Two Bills' draft picks turn veteran starter into probable cut candidate

The Buffalo Bills traded up twice in the 2025 NFL Draft, opting to select defensive tackles in both instances.

The Bills grabbed a potential three-down option by drafting South Carolina's TJ Sanders at No. 41 overall. Two rounds later, they added an absolute behemoth to the interior in the form of Kentucky's Deone Walker at No. 109 overall.

Presuming both highly-coveted rookies make the Bills' 53-man roster, the picks bump the defensive tackles rotation up to seven total pieces with Sanders and Walker joining Ed Oliver, DaQuan Jones, DeWayne Carter, Larry Ogunjobi and Zion Logue.

In practicality, Buffalo will carry only five interior linemen on the active roster. There's an outside chance they keep a sixth, but the fact that defensive tackles usually have little to offer on special teams makes that idea a likely non-starter.

Jan 29, 2025; Mobile, AL, USA; American team defensive lineman Deone Walker of Kentucky (0) works through drills during Senior Bowl practice at Hancock Whitney Stadium. | Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

The veteran Oliver and 2024 third-round rookie Carter are virtual roster locks along with the Sanders and Walker. Free-agent addition Larry Ogunjobi, who signed to a fairly lucrative one-year contract, will start the season on the suspended list, but he'll require a roster spot after the first six weeks.

Considering the aforementioned details, one can speculate that Jones, a 2024 starter, is in jeopardy of getting axed. At 33 years old, he's clearly on the proverbial back nine and he may wind up as collateral damage as the Bills attempt to infuse youth at the position.

If reports about Jones's salary cap impact are accurate, it seems as if the Bills almost have to cut ties with the 11-year NFL veteran. Over The Cap claims the Bills could create $5.5 million in cap space by releasing Jones, who is on the final year of his contract, after June 1. They would have to eat $3.9 million in dead money in order to ear the savings.

Freeing up that type of money for a team that is tight up against the salary cap sounds too good to pass up. Not to mention, it creates more snaps for the rookie investments the Bills made last week at the NFL Draft.

Sep 8, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Arizona Cardinals guard Will Hernandez (76) looks to block Buffalo Bills defensive tackle DaQuan Jones (92) during the first half | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

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