DT Leki Fotu visiting the Bills

[Jimmy Harris 69]

The piece below was written in 2023 when the Jets signed Fotu. He could be a younger more effective replacement for Daquan. The deal the Bills signed Jones to last year was built for his possible release this year. Buffalo can save $3M against the salary cap if Jones is cut, but there are two void years on his deal in 2026 and 2027 which will help further spread out his salary cap hit... those two, respectively, are $2.5M and $1.25M, both minimal.

“However, given how the roster is currently constructed, what the Jets didn’t have was a run-stuffing presence. This is a role that Fotu can potentially fill.

At 6’5” - 334 pounds, Fotu is a former fourth round pick by Arizona in the 2020 NFL Draft. His primary role has come as an early-down space eater, tasked with taking on blockers to free up others and bottling up the middle of the field against the run.

Fotu appeared in 11 games in 2023, totaled 24 tackles and 14 stops, or plays that constitute as “failure” for an offense, as PFF describes it. Fotu has been fairly durable throughout his career, appearing in all 17 games during the 2021 and 2022 seasons with the Cardinals.

It comes with the territory for Fotu given the role he is often asked to fill, but his presence often won’t be felt on the stat sheet and he frequently won’t show up as a pass rusher either.

In four seasons, Fotu has totaled just 23 pressures and four sacks. If you go look up where his stats compare to other interior defenders, you won’t see Fotu at the top of the list, and often not even close to it. To a degree, that’s part of the gig as a nose tackle.

Instead, Fotu’s presence is felt by his teammates, by helping to create opportunities for them to make plays with the attention he can draw from blockers and the space he takes up, forcing running backs to search for rushing lanes elsewhere.

“Yeah, but I love it,” said Fotu about playing nose tackle. “In general, our job is kind of like the O-line. All the mess starts right there with us, up front. But the life is a nose guard, for me, it’s more of a hybrid thing because I’m moving around.

“But speaking for a nose guard, you’ve just got to have that nasty mentality knowing you have to be the anchor of the defense up front. It starts with you, and it sets the tone for the rest of the line and everybody else to follow. That’s a huge part of our team.”

This is a needed depth signing along the interior defensive line for the Jets. This is a heavily rotated position, one where four or even five players see snaps each week, and the Jets are working on filling out that rotation.

Fotu helps create competition within that position group and fills a very specific and needed role for the Jets. This is not a move, however, that should preclude the Jets from further adding to this unit, whether that be continuing to do so through free agency or in the draft.

According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, this is a one-year deal for Fotu that comes with a base salary of $2.5 million with the opportunity to earn up to $4 million through incentives. The cap hit for this move will be a relatively inexpensive one.”

[Beast]

Does the South Pacific have a monopoly on Defensive Tackles?

[Roundybout]

7 minutes ago, Beast said:

Does the South Pacific have a monopoly on Defensive Tackles?

 

I blame all the palusami

[The Jokeman]

He doesn't grade well but he is a NT that we lack. Sign him cheap but draft someone better than him to start.

[BuffaloBillies]

At 335 he can just fall down sideways and clog up a couple holes at least. 

[Aussie Joe]

15 minutes ago, The Jokeman said:

He doesn't grade well but he is a NT that we lack. Sign him cheap but draft someone better than him to start.

Couldn’t they just find this guy in the draft also  ? Draft 2 DTs …

[The Jokeman]

9 minutes ago, Aussie Joe said:

Couldn’t they just find this guy in the draft also  ? Draft 2 DTs …

If you sign him cheap you can cut him easy.

[oldmanfan]

Love me a big tub of goo!

[wppete]

They want more beef 🥩 on the D-Line. Bring in the bug guys!

[Warriorspikes51]

This is a great sign even if this player is brought in to compete for the 53

 

shows Beane knows we need BIG DTs

[Aussie Joe]

6 minutes ago, The Jokeman said:

If you sign him cheap you can cut him 

 

 

he’ll be on more than a Day 3 rookie 

[Warriorspikes51]

Fotu is 6’5  335  only 26

 

 

[SoonerBillsFan]

56 minutes ago, Beast said:

Does the South Pacific have a monopoly on Defensive Tackles?

I prefer Manu Manu the Slender.

[Warriorspikes51]

46 minutes ago, Aussie Joe said:

Couldn’t they just find this guy in the draft also  ? Draft 2 DTs …

yes. And how many players do we bring to camp? 90? 

[Billl]

Obligatory

 

[Solomon Grundy]

I'd rather have Leki Strikes 😎

[TD716]

Don’t let him leave the building. 1T

[3rdand12]

1 hour ago, Roundybout said:

 

I blame all the palusami

canned meat ? 

I am out on This guy.

Instead Draft that Guy with upside and show/give him a chunk of real smoked pastrami

 

 

[Donuts and Doritos]

Pass. Need a name I can pronounce.

[Mister Defense]

Well, looking at PFF he made improvements last year in most aspects of his game.

 

Pretty good upside according to the pre draft info.

 

Huge.

 

26 years old.

 

Hey, you never know.  Jerry Hughes had not done much before the Bills got him at roughly the same age. Hughes had 5 sacks in his first 3 years at Indi--and then 20 in his first two years in Buffalo.

 

At 6' 5" and  335 pounds, with good speed, maybe the new defensive line coach can move him forward. Hughes became one of the best pass rushers the Bills have had.  Maybe Fotu can become a force in the middle, or at least a good rotational player against the run.

 

I like the fact that he is young, and not a barnacle.

 

 

Edited 4 hours ago by Mister Defense