Bills' former first-round pick on the verge of an elite breakout season

The Buffalo Bills have had one glaring need on defense for quite some time - edge rusher.

It's the very reason they went out and signed Von Miller ahead of the 2022 season, and the signing looked like it was worth every penny of a potential $120 million over six years. Unfortunately, Miller suffered a torn ACL in the middle of the season and was lost for the year and the Bills lost to the Cincinnati Bengals in the divisional round of the playoffs.

Miller came back in 2023 but was clearly not the same player, even being a healthy scratch for multiple games. Buffalo's inability to get sustainable pressure with four rushers has been one of their biggest downfalls in the Josh Allen era. However, a former first-round pick may be ready to step up.

Greg Rousseau was selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft out of Miami, and the Bills have long hoped he would become a premier edge rusher at the NFL level. And while he's put up respectable numbers, the Bills need more out of him. And according to Miller himself, Rousseau is ready to become that guy.

"There's no more [of] me translating to him or showing him stuff," Miller told Matt Parrino . "We are just sitting there having a conversation about football now... it's no more mentorship, [he] already passed the class and graduated."

Rousseau looked great in the preseason , specifically against the Pittsburgh Steelers where he had 2.5 sacks. If he can breakout this season and turn into e legit No. 1 edge rusher, the Bills will have as good a shot as they ever have at getting over the Kansas City Chiefs-sized mountain that has continually been in their way.