Tag: Mario Addison

Texans sign former Panthers, Bills defensive end Mario Addison

The Houston Texans have signed a familiar face for the coaching staff in former Buffalo Bills and Carolina Panthers DE Mario Addison.

The Houston Texans have added to their depth along the defensive line and brought in a familiar face to the coaching staff.

The Texans announced Tuesday the signing of defensive end Mario Addison, who most recently spent 2020-21 with the Buffalo Bills.

Addison, 34, was an undrafted free agent from Troy in 2011 who caught on with the Chicago Bears, then coached by Lovie Smith. Addison was released by the Bears after two games played, and landed with the Indianapolis Colts, where he spent 2011-12.

In 2012, he was signed off the Colts’ practice squad by Washington, who later waived him, and he was picked up by the Carolina Panthers. From 2012-19, Addison played under coach Ron Rivera, who was Smith’s defensive coordinator with the Bears from 2004-06. Addison collected 55.0 sacks with the Panthers, including 11.0 in 2017, the Panthers’ most recent playoff-qualifying season.

In Buffalo, Addison worked with current Texans defensive line coach Jacques Cesaire, who was the assistant defensive line coach.

Seahawks hosted free agent DE Mario Addison for a visit

According to a report by Doug Kyed, the Seahawks hosted former Panthers and Bills defensive end Mario Addison for a visit today.

According to a report by Doug Kyed, the Seahawks hosted former Panthers and Bills defensive end Mario Addison for a visit today.

Addison played his college ball at Troy, then he went undrafted. After bouncing around on practice squads for a couple years, he eventually landed in Carolina, where he was signed late in the 2012 regular season. It took Addison a few more years to work his way into their rotation, but once he got steady playing time he proved to be a highly-underrated and consistent speed rusher. He posted at least six sacks six seasons in a row for the Panthers, peaking with 11 in 2017.

Addison (34) spent the last two seasons with the Bills, who are contractually obligated to sign all former Carolina defensive linemen at some point. In his 33 games with Buffalo, he totaled 12 more sacks and 15 QB hits.

The Seahawks have signed former Chargers outside linebacker Uchenna Nwosu, but they are short-handed on the edge after having released Benson Mayowa, Kerry Hyder Jr. and Carlos Dunlap. Rasheem Green also remains a free agent.

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List of Buffalo Bills players who are still free agents

List of #Bills players who are still free agents:

As free agency always goes, it’s all about the incomings and outgoings… especially when someone like Von Miller is involved with the Buffalo Bills.

But we’ve hit a bit of a grey area as well. The Bills have some players who still remain free agents and have yet to re-sign or sign with a new team.

Here’s a rundown of such players from Buffalo’s 2022 roster:

Brandon Beane on free agents Jerry Hughes, Mario Addison: ‘We’re still working’

What Brandon Beane said about upcoming free agent DEs Jerry Hughes, Mario Addison:

The Buffalo Bills’ defensive line has been a point of emphasis during the offseason for several years running, particularly on the edge.

That hasn’t changed in 2022.

At defensive end, the Bills have two of their top pending free agents in Jerry Hughes and Mario Addison.

Hughes is the longest-tenured member of the team. While he only put up two sacks last season, he still consistently pressured opposing quarterbacks. Because of that, Pro Football Focus has ranked him amongst their top-50 upcoming free agents in the NFL, regardless of position.

In 2021, Addison had seven sacks. While not a massive number, it did lead the Bills, a team that is known for rotating their defensive linemen leading to less snaps for starters.

While at the 2022 scouting combine this week, Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane admitted he is interested in potentially getting both players back. It’s still not cut-and-dry by any means.

“My conversation with them is we’ll have to … we’re still working,” Beane said via the Rochester D&C. “What’s our cap situation going to be? What are all the positions we’ve got to answer?”

“We would definitely be open to bringing either one or both of those guys back,” Beane added. “They both can play. I think some guys will want to see where their value is. It’s got to be a fit, whether it’s Jerry or Mario or any of the other guys, it’s got to be a fit for them and a fit for us for how we see their value and what the market says about their value.”

Elaborating a bit on his conversations he’s had with both, Beane did say the pair intends to play next season. And as the GM mentioned, there are some things to figure out.

Currently the Bills are slightly over the 2022 NFL salary cap.

In order to re-sign anyone, the team has to make some moves to find cap space. Not mentioned by Beane is the reality: Age.

Just prior to the start of the 2022 regular season Hughes and Addison will turn 34 and 35, respectively. Pass rushers, especially those in a rotation, can still thrive in their mid-30s.

Regardless, age, like injuries, factors in when considering contracts. It remains to be seen if Buffalo can find a fair price for one or both players this offseason.

It will probably have to be a team-friendly total considering the Bills’ limited cap space.

Not to mention, the Bills have to turn things over to younger players such as Greg Rousseau and others at some point.

Some tough decisions are en route for Beane.

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Bills 2022 offseason preview: Where does Buffalo stand at DL?

Bills 2022 offseason preview: Where does Buffalo stand at DL? It’s an interesting position to watch in the coming weeks (via @jdiloro):

The Buffalo Bills have dedicated quite a few resources to the defensive line over the past few seasons. Last offseason, the Bills spend their first two draft picks on defensive ends, selecting Miami’s Greg Rousseau and Wake Forest’s Boogie Basham with their opening selections. The Bills also added free agent Efe Obada to the mix.

The goal was to create a deep, formidable group of players capable of rotating and consistently causing problems for opposing quarterbacks. Part of this was in response to finding a way to match up against Patrick Mahomes following the Bills loss in the 2020 AFC Championship game.

For the most part, the unit worked well. While the defensive line group did not necessarily have a standout performer, the sub of the parts was often greater than the whole.

The Bills allowed the fewest points in the league. They also surrendered the fewest passing yards in the NFL, a credit to the defensive line working in concert with the secondary.

However, for as much as the Bills have put into the defensive line, there were times when the unit could have been more dominant. They recorded 42 sacks, tied for 11th in the league. In addition, they allowed the 13th-fewest rushing yards, which feels good, but there were times were the line was pushed around a bit at the point of attack.

Still, a defense that gives up the fewest points in the league can only be viewed as a success. Ed Oliver flashed moments of dominance in the middle. Harrison Phillips provided a viable influence in the middle of the line. Greg Rousseau gave viewers a glimpse of his pass rush prowess. Veteran Mario Addison led the way with seven sacks. And, Jerry Hughes put up another good season pressuring the quarterback.

The group had a nice 2021 campaign, and more will be expected of the group moving forward. They were good, but they need to be dominant if the Bills are to make a push to the Super Bowl.

2022 free agency: Full list of Bills players on expiring contracts

2022 free agency: Full list of #Bills players on expiring contracts:

Here is a full list of Buffalo Bills players who are slated to become free agents following the 2021 NFL season via Spotrac. 

The free agency period is set to begin March 14. All Bills players listed are unrestricted free agents (UFA) unless indicated otherwise:

The Bills’ top-five grades from PFF against the Jets

The #Bills’ top-five grades from PFF against the #Jets:

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The Buffalo Bills ended the regular season on a high note with a 27-10 win over the New York Jets.

Buffalo’s defense shined, allowing just 53 total yards to the Jets offense, 40 of which came on one play. The Bills (11-6) also set a record under Sean McDermott with nine sacks in the season finale.

That and more is signified in Pro Football Focus‘ top-five grades from Week 18:

Leading the way for the Bills is Dion Dawkins. Dawkins has strung together a plethora of excellent games at left tackle since his return from the Reserve/COVID-19 list. His health and continuance as a lockdown blocker will be key to a Bills Super Bowl run.

Coming at two, three, and four are Bills defensive linemen.

Ed Oliver was terrific against a battered Jets (4-13) offensive line. He could be argued as the best player to see the field last Sunday. Oliver finished his day with four tackles, 1.5 sacks, two tackles for a loss, and three quarterback hits.

Now in his third season, Oliver is molding into the game-wrecking defensive tackle the Bills drafted him to be.

The veteran edge rusher Mario Addison was equally impressive with a multi-sack performance of his own. He had four tackles, two sacks, a tackle for loss, and a quarterback hit.

Harrison Phillips didn’t flash on the box score as he has in past weeks, finishing with two tackles and a quarterback hit. Still another strong performance for the pending free agent.

Tremaine Edmunds rounds out the list but it might be more surprising to not see Greg Rousseau’s name in the top five. Edmunds had five tackles, a tackle for loss, and a pass defended. Rousseau had five tackles, one tackle for loss, and a pass defended as well.

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Gimmie Him: Mario Addison would give Patriots edge-rushing boost

Mario Addison would fit with the New England Patriots.

The New England Patriots are set to take on the Buffalo Bills in what should be an entertaining Wild Card weekend game. As we have done throughout the regular season, we’ve always had fun imagining what other teams on opposing sidelines would fit the Patriots best. Bills defensive end Mario Addison would be the pick for this week’s “Gimmie Him.”

He has 29 total tackles and seven sacks in 17 games this season. In addition, Addison has forced two fumbles. Once a member of the Carolina Panthers, Addison has proved his worth with the Buffalo Bills. He is coming off a monster game on Sunday against the New York Jets, one that saw him record four total tackles and two sacks. It was just a reminder of how big of a game-changer he can be.

He started out the season strong against the Pittsburgh Steelers, recording a sack in that game as well. Addison also went through a stretch where he recorded two sacks in two games. October 31 against the Miami Dolphins and November 7 against the Jacksonville Jaguars were two games in which was able to accomplish that feat.

Addison is no stranger to making tackles, but he thrives in the role of pass-rusher. It’s not that the Patriots lack pass-rushers. Linebacker Matthew Judon has been one of the game’s best this season. Having Addison come off the edge would be just another way that the Patriots defense could force pressure on opposing quarterbacks. To be clear, Judon has done a very good job done himself. This would just be another angle that New England could attack the opposition.

In what is becoming an offensive-minded league, defense is needed now more than ever. Addison would give New England another layer to counter some of the good young quarterbacks in the AFC.

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Bills reflect on 9 sacks vs. Jets: ‘Everybody eats’

#Bills reflect on 9 sacks vs. #Jets: ‘Everybody eats’

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Rookie QB and second overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft Zach Wilson faced a Buffalo defense on Sunday that he’ll deal with twice a season every year as a Jet.
It was a trial-by-fire, and Wilson got cooked.
The Bills had nine sacks for a total of 82 yards lost, and they held the Jets to a franchise-record low for net passing yards in a game (5). They also allowed only four fourth downs which were the fewest in franchise history.

The nine sacks against the Jets were Buffalo’s most in a game under Sean McDermott, and their most in a game since 2011 (10 against WFT Oct. 30, 2011). They now have 19 sacks in their last four games.

The first sack of the day came on Jets WR Jamison Crowder in a failed trick play while the other eight came on Wilson. It was the most he’s been wrapped up in a game this season.

Bills sack leader DE Mario Addison (7) and S Jordan Poyer had two sacks apiece. Poyer’s two takedowns were good for a single-game career-high, and his sack season total (3) is also a career-high.

DT Ed Oliver had a sack and a half in the game along with three quarterback hits, and LB Matt Milano, DE Boogie Basham, and DE A.J. Epenesa each had a sack as well while DE Jerry Hughes also added a half-sack

“Everybody eats,” Oliver said to the press after the game. “Everybody was just on it. It just seemed like everybody was flying around. He wanted to run around and just our overlap and everybody just rushing. So that was a good sight to see especially in the game like this with so much on the line.”

“We won a lot on first down,” fellow DT Harrison Phillips said during his media session. “Our coverage did some great things to make him hold the ball and then our offense scoring early being up kind of the whole game lets us get after the quarterback.”

Buffalo finished the regular season with the top-scoring defense for the first time in franchise history and as the number one total defense in the NFL.

“I just think overall they’re playing faster,” HC Sean McDermott said while addressing the media. “We had some young players mixed in there and then you’ve got some older guys with Jerry and Mario and that blend has come together at the right time.”

And McDermott wasn’t the only head coach in the game to compliment the defense’s level of play.

Jets HC Robert Saleh called the Bills defense a “buzzsaw” after the contest.

“Obviously they are one of the best defenses in football,” Saleh said during his postgame press conference. “We just could not run the ball very well. Obviously, it was tough sledding. And any time we got something going, their front was dominant.”

The Bills clinched the AFC East with the win and are now the No. 3 seed on the back of their four-game winning streak. They’ll host the Patriots for a third matchup this season on Saturday evening for the first-round Wild Card game.

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Report card: Bills ground Jets 27-10 to win AFC East

Report card: #Bills ground #Jets 27-10 to win AFC East (via @NateMendelson):

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The Bills are going back to the playoffs as division champions. Last time they made it to the AFC Championship game, this time they hope it’s the Super Bowl.

Buffalo will be the third seed in the AFC after defeating the Jets, 27-10, and going 11-6 in the NFL’s first 17-game regular season.

Here’s how Bills Wire graded the team in Week 18: