Bills’ standout rookie DT to miss ‘multiple weeks’ as wrist injury requires surgery

The Buffalo Bills are set to be without rookie defensive tackle DeWayne Carter for the next several weeks.

Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Buffalo Bills will be without rookie defensive tackle DeWayne Carter for the next several weeks, as he’ll require surgery after suffering a wrist injury late in his team’s Week 7 win over the Tennessee Titans. Head coach Sean McDermott told reporters on Friday that the club has not yet determined whether the 23-year-old will be placed on injured reserve.

“We were trying to see how he was able to deal with things, he’s going to end up having to get surgery, so he’ll be out multiple weeks,” McDermott said. “Will he go on IR is probably your next question, we’ll see. We’ll just see where that goes, there’s a good chance of that. I don’t know if we’re there yet, but there’s a good chance of that.”

Related: Starting LB, key rookie DT ruled out for Bills’ Week 8 matchup vs. Seahawks

Carter, whom the Bills selected in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, has seen his play steadily improve throughout his rookie campaign, logging nine tackles, five quarterback pressures, and seven run stops through seven games, per PFF. The vast majority of his production has come over the past three weeks (he started in Weeks 5 and 6 due to an Ed Oliver hamstring injury); he’s recorded four pressures and five run stops over the last three games.

His absence will certainly be felt on a Buffalo defensive line that often rotates its contributors. Carter had played on between 46% and 54% of the team’s defensive snaps over the past four contests, tallying nearly as many snaps as starter DaQuan Jones in Week 7. His prolonged absence provides an opportunity for recently signed rookie interior defender Zion Logue to step up; the team may also look to practice squad defensive tackles Eli Ankou and Branson Deen to eat snaps until Carter’s ultimate return.

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