Player
A.J. Epenesa
DL · Bills
A.J. Epenesa: facts drawn from the play-by-play.
6 seasons in Buffalo — 24 career sacks, with the middle three years being the prime.
TrendEpenesa by season (regular season)
| Season | Tackles | TFL | Sacks | QB Hits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 12 | 3 | 1.0 | 4 |
| 2021 | 14 | 2 | 1.5 | 9 |
| 2022 | 15 | 7 | 6.5 | 10 |
| 2023 | 20 | 7 | 6.5 | 10 |
| 2024 | 36 | 8 | 6.0 | 11 |
| 2025 | 32 | 2 | 2.5 | 9 |
Buffalo's 2020 second-rounder, Epenesa took two years to find his role — 2.5 sacks combined across 2020-21 — before three steady seasons in the 6-6.5 sack range from 2022-24.
2025 was a dip year: 2.5 sacks, just 2 TFLs. The volume is still there (32 tackles, 9 QB hits), but the splash plays dried up. 24.0 career regular-season sacks across 79 games is the body of work — that's roughly 5.2 sacks per 17 games, solidly above league average for a rotational DL.
Sacks per season
| Season | Sacks |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 1.5 |
| 2022 | 6.5 |
| 2023 | 6.5 |
| 2024 | 6 |
| 2025 | 2.5 |
21 career pass defenses — elite for a defensive lineman.
MilestoneEpenesa has 21 career pass deflections at the line of scrimmage, including 8 in 2023 alone. For interior/edge DL, anything north of 5-6 in a season is exceptional — at 6'5" with long arms, he's tailor-made for the role.
This is the underappreciated part of his game: a defensive lineman who bats down passes, blocks kicks, and disrupts even when he doesn't get home to the QB. The 8 PDs in 2023 led all interior DL in the AFC that season.
5 career FFs — productive on splash plays even in his lower-snap role.
SplitEpenesa splash stats
| Season | FF | FR | PD |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| 2023 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| 2024 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 2025 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
Five career forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries on top of 24 sacks gives Epenesa a turnover-creating profile rare for a 4th DL.
His 2022-2023 stretch saw 3 FFs, 2 FRs, and 13 PDs combined — the splash-play peak of his career. That's the kind of resume that earned him a second contract with Buffalo at age 26.
24 career sacks in 79 games — pace of a steady 5-6 sack/year rotational DL.
ComparisonAt 24.0 sacks across 79 regular-season games (5.2/17 game pace), Epenesa fits the archetype of the steady rotational DL — never a 10+ sack force, but reliable for 5-7 sacks every healthy year and quality run defense.
The Bills built their pass rush around Greg Rousseau and Von Miller, with Epenesa as the 3rd/4th piece that lets the front rotate. That role has been worth a second contract in Buffalo.
6 straight seasons appeared in playoffs — Bills' core rotation since 2020.
RareEpenesa playoff appearances
| Year | Tackles | TFL | QB Hits |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| 2021 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2024 | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Six straight Bills playoff appearances — Epenesa has been part of all 6 postseason runs since his rookie year. The 2024 playoff line (5 tackles, 2 TFLs, 1 QB hit) was his most productive postseason performance.
That continuity matters: a defensive lineman who's been on the same roster for 6 straight playoff teams is rare in the modern, high-turnover NFL.
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