After three straight seasons of fielding a defense that ranked in the top four in points allowed, the Buffalo Bills took a step back in that regard in 2024, ranking 11th. Thus, fortifying that side of the ball was one of the priorities in free agency, and they did that by signing defensive linemen Michael Hoecht and Larry Ogunjobi.
However, the two new additions won’t be able to help Buffalo on the field until Week 7 at the earliest, as the pair has been suspended for violating the NFL’s policy on performance enhancing drugs (PED).
During a press conference—and with the assembled media unaware of the suspensions—a reporter asked Beane what the two players bring to the table. After spending a minute talking about their strengths and how they’ll fit in on Buffalo’s line, Beane then interrupted his own analysis of the two to reveal the suspensions.
“While I’m on those guys, there’s a couple of things ... I’ll start with Larry,” Beane said. “Part of the delay with Larry was, he received, around this time, after we agreed, he got a notice, a PED, pending suspension. So, he came into my office yesterday. We did not know it when we agreed the other night, so we had a conversation.”
Beane credited Ogunjobi for being forthright with the news that he would be suspended, despite the player sharing the news after signing a one-year deal with the team, just days after being released by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Beane also noted that Ogunjobi was Pittsburgh’s nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award in vouching for his character.
“He’s a good man,” Beane said of Ogunjobi, who has 27.5 sacks over his career, with three different teams. “He’s played eight years in the league and never had a blip. That’s obviously frustrating for him and a little bit of a setback for us. But we’ve talked it through.”
Then, Beane dropped another bombshell during the media session by announcing Hoecht’s suspension—although, at least, the team knew about it before they signed him.
“The second curveball here is, Hoecht, we knew about. So, we were aware of his. I would have not done two guys [knowing they were facing suspensions]. But we did a three-year deal with Hoecht knowing his situation,” stated Beane. “Same thing, played, been in the league five years. I think his was earlier and we were made aware of it. There is a thing we can get with the league, that we can find out the status. His status we knew, and we talked it through with his agents.
“So, it’s not ideal to have two guys with that, but both guys have never had any issues off the field.”
Hoecht, an Ivy League graduate from Brown University, spent the last four years with the Los Angeles Rams, where he produced 13.5 sacks and won a Super Bowl as a rookie.
Hoecht said he stopped being vigilant in verifying every supplement that his longtime trainer gave him and said that he believes the suspension is via unknowingly ingesting a banned substance.
During their six-game suspensions, both players will be prohibited from entering team facilities for the first four weeks of the regular season. They can then return to the facility for the final two weeks and will be eligible to return in Week 7, provided that the Bills’ bye doesn’t fall within the first seven weeks of the season, in which case they can return in Week 8.
The two will be allowed to participate in all offseason team activities, mini-camps, and training camp. They also will be able to play in preseason.
The Bills, at least, have experience in navigating a suspension to someone on the defensive side of the ball, as future Hall of Famer Von Miller was suspended for four games during the 2024 NFL season. Miller’s ban was due to violating the league’s personal conduct policy, and he returned to post three sacks for Buffalo after his final nine games of the season.
Miller was released on March 9, and the Bills no longer paying him undoubtedly allowed them to sign players like Ogunjobi and Hoecht, in addition to their prized addition in defensive end Joey Bosa. A five-time Pro Bowler with the Chargers, Bosa has struggled with staying on the field recently, playing in just 28 of a possible 51 games over the last three seasons.
Buffalo likely planned on limiting his snaps with the hope it would keep him healthier over the long run, but now it appears Bosa will be relied on a bit more than expected, at least for the first six games of Buffalo’s season.
