The fifth-round pick might best be suited as a special teams player for now
The Buffalo Bills have been known to roster plenty of “special teams only” players throughout the tenure of head coach Sean McDermott. Often, those players are linebackers. That doesn’t mean that these linebackers can’t contribute on defense, but it has meant that the team tries very hard to prevent them from actually playing on defense if they can help it.
This offseason, it seems that the Bills have ditched that strategy somewhat, especially at linebacker. After dealing with a slew of injuries last season, it makes sense that the club would pivot and try to build the kind of depth that can step in and fill roles on defense rather than just contributing in the game’s ever-important third phase.
In today’s installment of our “91 players in 91 days” series, we discuss a young player whose best role early in his career is likely as a special teams player, but who has the potential to develop into a solid role player in the future.
Edefuan Ulofoshio
- Number: 48
- Position: LB
- Height/Weight: 6’1”, 239 pounds
- Age: 24 (25 on 1/23/2025)
- Experience/Draft: R; selected by Buffalo in the fifth round (No. 160 overall) of the 2024 NFL Draft
- College: Washington
- Acquired: Fifth-round draft choice
Financial situation (per Spotrac): Ulofoshio signed a four-year rookie deal worth $4,334,024 overall. Of that total, the contract contains $314,024 in the form of a signing bonus. That total is the dead-cap charge Buffalo will carry if Ulofoshio is released. If he makes the team, Ulofoshio carries a cap hit of $873,506 for the 2024 season.
2023 Recap: As a sixth-year player coming off two injury-plagued seasons, Ulofoshio had a lot to prove in his final year with the Huskies. He played in all 15 games for the Huskies, notching 94 tackles, eight tackles for loss, and three sacks on the season. His tackle number and tackles for loss number were both second on the team. He also had an interception, which he returned 45 yards for a touchdown, a forced fumble, and three pass breakups.
For his efforts, Ulofoshio was named a finalist for the Butkus Award, given annually to the nation’s best linebacker. He also made a few All-America Teams: He was Second-Team All-America per Pro Football Focus, Third-Team All-America per Phil Steele, and First-Team All-Pac 12. At the team’s postseason banquet, Ulofoshio won UW’s Guy Flaherty Most Inspirational Award. He also earned an invite to the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, where he ran a 4.56-second 40-yard dash, leapt 39.5” in the vertical jump, and displayed a 10’8” broad jump.
Positional outlook: Ulofoshio is one of eight off-ball linebackers vying for a roster spot. Joe Andreessen, Matt Milano, Dorian Williams, Deion Jones, Nicholas Morrow, Terrel Bernard, and Baylon Spector are the others.
2024 Offseason: Ulofoshio is healthy and ready for training camp.
2024 Season outlook: Ulofoshio, whose name is pronounced “ed-EH-fuan YOO-lo-FO-shio,” is such an interesting tale of perseverance and potential. An arm injury and an ACL tear limited him to just 14 games across the 2021 and 2022 seasons, but he came back strong and helped the Huskies come within a game of winning the National Championship.
He seems like a player who, with solid coaching and continued work, could develop into a good pro linebacker. However, he’s a bit limited in coverage, and he tends to be a little over-aggressive when attacking the line of scrimmage. He’ll need time to adjust to the pro game and for it to slow down for him, as well.
Where he won’t need that extra seasoning, though, is on special teams, where his heavy-hitting tendencies and straight-line speed will be of great use. I think he’s a replacement for Tyler Matakevich, but with one major caveat: Whereas Matakevich was a known liability on defense, Ulofoshio has the potential to contribute there at some point in the near future. No fifth-round pick is a guarantee to make the roster, but I believe the Anchorage, AK native is going to be on the team come September.