ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Going into this season, Greg Rousseau knows how valuable he is to the Bills defense.
“I feel like I’m a guy who has to play my best ball to help the team win,” Rousseau said. “I don’t really get too caught up in the nametags, or I’ve got be this or that… I’m going out there trying to be the best Greg Rousseau I can be, you know what I’m saying, to help the team win. Just trying to do my job on every single play and if I can on a play, do a little bit more and make splash plays that at the end of the day help the team win.”
A 2.5-sack performance in one quarter Saturday against Pittsburgh was possibly a preseason preview of the version of Rousseau the Bills could get in his fourth season.
“Greg’s very intentional right now about what he wants his career to look like and how he wants to impact the game in the NFL,” Bills defensive coordinator Bobby Babich said. “His focus on what he needs to improve is at a high level and anytime you can do that and you’re constantly looking in the mirror there’s going to be opportunity for growth.”
His continued development has been hard for his teammates to miss. Bills corner Taron Johnson said he was with Rousseau in Orchard Park throughout the offseason and had an up-close look at the sort of strides the pass rusher was making day in and day out.
“It’s a marathon not a sprint and I just feel like he’s definitely come into his own,” Johnson said. “Seeing his shoulders, how broad he’s gotten over time is just … he has all the tools he needs to be a great, great player in this league, so I’m just excited to watch him because I think he is going to be an extremely talented guy. He already is a talented guy but I think it’s going to show a lot.”
While Rousseau and the rest of the starters will not be playing in Saturday’s preseason finale against Carolina, the focus his defensive coordinator talked about will still be there this week.
“It doesn’t change anything for me,” Rousseau said. “I’m just going to go out there work my butt off and keep trying to get better and keep on trying to sharpen that sword for the season.”
A season in which Rousseau’s play could be a pivotal factor for the Bills defense.