ORCHARD PARK – Sometimes the box score or the stat sheet doesn’t tell the full story about the impact players have on a play, a game, or even a season.
The newest member of the Buffalo Bills’ revamped defense, edge rusher/outside linebacker Mike Danna, was never a player who stood out like a beacon of light on a foggy night during six seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Instead, the former 2020 fifth-round pick — to borrow a term from Sean McDermott – always did his 1/11th for Kansas City’s defense, just a cog in the machine in helping the Chiefs win four AFC titles and two Super Bowls during his time there.
And that’s what prompted Bills’ president/general manager Brandon Beane to sign the 28-year-old to a one-year free agent contract on May 11.
“We sometimes look and we say, ‘All right, how does the team do when this player’s on the field?’” Beane said Tuesday after the Bills’ OTA session. “Sometimes you’re like, ‘Hey, this guy’s racking up tackles but the team actually stinks when he’s out there. They’re worse when he’s on the field.’”
That was rarely the case with Danna. During his first three seasons he was primarily a situational defensive player who contributed on special teams, yet even in that role he had 10.5 sacks, 72 QB pressures, four forced fumbles and 41 stops, defined by Pro Football Focus as a tackle that caused a failure for the offense.
Over the past three years when he became a full-time starter his statistics didn’t take a big jump forward, but he remained a steady player for defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo who used him in a wide variety of places along the defensive line.
“Statistically, they were a better rush group with him on the field, even though he might not actually come down with the sack all the time,” Beane said. “They have other good players and sometimes you got guys, like in basketball, who’s setting a screen? He doesn’t get the points, he doesn’t get the shot or the assist, but without that, the play doesn’t happen.”
That’s a quality every team looks for in players, and the fact that Danna has two Super Bowl rings sure boosts his resume because as Beane said, you never ignore championship pedigree.
Danna, of course, comes from a team that Bills’ fans loathe, the team that has prevented the Bills from reaching a Super Bowl since the year Danna joined them in 2020. Now he has flipped sides in one of the NFL’s hottest rivalries and he’s looking forward to seeing how the other side operates.
“It was a pleasure and a blessing to be a part of that journey and that group of guys,” he said of his time with the Chiefs. “I’ll never take any of that stuff for granted. That’s in the past. I’m just glad to be wearing the right uniform, the right colors, so it’s all a pleasure, and I’m excited for it.”
Although Danna’s Chiefs had success at the old Highmark Stadium, most notably in the 2023 divisional round when they gutted Buffalo 27-24, he always enjoyed the challenge of playing in the old stadium.
“Being a visitor, the first thing I noticed was the Bills Mafia, their crowd, their fan base gets rowdy, gets crazy for all,” he said. “That’s one of the coolest things, being in that atmosphere at Highmark. Playing there in a playoff game wasn’t easy. Everybody knows going to Highmark Stadium in the playoffs is a rowdy environment, it’s enemy territory. I’m excited to be on the right side of the ball and to have the team and the fans behind us.”
Danna saw the brilliance of Patrick Mahomes up close, and it will obviously be quite a task to now go against him, but on the flip side, he admitted it will be nice not to have to face Josh Allen in 2026 who carved up Kansas City in numerous games.
“Chasing Josh Allen, it takes all 11 guys, maybe 12 sometimes,” he said with a smile. “But it’s definitely gonna be cool and great to have him on the other side of the ball and him scoring touchdowns for us instead of trying to tackle him or having numbers of guys trying to tackle him. So I’m happy about that.”
Danna’s role in Jim Leonhard’s defense is evolving as the coaches determine how best he’ll fit. He’ll be part of the stand-up outside linebacker mix along with Greg Rousseau, Bradley Chubb, Michael Hoecht and TJ Parker, but he can also put his hand on the ground and play defensive end in an odd-man front.
Having spent two years as defensive passing game coordinator with the Broncos, Leonhard saw plenty of Danna in the AFC West so he knows he’ll be able to deploy him in various ways.
“Number one, you saw the versatility, and he always found a way to make a play,” Leonhard said. “They have some superstars on that defense, you were always looking for those names and then, all of a sudden, his always popped up in critical moments. The versatility he has, he’s played all around the defensive line – interior, on the edges. Any time you can bring in a vet who’s willing to do all the dirty work in a number of different ways, you feel as a coach you can utilize their strengths and hopefully help move the pieces around him because of that experience that he has.”
The Chiefs released Danna in late February, a move that cleared $8.9 million in salary cap space, so his $1.2 million deal with Buffalo is a huge salary cut, but that’s OK. The hardest part was being a man without a home for nearly three months waiting for the right team to come calling.
“I understand the business side of it,” he said. “It’s just kind of waiting on the right opportunity and not trying to jump on the first available team and just being patient. It’s kind of hard for players because it gets anxious, you’re in a gray area, you don’t know what’s going on, but you just got to have faith.
“So coming here starting a new chapter, a new journey, I’m just looking forward to making more memories and making more moments with new faces, and hopefully, new opportunities.”
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: From bitter rival to the Bills, this pass rusher embraces his new role
Reporting by Sal Maiorana, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
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