The Bills added plenty along their defensive line in free agency. Among those moves was signing edge defender Mario Addison.
Pro Football Focus has some questions about the move, as the football analytics outlet pegged that move as the club’s worst decision in free agency:
Worst move: Signing Mario Addison for three years, $30.45 million with $15.25 million guaranteed
Buffalo had to replace Shaq Lawson and Lorenzo Alexander this offseason, and it did so with 32-year-old Mario Addison, the 50th-ranked edge defender in pass-rush grade from 2019. In 2016, Addison cracked the top 20 in pass-rush grade, but he has dropped his grade in each of the past three years. He’s not a bad pass-rusher, but he is on the decline, making the $10 million price tag pretty steep.
All in all, not the harshest breakdown of the Bills’ signing of Addison. But truth be told, Addison, at 32, is making a pretty penny to come to Buffalo.
According to Spotrac, Addison’s contract is the third-highest cap hit currently on the Bills’ roster. Having said that, by the time the deal expires, Buffalo could potentially save $6 million is cap space by cutting him before the final year of his deal.
But the Bills might not have to do that. While Buffalo did lose Lawson and Alexander this offseason, Addison more than replaces their sacks. In each of the last four seasons, Addison has recorded at least nine sacks each year. Among Buffalo’s edge defenders last year, Lawson led the group with 6.5. We’ll have to see how things pan out before making a final determination on Addison’s addition. Edge defenders have been known to pay into their mid-30s.
Pro Football Focus does typically get some flak for their takes on the Bills, so if you’re reading this with disgust, it’s only fair to mention in the same article, PFF praised the Bills’ trade for Stefon Diggs, a much larger deal that Addison’s signing.
[lawrence-related id=58027,58021,58015,58010]
