The Buffalo Bills have a tremendous veteran presence along their defensive line. Of the fifteen defensive linemen currently on the roster, six of them have played at least five years in the NFL, with another three set to enter their third or fourth season.
With a healthy number of veterans set to take part in training camp, there are also some rookies and younger players looking to impress the Bills’ coaching staff. In today’s installment of our “90 players in 90 days” series, we profile one of the rookie defensive ends looking to make the team.
Name: Mike Love
Number: 56
Position: DE
Height/Weight: 6’3” 255 lbs.
Age: 24
Experience: R
College: USF
Draft: Signed by the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent following the 2018 NFL Draft
Financial situation (per Spotrac): Love’s rookie deal is standard for undrafted free agents. It is a three-year pact worth $1,710,000, and it carries a cap hit of $480,000 for 2018.
2017 Recap: Love had a solid, if unspectacular, senior year at South Florida. He set career highs in tackles (28), tackles for loss (10.5), sacks (5), and passes defended (3). He played in 11 of the Bulls’ 12 games.
Positional outlook: The defensive end depth chart is definitely crowded in Rochester as training camp begins. Jerry Hughes and Trent Murphy appear to be the starters, with Shaq Lawson and Eddie Yarbrough comprising the second wave of defenders. Veterans Owa Odighizuwa and Terrence Fede will battle Love and fellow undrafted rookie Mat Boesen for one or two spots on the roster.
2018 Offseason: Love has attended all offseason activities to date.
2018 season outlook: While it’s unlikely that Love finds himself among the 53 players on Buffalo’s opening day roster, it’s quite possible that he performs well enough to secure a spot on the team’s practice squad in September. He is a solid athlete with potential for development, but his best fit probably is not on an NFL roster in 2018.