How Bills' DeWayne Carter Declaring Recovery Timeline Impacts Buffalo's Draft Plan

When DeWayne Carter tore his Achilles tendon before the start of the 2025 season, there was concern not only about his status for that campaign but also for the start of 2026.

With that said, during a recent appearance on the Centered on Buffalo podcast, Carter declared that he will be ready for training camp this summer.

“I’ll be ready to go,” said Carter regarding his readiness for training camp. “I’m excited. I’m really excited.”

That’s good news for Carter, but questions remain as to how the Bills view his status and potential to contribute in new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard’s defense. Their confidence, or perhaps lack thereof, in his ability to still make a difference for the team moving forward could have quite the impact on how the Bills see their roster as it stands entering the NFL Draft.

Touted prospect

Bills defensive tackle DeWayne Carter heads to the field on the opening day of Buffalo Bills training camp at St. John Fisher Universtiy. | Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK

Carter was once a significant part of the team’s plans along the defensive line after he was selected in the third round of the 2024 draft. However, an injury-plagued first professional season forced a slowed start to his career before he sustained a season-ending ailment last summer.

Entering the third year of his rookie deal, a pivotal year for him and the team, he should be presented with an opportunity to earn his spot, but nothing will be guaranteed. Buffalo drafted two interior defensive linemen in the first four rounds of the draft a year ago in second-rounder T.J. Sanders and fourth-round pick Deone Walker, and the Bills are believed to be searching for help at the position entering the 2026 draft.

If they are still high on Carter’s prospects, that would allow them the luxury of waiting to address the position late in the draft or perhaps through free agency shortly thereafter. If not, it could lead the Bills to spend a premium selection on a big body inside, with Carter’s spot on the roster being up for grabs.

Poor results

After a year in which Buffalo allowed the fifth-most yards rushing in the league [2,315] and produced the 20th-most sacks [36], it makes sense that one of its presumed targets in the upcoming selection process is a boost for the team’s D-line. However, that presumption assumes the Bills have completely given up on Carter, which may not be the case.

Even when he was on the field during his rookie campaign, there wasn’t much to write home about when it came to Carter’s production. Pro Football Focus gave him an overall grade of 41.4 during the 2024 season, which was 121st out of 132 players. He finished that year with 14 tackles, five tackles for loss and three quarterback hits while playing 42% of the team’s defensive snaps. Still, he hasn’t truly been given a chance to develop, and if he can stay healthy, anything could happen.

Along with Carter, Sanders and Walker, Ed Oliver is the team’s top returning defensive lineman. But other than that, contributing roles will be up for grabs beginning at St. John Fisher University, where the team will meet for training camp in a few months.

And based on his recent remarks, Carter expects to be in the thick of that competition for playing time. We’ll see how things play out, but if the Bills make a move for an interior DL with one of their picks early in the draft, that could spell trouble for Carter’s chances to crack the roster out of camp.

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