Veteran Bills DT thinks rookie defender is going to be ‘special’

Buffalo Bills defensive tackle DaQuan Jones is impressed with what he's seen from rookie defender DeWayne Carter throughout training camp.

Bills defensive tackle DeWayne Carter looses a game of 'rock, paper, sissors' to fan Isaac Howlett, 11, Rochester, as he signs autographs at the end of day three. The pair were playing for Carter's wristbands, which Howlett won. / Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK

Everywhere he’s gone, DeWayne Carter has simply made an impact on people.

The defensive tackle earned the nickname “Mr. Duke” thanks to how important he was to the Blue Devils football program throughout his time in Durham; a four-time letterman and the first three-time captain in school history, he won the university’s Carmen Falcone Team Most Valuable Player Award in 2023. He matched his off-field impact with on-field excellence throughout his time at Duke, finishing his collegiate career with 127 total tackles, 25 tackles for loss, and 12 sacks.

He hasn’t been with the Buffalo Bills for nearly as long as he was with the Blue Devils—he was, after all, only selected by reigning AFC East champions in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft—but he’s already putting his stamp on the organization. He’s already made an impact on veteran defensive tackle DaQuan Jones, who praised the rookie defender after Thursday’s training camp practice; the 32-year-old noted how quickly Carter has taken to Buffalo’s defense, stating that he’s doing a good job of adapting to the professional game.

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“I think he’s going to be a special kid,” Jones said. “Right now, he’s at that little learning curve mark. Just trying to break those habits of college that got drilled into you. I think he’s doing a good job of picking up the lingo of what we do here . . . I think he’s doing a great job.”

This is significant praise from Jones, who has been around the proverbial block in the NFL; the criminally underrated defender is entering his 11th professional season, and he’s, thus, been around a bevy of players throughout his career. For him to identify Carter as potentially “special” should not be overlooked or discounted.

Bills defensive tackle DeWayne Carter splits between Austin Johnson, left, and Ed Oliver during defensive line drills. / Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK

And the praise, though substantial, is not necessarily surprising given everything we know about the rookie’s character and on-field prowess. He seems a tailor-made cultural fit for the Bills, and given his upside as an interior pass-rush generator (he totaled 123 quarterback pressures throughout his collegiate career), he has the potential to develop into a long-term staple on Buffalo’s defensive line.

He could potentially see an immediate role as part of a Bills defensive front that features frequent rotation; it currently looks as though Carter is penciled in alongside Austin Johnson as the team’s second defensive tackle pairing, and the two, thus, could see a fair bit of playing time this fall as the team attempts to keep its defenders fresh. Carter has a history of making the most out of the opportunities he’s afforded, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him provide the occasional flash in his debut campaign.

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