Trent Murphy, Bills Reportedly Agree to 3-Year, $21 Million Contract

Linebacker Trent Murphy will be looking to re-establish himself as a top-tier pass rusher with the Buffalo Bills.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Murphy and the Bills agreed to a three-year, $21 million contract on Wednesday.

A second-round pick by the Washington Redskins in 2014, Murphy missed all of last season after suffering a torn ACL during a preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens. 

Murphy's absence was a significant blow to Washington's pass-rush. He found an excellent niche in 2016, finishing with nine sacks after being used almost exclusively on passing downs to get after the opposing quarterback. 

Per Pro Football Focus grades, Murphy's overall performance improved in each of his first three seasons:

In addition to his season-ending injury during the preseason, the 27-year-old was also suspended for the first four games of the season for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing drug policy. Though he was unavailable because of the injury, Murphy went without pay for the first four weeks of the 2017 season to fulfill his suspension.

With all of that behind him, Murphy gets a fresh start with the Bills in 2018. As long as his knee holds up back on the field, he's going to be an impact defender because of his knack for getting to the quarterback.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the Bills also retained Kyle Williams on a one-year deal on Tuesday. With Murphy also in the mix, Buffalo is piecing together an improved defensive front. 

Teams are always looking for help in the front seven to slow down the opponent's passing game. Murphy has a proven track record in that area and comes at an affordable rate because of everything that went wrong for him last season.