The Buffalo Bills may not need to target a defensive tackle in the NFL Draft at all.
Bills D-Tackle DeWayne Carter said recently he is expecting to be ready to go for training camp after missing the entire 2025 season with a torn Achilles tendon injury.
Buffalo has been mocked to select defensive linemen with some third-day selections. But Carter, a third-round pick (No. 95) at the 2024 NFL Draft, has 14 tackles, 11 solo tackles and one pass defended in 11 games in his lone NFL season with the Bills.
DeWayne Carter Will be ‘Ready to Go’ for Bills Training Camp
A lot can happen in the three months ahead of Bills training camp, but Carter doesn’t expect his Achilles tendon injury to keep him from playing.
“Iâm eight months post-op now, so I feel strong,â Carter said on the “Centered on Buffalo” podcast, then when if heâll be ready for training camp. âYeah, yep, Iâll be ready to go.â
That Carter expects to be healthy could be a huge boon for the Bills, especially under new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard. The former NFL safety, and longtime University of Wisconsin DC, expects to operate a 3-4 defense, of which Carter will be a big part.
Between Carter and veteran Bills D-tackle Ed Oliver, Buffalo should be a force up front, and Carter knows it. Carter is versatile, which is part of why the Bills selected him. At Duke, he played everywhere on the D-line and is excited to see how Leonhard decides to deploy him.
“I’m kind of plug and play. I can play everywhere from zero [technique] to a four. I even played a little bit of five in college,” Carter said. âI think with that 3-4 element that we have now itâs going to be interesting to see.
âLearn every spot, and weâll figure out where to go from there.”
DeWayne Carter Has Seen Jim Leonhard’s Preparation
The Bills defense finished seventh overall and were 12th in points-allowed per game (21.5) in 2025. But they faltered in the playoffs, giving up 33 points in their OT playoff loss to the Denver Broncos.
Still, Leonhard is only 43 years old and just 12 years removed from playing in the NFL. He spent last season with the Broncos but will replace Bobby Babich while joining head coach Joe Brady, 36, on one of the youngest staffs in the NFL.
Yet, Carter is pumped for all that, especially since Leonhard has come in prepared to transform the Bills defense.
“It’s cool when you can tell somebody has a plan,” Carter said. “You can tell right from the jump if somebody’s talking to you, and they have no idea what they want to do.
“He came in with a clear-cut plan, and just from the jump you could tell he’s prepared for this moment.”
Leonhard is intent on passing on that preparation to his players, and Carter has been forced to think more critically about his future in that way.
“[Leonhard] always talks about your clarity of vision [and] what is your long-term goal vision,” Carter said. “Of course you’ve got to take care of the stuff in front of you and be where your feet are, but at the end of the day know your long-term goals.”
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