Bills Lose Second-Year Defensive Tackle for Season
The Bills lost an up-and-coming defensive lineman for the year just a week before their season was set to start. Defensive tackle DeWayne Carter was reported to have torn his ACL and will be out for the entire 2025 season. Carter was set to play in rotation with Ed Oliver, DaQuan Jones, and T.J. Sanders in his second pro season. After suffering an injury last year, Carter will have to wait yet another season to show his full potential over a full 17-game season.
Before the 2024 NFL Draft, Carter was considered around the 10th-best interior defensive lineman in the draft. Duke’s first-ever three-time captain and three-time All-ACC selection was looking to translate his five seasons of college football experience into the NFL. After taking Keon Coleman and Cole Bishop in the second round, the Bills had their guy in Carter and selected him with the 95th-overall pick. In his rookie season, the six-foot-three, 305-pound defensive lineman played in 11 games, starting in three, and accumulated 14 tackles, five tackles for loss, and one pass defended. Though he was expected to play more, his wrist injury in Week Seven against the Titans stunted his growth. Carter was placed on injured reserve, but finished the season before being listed inactive for all three of the Bills’ playoff games.
Carter was set to have an enhanced role in the first few months of the season. After it was announced that defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi, along with edge rusher Michael Hoecht, were going to be suspended for six games, the younger group of defensive linemen would be expected to step up in their absence. With Carter’s season-ending injury, rookie second-round pick Sanders will now have to pick up an even more expanded role than he was already expected to. However, the Bills recently re-signed Jordan Phillips to their practice squad. Phillips has played for the Bills in five of the previous seven seasons, leading the team with nine and a half sacks in 2019. Phillips has undoubtedly been solidified as one of Sean McDermott’s “guys” along with Tre’Davious White and will now be expected to get elevated to the main roster to fill a depth role in the defensive line.
