Bills Central

Key injury means Buffalo Bills' roster move on way

The Bills have a clear need to fill following a starter's injury
Oct 26, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver (91) sacks Carolina Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton (14)
Oct 26, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver (91) sacks Carolina Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton (14) | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The Buffalo Bills dominated the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, winning 40-9 in Charlotte. However, they didn't escape unscathed.

Starting defensive tackle Ed Oliver suffered a bicep injury late in the second half, causing him to miss the rest of the game. After visiting the medical tent and heading into the locker room, he was quickly ruled out, indicating the potential severity of the injury.

Oliver could miss significant time, and would be the latest DT on the roster to suffer an injury.

MORE: Sports injury expert's Ed Oliver projection another devastating blow to Bills' defense

Buffalo was already shorthanded at the position, playing without DaQuan Jones and TJ Sanders, and now will likely be without Oliver for the foreseeable future. 2024 third rounder DeWayne Carter is also on season-ending IR after suffering a torn Achilles prior to the start of the season.

Ed Oliver (91)
Oct 26, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Buffalo Bills linebacker Shaq Thompson (45), defensive end Greg Rousseau (50), defensive tackle Ed Oliver (91) and defensive end Michael Hoecht (55) celebrate after a sack | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The only healthy DTs on the active roster are rookie Deone Walker and free agent addition Larry Ogunjobi, who just returned from suspension. Jones did not participate in practice at all last week with his calf injury, while Sanders needs to miss at least two more games before he is eligible to be activated from IR.

Simply put, the Bills need more healthy defensive tackles on the roster.

The obvious candidate(s) to be signed to the 53 are either Zion Logue or Jordan Phillips. Both are now out of practice squad call-ups, and would need to pass through waivers if they were to be elevated for a future game from the practice squad. The Bills seemingly prefer Logue, as he was the first man up, elevated for Weeks 2, 3, and 5. Meanwhile, Phillips was active for Weeks 4, 6, and 8.

Jordan Phillips
Dec 29, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Jordan Phillips (97) reacts to getting an interception against the New York Jets | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Former second round pick Phidarian Mathis is also on the practice squad, but has only been called up once (Week 5), and appears to be a distant third option at DT on the practice squad.

RELATED: 16 crazy stats from Buffalo Bills' dominant win in Carolina

The Bills will have two roster spots available once Oliver is placed on IR, meaning the Bills could choose to sign both Logue and Phillips to the 53 if the injury to Jones will likely sideline him for another week or two.

Zion Logue
Sep 14, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Zion Logue (93) reacts after a sack against the New York Jets | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

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Colin Richey
COLIN RICHEY

Colin Richey is a die-hard Buffalo sports fan. He contributes weekly game recaps for BuffaloFAMBase.com during Bills season, and can be found on ESPN+ calling Canisius sporting events from the broadcast booth. You can find him on Twitter/X at @whatthef00tball

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