Fatukasi spent the 2022-2023 NFL seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars
The Buffalo Bills are in need of reinforcements along the interior of their defensive line. As such, the team hosted defensive tackle Foley Fatukasi this past Thursday, per a report by Ian Rapoport.
The 6’4”, 318-pound Far Rockaway, NY native most recently played for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
FA DT Foley Fatukasi is scheduled to visit the #Bills today, source said. Should land with a team soon. https://t.co/5iyiVu8eA8
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 7, 2024
A six-year NFL veteran, Fatukasi was drafted by the New York Jets in the sixth round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Fatukasi spent four seasons with the Jets, starting 23 of 45 games played — making 115 tackles (61 solo), 18 tackles for loss, and 14 quarterback hits; adding three pass defenses, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and three sacks.
When his rookie contract ended, Fatukasi moved on to Duval County and signed with Jaguars as a free agent, where he played during the 2022 and 2023 NFL seasons. Per Spotrac, Fatukasi signed a three-year, $30 million contract, which included a $10 million signing bonus and $20 million guaranteed — and netted him an average annual salary of $10 million.
In his time with Jacksonville, Fatukasi started 29 of 30 games played — totaling 48 tackles (29 solo), five tackles for loss, and five quarterback hits; adding four pass defenses, and 1.5 sacks.
The Bills have a clear need to add players at defensive tackle, with just Ed Oliver and Eli Ankou under contract for the 2024 NFL season. Perhaps they find a way to bring back DaQuan Jones and or others from last year’s room such as Jordan Phillips, Tim Settle Jr., or Poona Ford. Or, it’s possible they’re on the hunt to replace each of those four, and Foley Fatukasi caught their early attention. Fatukasi clearly possesses talent, and he’s produced reasonably well within sound defensive systems.
Would Foley Fatukasi’s production continue to see an uptick if he joined the Buffalo Bills? That remains to be seen, should the two sides come to an agreement on a contract. Though, it’s fair to question whether the Bills can afford to sign Fatukasi, if his expectations are anywhere near his previous free-agent contract figures.