It certainly didn't have to be Greg Gaines, but the Buffalo Bills were in dire need of a veteran rotational piece at nose tackle behind 22-year-old budding star Deone Walker.
Jim Leonhard's new system, which will feature a front that's more amorphous than stagnant, does have a three-man defensive line foundation — maybe you've heard. Quite naturally then, it requires more classically built nose tackle types on the roster.
And for as good as Walker may become as the man in the middle of the Bills defensive line in Year 2 and beyond, it was painfully obvious the 2026 iteration of this team was lacking in the depth department behind him.
DeWayne Carter, a 2024 third-round pick, is returning from a torn Achilles in his second season and was drafted to be an upfield, one-gap disruptor. Even if he's packed weight onto his 6'2" frame, he's learning on the fly this summer in a new, blocking-eating, two-gapping role.
And he's hardly been up to the task. Carter's training camp was quiet, and he was on the field well into the fourth quarter in Buffalo's opening preseason game against Carolina. On 19 snaps, Carter did not make the stat sheet, including 0 pressures on 13 pass-rush snaps against the Panthers second and third-team offensive line.

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