Bills HC Sean McDermott senses growing confidence and comfort from rookie DT

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott praised defensive tackle DeWayne Carter for his performance in the team's Week 5 loss to the Houston Texans.

Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK

Though first-year wide receiver Keon Coleman scored an impressive 49-yard touchdown in the Buffalo Bills’ Week 5 loss to the Houston Texans, it was a different member of the team’s 2024 NFL Draft class that was perhaps their most impactful rookie throughout the contest.

Defensive tackle DeWayne Carter was called upon to make his first career start in the conference clash, with starting defender Ed Oliver’s late-week hamstring injury thrusting the rookie into the first-team defense. The 23-year-old had seen his snap count increase steadily through Week 4, showcasing the normal peaks and valleys expected of rookies; Buffalo’s lack of bodies at defensive tackles given the injuries it's working through at the position all but guaranteed that Week 5 would be Carter’s most significant workload yet… and he delivered.

Related: Stephen A. Smith blasts Bills HC Sean McDermott for ‘egregious’ decisions vs. Texans

Though he wasn’t flawless throughout the contest (with he and fellow rookie Zion Logue looking particularly overmatched on a first-quarter Cam Akers touchdown run), he showed his most consistent flashes yet, recording two pressures and three run stops, per PFF. He finished the game with three tackles, two of which were for a loss; he looked immensely promising for a player making his first career start and playing in just his fifth career game, a sentiment echoed by head coach Sean McDermott as he praised the tackle during his Monday media availability.

“He has [made strides],” McDermott said. “He’s given us some energy. That first diagnosis of the screen in the first series of the game was big for us, getting him off to a good start. I thought he did some really good things out there, and just like you said, every week he continues to grow and develop for us.”

Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

McDermott again complimented Carter’s game later in his press conference, reiterating his satisfaction with the juice with which the defender played.

“[He] continues to develop as a rookie, made some really nice plays [Sunday],” McDermott said. “I thought he played physical at the point of attack, played with good energy. He’s developing.”

Carter expectedly played on a career-high number of snaps in Houston (36), a number that will likely decrease once Oliver returns to the lineup. That said, the rookie is visibly growing more comfortable as his debut season progresses; he had an impressive red-zone stop of Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry in Week 4 before playing the best game of his career last weekend. No one is calling for him to usurp Oliver or DaQuan Jones in snaps; however, an increase in playing time when the defense is at full strength may be in order.

— Enjoy free coverage of the Bills from Buffalo Bills on SI —

More Buffalo Bills News:

• 5 stats you'll want to know from Bills' frustrating 23-20 loss to Texans

• Examining the struggles of Bills' wide receivers and how it can be fixed

• Bills made NFL history with poor end-of-game management vs. Texans

• Anonymous Bills player had telling quote about coaching staff after ugly Week 5 loss

• Dire nature of Bills’ receiving corps encapsulated in this concerning stat