While the Buffalo Bills are consistently atop NFL futures odds and weekly football lines at sites like the BetMGM online sportsbook , I can only imagine how much more dominant they’d be if they had some of their top defensive players from the past with them now.
Below, I’ll rank the seven best Bills defensive linemen of all time.
Greatest Buffalo Bills Defensive Linemen
7. Mario Williams
Williams was a big-money free agent signing by the Bills ahead of the 2012 season, and he remained there through
2015.
While there, he was a first-team All-Pro, a second-team All-Pro, and a two-time Pro Bowler.
He racked up 43 sacks over his time with the Bills, which is ninth in franchise history. For context, he played 63 games, and every player in Bills history with more sacks than he did played at least 96 games.
6. Ted Washington
A nose tackle, Washington was with the Bills from 1995 to 2000 after signing on as a free agent.
He was a second-team All-Pro and went to three Pro Bowls while with the team.
Across 96 games, he recorded 19.5 sacks, which is third among all nose tackles in Bills history.
5. Aaron Schobel
Schobel played his entire nine-year NFL career in Buffalo, where he was a second-team All-Pro and made two Pro Bowls.
He had four double-digit sack seasons and ended his career with 78, which is second in Bills history.
4. Fred Smerlas
Smerlas was a second-round pick by the Bills in 1979 and remained with them through 1989.
He was a four-time first-team All-Pro, went to five Pro Bowls, and was a member of the PFWA All-Rookie team.
Smerlas is also on the Bills’ Wall of Fame and a member of their 25th and 50th anniversary teams.
His 29 sacks as a nose tackle are second amongst all nose tackles in Bills history.
3. Kyle Williams
A defensive tackle, Williams spent his entire career in Buffalo, which spanned from 2006 to 2018.
He was a second-team All-Pro and went to six Pro Bowls.
Williams had 48.5 sacks, which is second among all defensive tackles in Bills history.
2. Tom Sestak
Sestak played professional football from 1962 to 1968, all with the Bills as a defensive tackle.
He won two AFL titles with the team. Sestak was also a three-time first-team All-AFL, second-team All-AFL, a four-time AFL All-Star, and led the AFL in sacks in 1964.
His 52 sacks are the most among all Bills defensive tackles.
1. Bruce Smith
Smith isn’t just the best defensive lineman to play for the Bills; he’s their best player and arguably the best defensive player of all time, period.
He was with the Bills from 1985 to 1999, and during that time, here are the accolades he racked up:
- Two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year
- Eight-time first-team All-Pro
- Three-time second-team All-Pro
- 11-time Pro Bowler
- Was the co-leader in forced fumbles in 1994 and 1996
He’s also a member of various All-Decade teams, and the Bills retired his No. 78. He recorded 171 sacks during his time in Buffalo, which is nearly 100 more than the next Bills player.
Smith is enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
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