Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Star Lotulelei opts out of the 2020 NFL season.
The Buffalo Bills reportedly have their first player that has opted out of playing for the team during the 2020 season due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports that veteran defensive tackle Star Lotulelei will not suit up for the Bills next season.
#Bills veteran DT Star Lotulelei will be taking a voluntary opt-out for this season, source says. The former first-rounder has $4.5 million fully guaranteed this season as well as $2.5 million fully guaranteed the following year. So those will push into 2021 and ‘22.
As referenced by the report, Lotulelei’s contract will now be pushed back. In February, the Bills and Lotulelei agreed to restructure his contract.
Since signing with the Bills, Lotulelei hasn’t missed a single game over the course of the past two years. He has 36 tackles, two sacks and an interception during his time in Buffalo.
2020 training camp preview for the Buffalo Bills’ defensive tackle position.
The Buffalo Bills are a few short weeks away from arriving for training camp in Western New York. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the preseason festivities will be diminished; the team will not hold their sessions at St. John Fisher College, their training camp location since 2000.
Nevertheless, the aim of the training camp remains the same. The organization must prepare players for the preseason, which depth players will compete in their final battle for a roster spot.
Training camp could hold greater importance this year, as the trimmed down preseason slate leaves fewer opportunities for players to impress the coaching staff.
The Bills Wire will complete a position-by-position analysis of each group on the Bills roster. This edition will focus on the defensive tackle position:
Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver. Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Players (age)
Quinton Jefferson (27: 5th season)
Vernon Butler (26: 5th season)
Star Lotulelei (30: 8th season)
Ed Oliver (22: 2nd season)
Harrison Phillips (24: 3rd season)
Vincent Taylor (26: 4th season)
2019 recap
The Bills front four received help via the NFL Draft before 2019, as Buffalo selected Ed Oliver with the ninth-overall pick. This bolstered the unit. But to the surprise of Oliver, fans, and the Bills in general, the story of last season in this unit was defensive tackle Jordan Phillips, the biggest breakout performer for the team.
Phillips was quite disruptive for opposing offensive lines to handle. He was second among NFL defensive tackles with 9.5 sacks. His energy was infectious, and he endeared himself to the Buffalo faithful. But as the season progressed, Oliver became a greater force. Star Lotulelei did his job as usual, eating interior linemen and creating space for his colleagues to work.
Early in the year, this group took a big blow, though. Despite Oliver being drafted, Harrison Phillips flew out of the gate and was one of Pro Football Focus’ top defensive tackles in the entire NFL after two games. Then an ACL injury ended his season, and eventually rounding out that rotation along the middle of the D-line was Corey Liuget.
Now here’s a rundown of storylines to follow in this position group:
Who will step up in place of Jordan Phillips?
On the edge, Shaq Lawson left the Bills for the Dolphins. He was second in sacks for the Bills with 6.5. Their leading sack artist ended up actually being Jordan Phillips and his 9.5.
Famously, at least in the Bills realm, Buffalo head coach Sean McDermott‘s defense calls for a rotation along the defensive line. Guys stay fresh and have a full-motor all game long. But that takes away from their sack totals. With that in mind, both Phillips and Lawson hit free agency, told other teams, “imagine how many sacks I would have had with more snaps played?”
And you know what? It’s a valid point. Like Lawson, Phillips ended up departing but to the Cardinals. Now his 9.5 sacks need to be replaced. The leading candidate for this role is clear: Oliver.
As a former first-round pick, while Jordan Phillips was liked in the locker room and by fans, it’s clear the Bills have to give a first rounder a shot to shine. That’s still the plan, but Oliver had a bad start to his offseason as he was arrested. Not a great start, but it’s still clearly Oliver’s job to lose. The hope is that Oliver can replicate Phillips’ breakout season last year. With stronger pass rushers surrounding him via other offseason additions, Oliver will see more one-on-one matchups, which most likely he will win the battles.
Pro Football Focus says the Buffalo Bills have the best defensive line in the AFC East.
From the end of last season to whenever the 2020 NFL regular season begins, the Buffalo Bills have changed up a lot of things on their defensive line.
On both the inside and edge of it, the Bills lost their top pass rushers in Jordan Phillips (9.5 sacks) and Shaq Lawson, (6.5), respectively. Then the Bills jolted the group with several new faces.
Mario Addison was the team’s big signing along the edge, while that same spot saw the team’s first pick at the 2020 draft, second rounder AJ Epenesa, also join the defensive end group. Plus there’s Vernon Butler and Quinton Jefferson, two other versatile free agents, who also signed on the dotted line with Buffalo this offseason.
All of those guys joined the likes of returners Jerry Hughes, Trent Murphy, Star Lotulelei, Ed Oliver and Harrison Phillips.
But despite all that potential talent, the folks at Pro Football Focus think this newly-formed unit will have to prove it has what it takes in 2020. In PFF’s defensive line ranking ahead of next season, the Bills only landed at No. 20 overall.
Here’s part of PFF’s breakdown on Buffalo’s defensive line:
Jerry Hughes led the Bills in pressures, finishing with 54. He produced a 73.7 pass-rush grade that ranked 28th in the league, and he’ll be counted on to lead the pass rush once again in 2020.
However, the Bills have added plenty of pieces around Hughes, including veteran Mario Addison and second-rounder A.J. Epenesa. Addison has had at least 45 pressures in each of the last five seasons, while Epenesa is a powerful hands-winner who ranked in the top 32 on the PFF draft board. Trent Murphy also returns after his 74.9 grade against the run led all front-7 players for Buffalo last season.
On the interior, the Bills are hoping for a Year 2 breakout from 2019 first-rounder Ed Oliver, who graded at 65.1 overall as a rookie — tied for 72nd at the position. He has the quickness and college production to make a bigger impact, but development is still needed. Harrison Phillips’ strong run defense is back in the equation after being limited to just 77 snaps last season, and Vernon Butler has been added to the mix after the former Panthers first-rounder peaked with a 68.7 overall grade in 2017.
Another former Panther, Star Lotulelei, also returns, but he’s graded above 60.0 just one time since 2014.
Hughes has been a favorite of PFF’s for some time now. He doesn’t always get the sack numbers, but he’s led the Bills in QB pressure via PFF’s count for the past seven-straight seasons. Another similarity for PFF: Lotulelei’s lowly ranking via the football analytics outlet once again.
Still, even with all these fresh faces, we’re again stuck at No. 20 overall. There’s a lot of moving pieces here for the Bills, who also have to replace Lorenzo Alexander. The do-it-all defender was a big part of the team’s pass rush in the past, and we’re not sure who’s going to fill those shoes just yet. This overall area in the trenches has a lot of question to be answered even before the 2020 season. This group is very deep and we’re going to have to keep an eye on how things pan out in training camp.
But hey, the positive you’ve been waiting for: The Bills have the best defensive line in the AFC East, at least. The Patriots (25), Dolphins (30) and Jets (31) all manage to still land several spots behind Buffalo’s spot.
Fitting with the Fourth of July theme, here are fourteen plays that brought out the fireworks from the Bills season.
The 2019 season had its share of standout plays from the Buffalo Bills. Fitting with the Fourth of July theme of this weekend, here are 14 plays that brought out the fireworks from this past season:
ESPN names Jordan Poyer as the team’s best free agent signing while panning Star Lotulelei’s contract.
ESPN explored every NFL teams’ respective best and worst free-agent signings over the past five years. For Buffalo, it’s two familiar faces on the starting defensive unit.
The world-wide leader named safety Jordan Poyer as the team’s best free-agent signing during this period. Poyer, who stepped in a took command of the free safety spot for the Bills, ultimately has been part of arguably the best safety duo in the league with Micah Hyde.
In three seasons in Buffalo, Poyer has recorded 302 tackles and 11 interceptions. He’s also added six sacks and 17 tackles for loss as well.
ESPN highlights:
You also could make an argument for fellow safety Micah Hyde, but the production Buffalo has gotten from Poyer far exceeds the bargain contract he signed in 2017 (four years, $12.5 million).
On the flip side, defensive tackle Star Loutlelei was named the team’s worst signing during this time. This has less to do with the play of the one-tech, as he has ultimately done the job that he was brought to do in Western New York–he’s here to manage double-teams and allow space for teammates to find gaps in the opponent’s offensive line. However, it’s the amount of money that he commands that is the issue with this signing:
Both general manager Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott will insist Lotulelei is more valuable than he gets credit for — and they’re probably right. But they also essentially admitted their error in giving him a five-year, $50 million contract in 2018 by restructuring his deal this offseason. Lotulelei is a space-eater who makes life easier for his teammates, but that alone is probably not worth $10 million per year.
Lotulelei has started every game in two years in a Buffalo uniform. He has 36 total tackles, two sacks, and a shocking interception during his time as a Bill.
Buffalo Bills, DT Star Lotulelei restructure his contract.
The Buffalo Bills and defensive tackle Star Lotulelei have restructured his contract on Tuesday. The 30-year-old’s contract is amongst the largest on the team’s roster.
ESPN’s Field Yates reported the rework, which has three more years attached to it. In the restructure, Lotulelei is guaranteed he’ll be on the Bills roster next season since the entire thing becomes guaranteed. The Bills also tacked on a $2.5 million injury guarantee for the 2021 season as well. There were no other guaranteed money totals left on the final two seasons of Lotulelei’s deal.
In exchange, the Bills will see his base salary drop from $6.25 million to $4.5 million.
The Bills and starting DT Star Lotulelei have agreed to a restructured contract for the final three years of his deal.
For 2020, Lotulelei’s base salary drops by $1.75M, but becomes fully guaranteed, with $2.5M in injury guarantees for 2021 added. Some benefit for both sides.
Since signing with the Bills, Lotulelei hasn’t missed a single game over the course of the past two years. He has 36 tackles, two sacks and an interception during his time in Buffalo.
Lotulelei’s job on Buffalo’s defense line has been to eat up blockers and help out those around him. He could hold the key to a breakout season for fellow defensive tackle Ed Oliver next to him in 2020.
Prior to restructuring his contract for the upcoming season, Lotulelei had the second-highest salary cap hit on the Bills, behind Mitch Morse. However, Morse, along the offensive line, would play 100 percent of snaps when healthy. Lotulelei, along the rotational line on defense, has played in 47 percent and 46 percent of defensive snaps with the Bills the past two seasons, respectively.
Lotulelei’s cap hit now drops from $10.1 million to $8.35 million next season. That drops his cap hit to the sixth-highest, giving the Bills some more wiggle room as free agency approaches in March.
Here is the state of the Bills defensive line entering the 2019 offseason.
Here is Bills Wire’s position-by-position breakdown of the team’s roster, continuing with the defensive line, including the season that was and projecting forward:
Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver. Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
Much like the rest of the team, the Buffalo Bills defensive line took a major step forward from their 2018 performance. The team improved from 26th in sacks to seasons ago to 12th last season. They also improved from 17th to 10th in rushing yards allowed per game.
The unit was quite disruptive against opposing offensive linemen all year. Jordan Phillips had a breakthrough season, registering 9.5 sacks, good for second in the NFL among defensive tackles. Rookie Ed Oliver grew throughout the season, justifying his top-10 draft slot, registering five sacks. Star Lotulelei had a strong second half of the season, occupying blocks and causing problems against double teams.
The defensive ends also caused problems, as Jerry Hughes, Trent Murphy, and Shaq Lawson combined for 16 sacks. Lawson had his best season as a pro, registering 6.5 sacks. Hughes, while only credited with 4.5 sacks in the regular season, consistently put pressure on quarterbacks. He sacked Deshaun Watson three times in the Wild Card matchup.
The unit was an integral part of the team’s top-10 defensive ranking this year.
Defensive end Jerry Hughes (55). Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Cap situation
Entering the offseason, the defensive line group commands the largest cap hit among any position group on the Bills, as highlighted on Spotrac.
Lotulelei enters the middle of his five-year deal that he signed in 2018. He will count $10.1 million against the team’s salary cap, the second-highest figure on the team. Continuing with the interior players, Ed Oliver’s cap hit shifts to $4.4 million next year. Harrison Phillips, who missed most of the season due to injury, enters the third year of his rookie deal costing the Bills just under one million dollars against the cap. Depth lineman Vincent Taylor enters the final year of his contract at a cost of $735,000 against the salary cap.
Defensive ends Jerry Hughes and Trent Murphy command a large chunk of the cap hit this year. Murphy enters the final year of a three-year deal with a cap hit of $9.78 million. He’s been a bit underwhelming, so this is a big season for the veteran. Hughes signed an extension to keep him in Buffalo for two more seasons. Darryl Johnson and Mike Love are under contract through next year.
Buffalo has three players who are unrestricted free agents next year: Lawson, Phillips, and defensive tackle Corey Liuget.
The future
This might be the group that undergoes the biggest change over the offseason.
Lawson and Jordan Phillips made major contributions this past season to the defensive line. However, with over $29 million in cap space tied up by Lotulelei, Hughes, and Murphy, the Bills may be hesitant to dedicate more money to this unit. Lawson and Phillips, even with their productivity this year, they may command big bucks in the free market.
Thus, Buffalo will need to replace their productivity in a cost-effective manner. If the Bills were impressed with Liuget’s work, the could re-sign him. If the Bills test the market, they will most likely find players who will command the type of money that Phillips would receive. In that case, they would just sign Phillips.
A healthy Harrison Phillips would also fill the void if Jordan Phillips were to leave.
Buffalo may look to find a pure pass rusher. Murphy enters the final year of his deal and Hughes is entering the twilight of his career. Some have clamored for Jacksonville’s Yannick Ngongue, but that is quite a long shot. A better option could be dedicated an early draft pick to the defensive line. LSU’s K’Lavon Chaisson or Iowa’s AJ Epenesa could be viable options at the end of the first round. Drafting a rookie in the first round would also give the player some time to acclimate to the NFL, just in the same manner that we saw Oliver’s growth over the second half of his rookie season.
The Buffalo Bills top-10 salary cap hits entering the 2020 season.
The Buffalo Bills face a favorable salary cap situation entering the 2020 offseason. The team is projected to have approximately $89 million in cap space ahead of the free agency period, according to figures from Spotrac.
Buffalo has plenty of room to make a splash signing or two, if they wish. However, with several major contributors still playing on their rookie deals, the Bills may be cautious with how they spend their money this offseason.
For now, let’s take a look at the top-10 players who are eating up the most cap space for the 2020 Bills:
1. Mitch Morse
2020 cap hit: $11.625
Buffalo Bills center Mitch Morse. Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports
The center signed a four-year, $44.5 million contract last offseason. Mitch Morse was the team’s marquee signing last year, brought in to help stabilize and revamp a porous offensive line in 2018.
2. Star Lotulelei
2020 cap hit: $10.1 million
Bills defensive tackle Star Lotulelei. (AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth)
Star Lotulelei was another piece of the Carolina-to-Buffalo pipeline. He signed a five-year, $50 million contract in the 2018 offseason. His familiarity with head coach Sean McDermott’s defensive scheme was a plus when the Bills were looking to strengthen their front-four on defense.
Buffalo Bills snap counts vs. the Baltimore Ravens, NFL Week 14.
The Bills hung tough with the Baltimore Ravens before falling 24-17 in the end.
It was a lackluster game from the offense until late and the defense led the way for Buffalo.
Who took charge in both that good and bad of the game? Here’s a full depth chart breakdown via snap counts for the Bills against the Ravens in Week 14:
Buffalo Bills running back Devin Singletary. (AP Photo/John Munson)
Offense
Notes:
With Ty Nsekhe out, rookie Cody Ford played every offensive snap for the third-straight game at right tackle, and the entire offensive line played every snap in what was a tough game for the unit.
RB Frank Gore played in a season-low 19 percent of snaps, he had four carries for six yards. Rookie RB Devin Singletary saw a career-high 81 percent of snaps and had 89 yards rushing.
After playing in a season-high 42 percent of snaps last week, WR Robert Foster dipped down to 25 percent vs. the Ravens. WR Isaiah McKenzie played in 45 percent of snaps last week, after playing in 74 and 77 percent in Weeks 11 and 12. He was back to 72 percent of snaps vs. the Ravens.
WRs Cole Beasley and John Brown both played in 97 percent of snaps. While often the 1-2 punch, Brown typically plays in a few more snaps for the Bills each game.
The Cowboys dropped their second straight game, falling 26-15 to the Buffalo Bills on Thanksgiving Day.
The Cowboys latest struggles continued against Buffalo, falling to 6-6 on the season after their 26-15 Thanksgiving loss. Things started well enough, with Dallas scoring a touchdown on their opening possession. From there, Jason Garrett’s seat only got hotter as the Bills scored 26 unanswered points.
It was over when . . .
. . . Josh Allen ran 15 yards for his eighth rushing touchdown of the season, putting the Bills up 23-7 with 3:37 left in the third quarter. The score put Dallas in a familiar, insurmountable hole, around the same time Cowboys Nation hit their collective food coma.
Game balls:
RB Ezekiel Elliott
He reeled off the longest run on the season, with a 30-yard scamper on the team’s second drive. Early on, it looked like it was going to be Elliott’s best game of the season, but the run game was largely abandoned after the Cowboys fell behind. He took 12 carries for 71 yards, and also chipped in seven catches for another 66 yards.
WR Amari Cooper
Following his zero-catch game against New England, the Cowboys made a concerted effort to get him involved early. He was targeted three times on their opening drive, recording a 16-yard reception and drawing an illegal contact penalty. Cooper took a nasty fall halfway through the fourth quarter, ending his day at eight catches for 85 yards.
WR Ventrell Bryant
Ventrell Bryant was added to the Dallas active roster in Week Seven, and on Thanksgiving Day, recorded his first reception in the NFL: a 15-yard touchdown pass from Dak Prescott. While it was an unforgettable game for many, the moment will last forever for the 2019 UDFA.
Key stat: 110
Making his return to Dallas, Cole Beasley sauced the Cowboys for 110 yards (a season high) and a touchdown. It marked the first time he’s gone over 100 receiving yard sin a game since Week 6 of the 2018 season, a pain worse than 80 Stings.
Quick Hits:
Two offensive turnovers committed within four snaps of each other signaled the kind of day it was for the Cowboys. Dak Prescott added a third turnover in the second quarter, but it was mercifully erased due to a penalty. For as well as the Dallas offense has played this season, the wheels have completely fall apart at various times, costing them in big moments.
Following last week’s missteps, Jason Garrett made another baffling series of coaching decisions, including ending the first half on a missed field goal with a timeout left in his pocket, and converting a 4th and 1 from his own 19 yard line. It was an overall sloppy effort by his team, featuring plenty of penalties, missed tackles, and surrendering a touchdown off a trick play
Dak Prescott’s MVP candidacy took a hit following two tough matchups with AFC East defenses. He fumbled twice and threw an interception in a 355 yard losing effort.
The Cowboys defense had success sending pressure at Josh Allen, sacking him four times in the game. DBs Darian Thompson and Jourdan Lewis each picked up sacks as blitzers.
Buffalo DTs Ed Oliver (two sacks) and Star Lotulelei (interception, blocked field goal) each had a huge impacts, winning the game in the trenches for the Bills. Dallas guard Connor Williams, just two weeks removed from arthroscopic knee surgery, came in and out of the game, and committed a false start on 3rd and 14 which led to a missed Brett Maher field goal attempt.
The NFC East is suddenly a lot tighter, with just four games remaining for the Cowboys. They’ve left themselves no margin for error, heading into a December slate featuring Philadelphia and the Los Angeles Rams. They next face the Chicago Bears in a Thursday Night NFC showdown.
