After nine seasons with the LA Chargers, Pro-Bowl edge rusher Joey Bosa is preparing for a change of scenery with the Buffalo Bills. Bosa is embracing this change of scenery, so much so that Chargers fans can't help but scratch their heads in confusion.
Bosa, who has already continued his injury-prone nature on the Bills, thinks he is in a better position to succeed in Buffalo than he was in his last few seasons with the Chargers. Originally drafted as a 4-3 defensive end, Bosa played outside linebacker in his last four seasons with the Chargers.
Now on a 4-3 defense in Buffalo, Bosa is excited to shed the defensive role that he seemingly thinks held him back in Los Angeles.
"It's exciting for me, no more outside linebacker," Bosa told Bills writer Alec White. "I'm ready to get my hand back in the dirt, get back to the six technique and rush the passer."
Joey Bosa seems to think the Chargers' scheme held him back
On the surface, Bosa's not wrong. He played defensive end in a 4-3 defense in college and played in that scheme early in his NFL career, which is when he was at his best. It wasn't until Brandon Staley was hired in 2021 that Bosa had to play in a 3-4 defense.
Jesse Minter continued the 3-4 defensive scheme last season. Bosa will play in a 4-3 defense for the first time since 2020 when Gus Bradley was the Chargers defensive coordinator.
Bosa obviously knows which scheme he is more comfortable in and it would be ludicrous for us to dispute the player himself. However, while Bosa may be more comfortable in a 4-3 defense, it wasn't the switch to a 3-4 that resulted in his downtick in production.
Injuries were the main culprit. Bosa missed 20 games in the 2022 and 2023 seasons. When he did play, Bosa clearly was not the same player he was earlier in his career. That is what happens in the NFL when you approach your 30s and have a long list of injuries.
The numbers support this. Bosa finished with the second-most quarterback pressures in his career with 69 pressures in 2021. Bosa finished with 72 pressures in 2019; however, he did so in 32 more pass-rushing snaps.
Chargers fans know the truth that Bills fans need to accept: Bosa is past his prime and changing back to a 4-3 defense is not going to change that reality. Could it make the most out of this version of Bosa? Sure.
Joey Bosa isn't lying about being more comfortable in a 4-3 defense. However, the facts don't support the idea that he will return to form just because he is out of the Chargers' 3-4 defense.