the 2011 draft.

He picked the Bears after the draft as a UDFA and made their roster out of training camp. But he never played a snap and was later cut. He ended up on the practice squads for the Colts and Redskins, even seeing some brief playing time, before the Panthers signed him. There, his career took off, but he wasn’t on the Panthers until 2012, so it took him two whole years and four teams before getting a real shot, and he took advantage of it. He’s now had at least nine sacks in the past four-straight seasons.