This is the sixth in a 10-part series of questions facing the Buffalo Bills as they head into training camp at St. John Fisher University.
TJ Parker wasn’t a first-round draft pick, but that doesn’t mean there’s any less attention being focused on the Buffalo Bills’ rookie outside linebacker/edge rusher heading into his first NFL training camp.
Parker was the Bills’ initial pick in last April’s draft going early in the second round at No. 35 overall, and when you’re at the top of a team’s draft class you get the introductory press conference and the photo shoot wearing the jersey and helmet.
But while there will be many sets of eyes on Parker as the Bills begin earnest preparation for the 2026 season, he is entering the league in an enviable situation. Unlike other high draft picks who will be counted on immediately to make big contributions as rookies, he’s joining a well-established position group in Buffalo, one that counts veterans Greg Rousseau, Bradley Chubb, Michael Hoecht and perhaps even Mike Danna.
The Bills obviously hope Parker is a vital part of the rotation, but they can ease him into his role assuming everyone stays healthy. But as you would expect from an elite athlete, Parker has complete belief in his abilities and if the Bills need him to jump into the deep end right off the bat, he’s confident he’ll be ready to not only tread water, but swim to safety.
“He’s a worker, he wants to be coached,” defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard said. “He’s got a chip on his shoulder. He felt like, at least in his mind, he fell in the draft a little bit. We’re really excited to get him. We had our eyes on him early in the process and are just excited to see his mentality, his work ethic, and just the buy-in with the program. Early impressions are very good as far as the maturity that he has, and kind of what he wants to be as a player in this league.”
The 6-foot-4, 263-pounder gained valuable experience at a big-time Clemson program where he recorded 21.5 sacks, 41.5 tackles for a loss, four pass deflections, and six forced fumbles over 39 career games and he said that production should set him up for success.
“I feel like Clemson prepared me the best way possible to come in and contribute the best I can and soak in all the information from the vets,” Parker said. “And I feel like I’ve been doing a good job of really getting behind Greg and Chubb, just learning how they do their process. They’ve been in the league for a long time, they’ve been to where I’m trying to get to.
“It’s just been super fun learning from them and learning from (outside linebackers coach Bobby April III) and learning from coach Leonard, just the defense and really get rolling. So I’m super excited about camp.”
Acknowledging that it’s tough to gauge Parker’s or anyone’s progress in the offseason program when the pads aren’t on, coach Joe Brady thought Parker acquitted himself well in terms of learning the defense and transitioning into becoming a professional.
“I give him a lot of credit,” Brady said. “Sometimes as a rookie you come in and the less you hear them, the better that is. And he’s come in with such a professional mindset and just coming in and working. It does help having some of the guys in the room, guys that have a lot of stripes that he can learn from and watch and see their habits. But man, it’s been exciting to see his approach. His demeanor and his approach, I’ve been very impressed with.”
The Bills could have used their first pick on an off ball linebacker or a wide receiver which were positions of need, but president of football operations Brandon Beane decided an upgrade to the pass rush was more important. The Bills weren’t terrible last season as their 35.4% pressure rate ranked 12th according to NextGenStats, but that didn’t translate into meaningful impact as their 36 sacks ranked 20th.
Part of the reason for that low total is that under Sean McDermott, the Bills concentrated on covering with seven and limiting big plays and he didn’t give the front four much help via the blitz as they sent extra rushers just 28.4% of the time, 12th-lowest in the league.
That should change this year under Leonhard who is expected to be more aggressive with three down linemen and two outside linebackers in his base alignment, plus sending inside linebackers and defensive backs from a variety of angles.
Playing in a similar odd man front in Miami last season, Chubb rushed the passer on 85.8% of the pass snaps he was on the field for, and in Buffalo’s 4-3 Rousseau rushed on 93.4% of the pass snaps. Those totals shouldn’t change much because when the opposing quarterback drops to pass, those two aren’t going to be dropping into coverage, they’re rushing.
The Bills are hoping that the scheme change unlocks Rousseau who through his first five years has been a solid player, but certainly not spectacular and they feel there’s more in his pass rush arsenal to unleash.
Too often in McDermott’s scheme the Bills were predictable, especially up front. For instance last year opposing offenses knew where the edge rushers like Rousseau, Joey Bosa and AJ Epenesa were going to be, and they knew where tackles Ed Oliver (in his three games) and DaQuan Jones would be and they could plan accordingly with their blocking schemes.
“We don’t want you to always know where Ed Oliver is gonna line up, or where Greg Rousseau is gonna line up,” Beane said. “We’re gonna be a multiple front looking defense so when you come out of the huddle, you don’t always know where you can give chip help and things like that.”
For his part, Parker is excited about where he will fit in the mix.
“I feel I’m still learning, feel like I got a good concept of what we’re doing,” he said. “I know my process. Now, it’s just about continuing to learn the game, increasing my football knowledge and that’s what I’m doing.”
Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for more than four decades including 37 years as the full-time beat writer/columnist for the D&C. He has written numerous books about the history of the team, and he is also co-host of the BLEAV in Bills podcast/YouTube show. He can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com, and you can follow him on X @salmaiorana and on Bluesky @salmaiorana.bsky.social.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Bills may not need to rush their top draft pick onto the field
Reporting by Sal Maiorana, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Sal Maiorana, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle | USA TODAY Network
