Bills Central

Buffalo's 2nd-rounder TJ Sanders fills very specific need in Bills defense

The Buffalo Bills secured T.J. Sanders by trading up in Round 2 and got a player who will immediately help the defensive line in a much-needed way.

Brian Letscher

Feb 25, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane speaks during the NFL Scouting Combine.
Feb 25, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane speaks during the NFL Scouting Combine. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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With only five defensive tackles on the roster and one, free agent acquisition Larry Ogunjobi, suspended for the first six games of 2025, it was no secret the Buffalo Bills need help on the defensive front, a hole that was left open when they drafted CB Maxwell Hairston in Round 1.

Bills GM Brandon Beane clearly had a plan though and, in a draft deep with DTs, Beane did what he does best — traded up to grab their desired guy: South Carolina defensive tackle T.J Sanders.

Sanders comes into a Bills' defensive tackle room that includes starters Daquon Jones and Ed Oliver. Jones is a ten-year vet, serviceable but not a game-wrecker. Oliver, entering his seventh season, has been more of a force including 9.5 sacks in 2023 — a stat that dropped to just 2.5 sacks in 2024, partially due to a hamstring injury as well as consistent double-teams.

All pointing to a distinct need for a young, powerful force in the middle that can stuff the run but also get to the quarterback. Sanders fits that profile. At 6'4" and 297 pounds Sanders was an All-SEC Second Team player who registered 8.5 sacks in his last two seasons at South Carolina.

T.J. Sanders
South Carolina Gamecocks defensive tackle T.J. Sanders (90) goes for a tackle. / Stephanie Amador / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"His rush features average first-step quickness, but sudden hand swipes and play-through power in his lower half open pathways to the pocket, " writes NFL Media's Lance Zierlein. "Sanders' blend of power and pressure should put him on the board for both odd- and even-front defenses as a potential three-down solution."

Sanders definitely has an important seat in the Bills defensive line room and will make an excellent running mate to take the double teams off of Oliver, freeing them both up to provide pressure up the middle on the likes of Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes.

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Brian Letscher
BRIAN LETSCHER

A Michigan native, Brian graduated from the University of Michigan in another century, where he earned a degree in economics and a Rose Bowl Championship ring while playing football for the Wolverines under Head Coach Gary Moeller. Brian went on to coach Division 1A football for several years before becoming a full-time writer and actor while maintaining an unhealthy interest in sports. He is currently developing a scripted television series, THOSE WHO STAY, based on a series of historical fiction articles he wrote about Bo Schembechler's Michigan football program as they struggle to unite and win the championship - which requires beating #1 Ohio State - during the tumultuous civil rights and anti-war movements of 1969.

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