The Buffalo Bills were having a solid offseason before a shocking report revealed that they will be without two recently-signed free agents for the start of the 2025 season.
The Bills signed five-time Pro Bowl defensive end Joey Bosa after parting with Von Miller. Over nine seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers, Bosa tallied 72 sacks, 156 quarterback hits, 87 tackles for loss, and 17 forced fumbles. The big knock on Bosa, though, is he has dealt with multiple injuries throughout his career, including a gluteal strain last year that cost him three games.
The Bills also signed another former Chargers player — wide receiver Josh Palmer after losing Mack Hollins in free agency. Across four seasons in Los Angeles, Palmer recorded 10 touchdowns and 2,287 receiving yards on 182 catches.
On top of that, they secured franchise quarterback Josh Allen with a massive extension — six years and $330 million, with $250 million guaranteed.
However, two recent signings are coming under scrutiny after it was learned they will be suspended at the beginning of 2025.
Two Buffalo Bills free agent signings suspended for PED use
Bills general manager Brandon Beane told reporters, including ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg, that defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi (pictured below) and defensive end Michael Hoecht (pictured above) will each be suspended for the first six games of the 2025 season for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing drugs policy.
Beane shockingly knew about Hoecht’s positive test before signing him to a three-year, $21 million deal. As for Ogunjobi, who inked a one-year, $8.3 million contract, the Bills didn’t know about his positive test when they initially pursued him.
“It’s not ideal to have two guys with that, but both guys have never had any issues off the field. It’s a tough lesson of where do you get your supplements or whatever happened,” Beane said, adding that he would not have signed two players who would be suspended if they had previously known about Ogunjobi’s positive test.
Getzenberg reports that Ogunjobi, who was released by the Pittsburgh Steelers, found out about the positive test close to the time he was signing his one-year deal with the Bills. He informed Beane of the issue, which delayed the signing by a day. As for Hoecht, he tested positive three weeks into the offseason and informed interested teams of the suspension.
It’s the first time either player has been suspended for PED use.
Over eight NFL seasons with the Cleveland Browns and Steelers, Ogunjobi has recorded 27.5 sacks, 56 tackles for loss, and 79 quarterback hits. As for Hoecht and his first four seasons with the Los Angeles Rams, he tallied 13.5 sacks, with 15 tackles for loss and 26 quarterback hits.
