{"id":854082,"date":"2026-04-04T22:46:25","date_gmt":"2026-04-04T22:46:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/854082\/"},"modified":"2026-04-04T22:46:25","modified_gmt":"2026-04-04T22:46:25","slug":"bills-predicted-to-refurbish-defense-with-first-round-edge-rusher","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/854082\/","title":{"rendered":"Bills Predicted to Refurbish Defense with First-Round Edge Rusher"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s a franchise that owns the longest active playoff streak in the league. Unfortunately, seven consecutive postseason appearances by the Buffalo Bills<\/a> have resulted in zero Super Bowl appearances. Sean McDermott is no longer the head coach of a club that he took to the postseason in eight of his nine seasons at the helm.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, McDermott\u2019s defense was too often a liability in the playoffs<\/a>. Now offensive coordinator Joe Brady takes over for McDermott and the team\u2019s new defensive coordinator is Jim Leonhard.<\/p>\n

\"Brandon<\/p>\n

Feb 24, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane speaks at the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Last offseason. Bills\u2019 general manager Brandon Beane used his first five draft choices on the defensive side of the ball<\/a>, and also brought in veteran passer Joey Bosa. Buffalo struggled mightily against the run all season and because teams were able to control the ball against them, there wasn\u2019t that much of an opportunity for Bosa and the other edge rushers to do some damage.\u00a0The Bills finished with 36 sacks\u2014tied for 20th in the league.<\/p>\n

Bills predicted to address pass rush with first-round pick\"Cashius<\/p>\n

Dec 20, 2025; College Station, TX, USA; Texas A&M Aggies defensive end Cashius Howell (9) rushes the line past Miami Hurricanes offensive lineman Markel Bell (70) | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Recently, Bruce Feldman of The Athletic <\/a>revealed his well-researched NFL mock draft which is \u201cbased on intel from coaches, scouts, (and) agents.) With the 26th overall pick, Buffalo opts for Texas A&M edge rusher <\/a>Cashius Howell.<\/p>\n

\u201cVon Miller was the first explosive speed rusher with great get-off from Texas A&M that Buffalo brought in, though Miller came late in his career. The Bills hope Howell can give them some of the juice the other Aggies great gave the Broncos when he first left College Station.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 6\u20192\u201d, 253-pound Howell lacks ideal length,\u201d added Feldman. \u201cHis arms measured only 30 1\/4 inches, but he turned heads at the combine when he clocked a 1.58-10 second split on his 4.59 40. Like Miller, Howell can really bend\u2014maybe not quite as well as Miller, but few ever could. Howell, who began his career at Bowling Green, should be a pass-rushing force for Buffalo. He had 14 tackles for losses and 11.5 sacks in 2025.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Cashius<\/p>\n

Feb 26, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Texas A&M defensive lineman Cashius Howell (DL41) during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Cashius Howell has been defensive terror past three seasons<\/p>\n

After three seasons at Bowling Green, Howell joined Texas A&M in 2024<\/a>. In his final three collegiate seasons, he amassed a combined 25.0 sacks (15.5 sacks in 2 years with the Aggies<\/a>), 14 passes defensed and three forced fumbles in 39 contests<\/p>\n

Feldman added this about Howell. \u201cHe\u2019s not long, but I doubt that\u2019s gonna be a big problem for him because he has such great get-off and bend. He gets people on their heels,\u201d said an SEC O-line coach. \u201cWe also thought he has a really good feel for things and changes things up well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Cashius<\/p>\n

Sep 27, 2025; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies defensive end Cashius Howell (9) defends in coverage against the Auburn Tigers during the fourth quarter at Kyle Field. | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Lance Zierlein of NFL.com <\/a>compared the talented prospect to the Jets\u2019 Will McDonald IV. \u201cBendy edge rusher with standout sack totals,\u201d explained Zierlein. \u201cBurst and elusiveness are on Howell\u2019s rush menu and he pairs it with a refreshing inside spin counter. Though threatening, his rush could use more cohesive sequencing and better hand work to fully unlock its potential.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a run defender he\u2019s frequently knocked around at the point,\u201d added Zierlein, \u201cand struggles to consistently execute tasks asked of an NFL edge-setter. Howell might not be a three-down player right away, but his ability to create pressure sets him up for a role as a designated rusher, at minimum.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s a franchise that owns the longest active playoff streak in the league. Unfortunately, seven consecutive postseason appearances…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":854083,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2048],"tags":[215,214,53,2086,7,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-854082","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-buffalo-bills","8":"tag-bills","9":"tag-buffalo","10":"tag-buffalo-bills","11":"tag-buffalobills","12":"tag-football","13":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116348874062579232","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/854082","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=854082"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/854082\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/854083"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=854082"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=854082"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=854082"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}