Buffalo Rumblings
Buffalo’s rookie defensive end looks to break into the rotation early
The Buffalo Bills are constantly tinkering with their defensive line. In an effort to find the perfect combination of pass rushers to finally bring home a Super Bowl trophy, general manager Brandon Beane has poured countless resources into the front four.
The defensive end grouping, in particular, is a unit that Beane has tried to perfect in multiple different ways. He and head coach Sean McDermott have tried the thicker-bodied edge setters, but of late, they’ve tried to go with smaller, bendier types. It doesn’t mean that they’ve abandoned the bigger defensive ends, but it does show that they’ve changed their thinking in terms of which types of players they want to roster.
In today’s edition of “90 players in 90 days,” we discuss one of the team’s newest additions along the defensive line. He isn’t a small, bendy type, but he isn’t really a big, stout anchor, either. He’s an intriguing athlete looking to break into the defensive line rotation as a rookie.
Name: Landon Jackson
Number: 94
Position: DE/EDGE
Height/Weight: 6’6”, 264 pounds
Age: 22 (23 on 1/2/2026)
Experience/Draft: R; selected by Buffalo in the third round (No. 72 overall) of the 2025 NFL Draft
College: Arkansas
Acquired: Third-round draft choice
Financial situation (per Spotrac): Jackson signed his four-year rookie deal, which is worth $6,618,982 overall. For the first year of the contract, Jackson’s cap hit will be $1,203,451 unless he doesn’t make the roster. Buffalo would carry a dead-cap charge of $1,453,804 if they were to release him.
2024 Recap: Jackson followed up a stellar 2023 season, in which he was named First-Team All-SEC, with another strong year. He totaled 49 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss, three pass knockdowns, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery on his way to a Second-Team All-SEC nod. He appeared in 12 games for the Razorbacks.
At the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, Jackson displayed plus athleticism, running the 40-yard dash in 4.68 seconds, and leaping 40.5” in the vertical jump, and 10’9” in the broad jump. At his Pro Day, he ran the three-cone drill in 7.13 seconds and completed the 20-yard shuttle in 4.55 seconds. He did not bench press at either the combine or his pro day.
Jackson suffered a neck injury on November 30 against Missouri, which led to him being carted off the field. After a visit to the hospital that was described as “precautionary,” he was released, but he did not participate in Arkansas’ bowl game.
Positional outlook: Jackson is the only player on the Buffalo roster listed as an “EDGE,” but he projects pretty clearly as a defensive end in Buffalo’s system. That puts him in competition with Joey Bosa, Greg Rousseau, A.J. Epenesa, Javon Solomon, Paris Shand, Michael Hoecht, and Hayden Harris for time in the rotation.
2025 Offseason: Jackson participated in minicamp, but he landed on the active/physically unable to perform list just yesterday.
2025 Season outlook: Unless Jackson...
