Buffalo Bills’ Dawuane Smoot wants to prove ‘the best guy gets the job’

That’s what veteran defensive end Dawuane Smoot signed up for when he joined the Buffalo Bills.

“They say, ‘Yeah, I mean here in Buffalo, we compete. The best one gets the job and, at the end of the day, it’s love,” Smoot said during an appearance on One Bills live last month. “I’m trying to come here and compete for a major role.”

Smoot, 29, only played for the Jacksonville Jaguars after being drafted 68th overall in 2017. After seven seasons and 99 regular season appearances, the Jaguars let Smoot enter free agency and he ultimately landed with the Bills. a low-cost contract.

“They asked me what my plan was when I arrived,” Smoot said. “My plan is I want to be able to compete, wherever I go, in the future, I wanted to be able to compete for a starting job and be able to really contribute. That was my main goal.”

In addition to acclimating to his new surroundings, Smoot must show that he is fully recovered from the torn Achilles he suffered against the New York Jets in December 2022. The power forward returned on time to play 12 games in 2023, but arguably never returned to his pre-injury form. He totaled 10 tackles and 1.0 sack on 340 defensive snaps.

“I’m really trying to get back to my season form, get back to what I do best, which is rushing the passer and stopping the run. I feel like that’s going to be the one of my best years,” Smoot said.