The Buffalo Bills’ defense has made its early-season statement in the trenches, and that group is on the verge of getting even thicker.
Through two games, the front has been the engine. Greg Rousseau just won AFC Defensive Player of the Month.
Deone Walker has been unblockable in the middle. DeWayne Carter has emerged as one of the NFL’s better run-stopping rotational defensive tackles, and he’s done it out of nowhere.
That’s before getting to the rest of the rotation. August addition Greg Gaines has given the Bills exactly what they needed, logging 55 snaps across three games and handling the dirty work against the run. He has only one pressure, but he also has four tackles, two stops, and a steady presence on stunts and when asked to absorb double teams.
Ed Oliver missed Week 2 against the Lions, but he’s still been disruptive. He has five pressures on 64 pass-rush snaps, and his Week 1 impact against the Texans went beyond the stat sheet.
Landon Jackson has been the least productive of Buffalo’s defensive linemen so far, but even that comes with a useful floor. He has seven tackles without a miss on 83 snaps through three games, mostly in a non-sexy two-gapping role.
That kind of depth already matters. Entering Week 4 against the Patriots, those five defensive linemen have each played between 25% and 67% of Buffalo’s defensive snaps.
And help may be on the way. 2025 second-round pick T.J. Sanders is likely to join the mix, which is a major development even after a quiet rookie year and a run of injury issues. Sanders dealt with a knee injury as a rookie, hasn’t appeared in 2026 because of another knee ailment and an appendectomy, and he’s now moving in the right direction after going from DNP on Wednesday to limited on Thursday.
There hasn’t been much buzz around Sanders, but the belief in his talent hasn’t changed. In August, he was called the biggest X-factor on Buffalo’s defense.
For a team that, on paper, wants to play two or three defensive linemen at a time, Sanders’ return - along with veteran Phidarian Mathis on the practice squad - gives Buffalo real options inside.
The edge group isn’t as deep, but Jim Leonhard suddenly has plenty of bodies on the interior, and those bodies bring different tools to the table for opposing offensive lines.
In Other News...
Philip Rivers Revealed An Unexpected Twist In Buffalo's Coaching Search
Philip Rivers name came up in a surprising place during Buffalos coaching search, and it turns out the former quarterback was much more than a casual candidate. He interviewed for the Bills head coaching job on short notice in Florida, and Josh Allen was there as part of the process, a reminder of how seriously the team involved its franchise quarterback in evaluating the next leader.
Rivers did not land the position, but he later described the experience as worthwhile and said he felt good about where Buffalo ended up. The Bills ultimately went with Joe Brady, and Rivers account adds another layer to a search that was already unusual for its mix of star power, urgency and quarterback input. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Head Coach Search Took A Stranger Turn Than Fans Realized
Philip Rivers adding his voice to the Bills coaching search gave the process an unexpectedly public twist, especially for a franchise that usually keeps those conversations tightly under wraps. The former quarterback said Buffalo reached out through his agent to set up the interview, and he described a room that included key figures from the organization as well as Josh Allen, making it clear this was a serious look at a candidate whose rsum was built more on playing experience than sideline work.
Rivers, who has never coached in the NFL, said he leaned on his years as a longtime starting quarterback rather than a polished presentation or video-heavy pitch. Even so, he spoke with gratitude about getting the chance and with confidence that he could handle the job if called upon, which only added to the sense that Buffalos search touched some unconventional names before it moved on. [Read more 🡒]
Josh Allen Could Make Bills History Against New England
Josh Allen keeps inching toward another entry in the Bills record book, and the timing adds a little extra intrigue to a matchup with New England. Buffalos quarterback has already put himself in position to challenge both franchise and NFL rushing touchdown marks as the season moves along, a reminder that his value in this offense goes well beyond the arm strength and improvisation that usually define him.
Greg Rousseau has also turned the early part of the schedule into a statement, setting a franchise sacks mark through three games and earning AFC Defensive Player of the Month honors for September. Dawson Knox is closing in on a receptions milestone of his own, so there is plenty of history on the table for Buffalo as the Bills head into a game that could give several familiar faces another chance to add to their rsums. [Read more 🡒]