90 players in 90 days: Defensive tackle Treyvon Hester

The Buffalo Bills have worked to improve their defensive line, adding draft picks, big-money free agents, and under-the-radar signings over the last few years to make sure they can control the line of scrimmage. After last year’s plan to improve the defensive line didn’t work as well as general manager Brandon Beane had hoped, he added some new names to the existing group once again this offseason.

While the tendency to dismiss some of those under-the-radar players is natural, it’s not always warranted. In today’s installment of “90 players in 90 days,” we profile one of those low-cost signings looking to make his way on the roster.

Name: Treyvon Hester

Number: 62

Position: DT

Height/Weight: 6’2” 304 lbs

Age: 28 (29 on 9/21/2021)

Experience/Draft: 4; selected by the Oakland (Las Vegas) Raiders in the seventh round (No. 244 overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft

College: Toledo

Acquired: Signed with Bills on 5/20/2021

Financial situation (per Spotrac): Hester signed a one-year deal this offseason worth $920,000, which is the veteran’s minimum for a player with his experience. There is no guaranteed money on the contract.

2020 Recap: Last season was a lost year for Hester, as he signed with the Green Bay Packers in May, was placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list in July, and was waived/injured in September. Hester latched on with the Philadelphia Eagles in November, signing with their practice squad, but he was not active for any games. He signed a reserve/futures contract with Philadelphia in January, and he was released from that contract in March.

Positional outlook: Hester slots in as the last man at his positional group, by my estimation, to begin camp. The Bills have Ed Oliver and Star Lotulelei, along with Vernon Butler, Justin Zimmer, and Harrison Phillips. That fivesome should be the group that includes the players who ultimately make the roster. Brandin Bryant is the seventh defensive tackle in camp.

2021 Offseason: Hester is healthy and participating in OTAs.

2021 Season outlook: Never say never, but chances are good that Hester is not among Buffalo’s defensive tackles come September. We said the same thing about Justin Zimmer last year, though, and after some injuries and a solid practice squad call-up performance, he ended up working his way into the rotation. Hester will have to leapfrog both Zimmer and Harrison Phillips in order to do that, so he’ll need to show up in preseason games. Hester has some versatility, as he can play both the one-tech and three-tech spots, but the great likelihood is that he’s on the outside looking in this summer and fall.