90 players in 90 days: Defensive end Mike Love

The Buffalo Bills have invested heavily in their defensive line, both in terms of financial resources and draft capital. Due to this investment, there is bound to be some change along the trenches, which could lead to some familiar names and faces exiting the club in 2021.

In today’s installment of “90 players in 90 days,” we profile one of the team’s long-term defensive backups who could be on the outside looking in come September.

Name: Mike Love

Number: 56

Position: DE

Height/Weight: 6’3” 255 lbs.

Age: 27 (28 on 1/22/2022)

Experience/Draft: 2; signed with Bills as UDFA following the 2018 NFL Draft

College: USF

Acquired: UDFA signing

Financial situation (per Spotrac): First year of two-year contract ($780,000 cap hit; $0 dead-cap charge if cut)

2020 Recap: Love was cut by the Bills at the end of the 2020 preseason, but he signed to the team’s practice squad the following day. He remained on the practice squad until Buffalo’s Week 17 game against the Miami Dolphins. He played 35 snaps in that game, making two tackles. That was the entirety of his statistical output, as he reverted to the practice squad the following day.

Positional outlook: Love finds himself in a newly revamped edge group that has three top-64 picks from the last two seasons plus two high-priced veterans and a new free agent. Those players are A.J. Epenesa, Greg Rousseau, “Boogie” Basham, Mario Addison, Jerry Hughes, and Efe Obada, respectively. The positional group is rounded out by Darryl Johnson Jr. and Bryan Cox Jr.

2021 Offseason: Love is ready to roll for training camp.

2021 Season outlook: Chances are good that Love will not make the final roster again this year, but he could be a priority practice squad candidate if rules allow for him to be signed. Otherwise, Love will need to find his way elsewhere this coming season.