What do the Buffalo Bills do without Greg Rousseau?

Every NFL team goes through injuries. Buffalo Bills defensive end Greg Rousseau was ruled out on Friday by head coach Sean McDermott — this after Rousseau hurt his foot during the win against the Miami Dolphins last week. As such, he won’t be available against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London.

Rousseau has had a great start in 2023, with the former first-round pick showing signs of true dominance in his third season. He has a 70.0 pass rush grade and a 76.0 run defense grade per Pro Football Focus (PFF). Rousseau’s pass rush grade is second on the Bills, and his run defense grade is third.

On the season, Rousseau has 11 total tackles, three sacks, one hit, seven hurries, and a win rate of 14.5% per PFF. He has accounted for 59% of the snaps on the defensive side of the ball through four games. All told: the Bills’ defensive line will be missing a key piece on Sunday. However, the defensive line can still dominate in London.

Star edge rusher Von Miller may be back in the lineup. During Miller’s press conference in London on Friday, he said that his first two practices went well and that he gives himself a “94.5%” chance to play against the Jaguars. Don’t expect him to get a high snap share if he does go, but what a welcome sight it would be for the Bills to find their finisher back on the gridiron.

Leonard Floyd has been nothing short of exceptional for the Bills as an edge rusher, and you could make the argument he’s been the team’s best offseason signing so far. Floyd has totaled 12 tackles, four sacks, three hits, five hurries, and a win rate of 11.8% per PFF. Floyd’s ability to bend around the edge and use his speed to get to the quarterback has taken Buffalo’s defense to another level. Look for him to get an uptick in snaps and make some impact plays on Sunday.

The Bills also have good depth at defensive end with Shaq Lawson and A.J. Epenesa. Epenesa has had a few splash plays this year, while adding one sack and four hurries per PFF. Epenesa will be key in Week 5, as the former 2020 second-round pick is looking to take his game to another level this season. Lawson hasn’t done much in the stat sheet, but is a guy who’s still received 45% of the defensive snaps this season.

Not only can Buffalo’s defensive ends get to the quarterback, but the interior of their defensive line has been special.

Defensive tackle Da’Quan Jones is the big reason. Among all interior defenders in the NFL, Jones leads the NFL in pass rush win rate, despite seeing double-teams 69% of the time. His pass-rush grade is 89.9 per PFF, which is best on the team by a wide margin. Jones has three sacks, three hits, and nine pressures through four games. The newly extended Ed Oliver might be playing the best football of his career. Oliver has four sacks, two hits, and six hurries this season per PFF. Oliver already has more sacks than all of last season.

Defensive tackles Jordan Phillips and Tim Settle have offered depth to the defensive line as well. Phillips has played 37% of the snaps on defense through four games, and Settle has played 30%. The Bills have the guys on their defensive line to make the adjustments needed — and still be the dominant force they’ve been the last three games