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One of the more surprising roster decisions the Bills made ahead of their season-opening game against the New York Jets was naming defensive end AJ Epenesa a healthy scratch for the Week 1 clash. Epenesa, the Bills’ second-round pick in April, was expected to be an important part of the team’s defensive line rotation heading into the 2020 season… instead, he was inactive.
Instead of Epenesa, 2019 seventh-round pick Darryl Johnson played. While a surprise on paper, the Bills described their reasoning behind the decision was one that’s a bit of a common sense one. A lack of a preseason played a role in the team’s decision not to dress Epenesa.
On Monday via video conference, Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier shared the rationale behind the team’s decision to dress Johnson ahead of Epenesa.
“First game, no preseason, we felt Daryl Johnson might be a better option at this point,” Frazier said. “AJ’s time will come.”
Johnson played on 17 snaps, or 30-percent of the Bills’ defensive snaps, on Sunday. The North Carolina A&T product played in all 16 games last year, registering 15 tackles and one sack. In addition, Johnson has more of a background playing special teams, at least in terms of NFL experience.
In a way, it’s a luxury to have depth with Johnson and Epenesa in the fold. Eventually, Epenesa will take his spot on the active roster. It could occur if an injury happens. With the issue of COVID looming, depth throughout a roster is a blessing for a football team. However, it does sound like the Bills are being patient with the Iowa product they made their first pick at the recent draft, allowing him to gain some seasoning prior to being turned loose on opposing offensive lines.
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