The Buffalo Bills’ defensive line is headed into a new era, and DeWayne Carter sits right in the middle of the change.
Buffalo has moved on from former head coach Sean McDermott’s nickel-base, even-front setup and turned the defense over to Jim Leonhard, whose odd-front scheme changes the math for a lot of the holdovers up front. That makes Carter’s 2026 role especially interesting after a lost season and a noticeable body change.
Carter, a 6-foot-2, 302-pound defensive tackle, is entering his third NFL season. The Bills drafted him in the third round, No. 95 overall, in 2024 out of Duke.
He’s 25 now and turns 26 on 12/10/2026. Financially, he’s in the third year of his four-year rookie deal, which is worth $5,618,048.
If he makes the 53-man roster in 2026, he’ll count $1,532,195 against the cap; if Buffalo cuts him, the dead-cap charge would be $441,622.
His 2025 season never really got off the ground. Carter worked through the offseason with hopes of a bigger role, played in all three preseason games and logged four tackles while rotating at defensive tackle.
He made the roster, was expected to be one of the key interior reserves, and then suffered a practice injury on August 31. That turned out to be a torn Achilles tendon, wiping out his entire season.
Now he’s back, healthy, and bigger. Carter took part in minicamp work this offseason and reportedly has added nearly 30 pounds. He’s planning to play around 330 pounds this year.
That added size fits the new assignment Leonhard appears to have in mind. Carter was more of a penetrator than an anchor in McDermott’s defense, but after the Achilles injury, he seems headed toward a different job description as a one-tech or nose tackle. That would make him more of a space-eater than a backfield hunter, and it changes how his summer work will be judged.
That matters because the job is different. A disruptive defensive lineman shows up in the box score with sacks and tackles for loss.
A nose tackle often does the dirty work that helps everyone else shine. For Carter, success in 2026 will mean holding up against the run and keeping Buffalo’s middle linebackers free to make plays.
The roster picture is crowded, too. Carter is one of eight defensive tackles on the current roster, alongside Ed Oliver, T.J.
Sanders, Phidarian Mathis, Deone Walker, Zion Logue, Tommy Akingbesote, and Zane Durant. Landon Jackson has also added mass in a move to a 3-4 defensive lineman role, while Travis Clayton has been seen working with the defensive line group instead of the offensive line.
Oliver, Walker, and Sanders look like locks, and they could also be the starting trio. Beyond that, the Bills may only keep a few more interior linemen.
Durant, Mathis, and Carter feel like the next three in line, though not necessarily in that order. The question is whether Buffalo keeps six down linemen at all, especially with players listed at outside linebacker like Greg Rousseau, Bradley Chubb, Javon Solomon, and TJ Parker who can kick inside and rush like defensive ends in certain packages.
For now, Carter’s spot is still unsettled. He appears to be battling Mathis for the second nose tackle job behind Walker, who has already been named the starter at nose tackle by general manager Brandon Beane. The most likely outcome is that Carter makes the 53-man roster, but it’s not a lock, and the final answer may not come until August.
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