Sean McDermott says getting these two defenders going will be ‘important’ for Bills

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott is eager to get defensive tackles Austin Johnson and DeWayne Carter acclimated to the defense.

Kyle Silagyi | Sep 10, 2024

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The Buffalo Bills have historically rotated their defensive linemen at a high rate under head coach Sean McDermott, the consistent cycling of players along the front meant to ensure consistent energy and juice in the trenches. The team didn’t really enact this strategy in their Week 1 win over the Arizona Cardinals, however, particularly at defensive tackle where Ed Oliver and DaQuan Jones led the way by playing on 82% and 74% of Buffalo’s defensive snaps, respectively.

The consistent presence of Oliver and Jones on the field kept primary rotational defenders Austin Johnson and DeWayne Carter on the sideline, with the tackles tallying just 13 and seven snaps, respectively. Their lack of playtime was perhaps surprising given McDermott’s penchant for rotating linemen, especially considering that the sideline boss stated in August that Carter—who was selected by the Bills in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft—was in line for a “pivotal role.”

It does not look as though the lack of significant defensive line rotation in Week 1 signals a philosophical shift from McDermott, however, as it can be more appropriately chalked up to Johnson and Carter being new to the defense. Though he’s been in the league since 2016, Johnson just inked a one-year deal with the Bills in the spring and took only 35 defensive snaps in the preseason. Carter is, again, a rookie, and early growing pains can be expected from both players.

McDermott reiterated confidence in the two interior defenders during his Tuesday media availability, expressing an eagerness to get them acclimated to the unit to allow them to flourish in their roles.

“That’ll be important for us as a team is those two and their growth,” McDermott said. “I thought they came in and did some good things in their limited time, albeit. They’ll continue to grow, I’m confident in that. You’ve got Austin, who is a vet, and you’ve got DC, who is a younger player, but they’re both kind of playing in those primary backup roles.

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“Their development will be huge, Austin learning how we like our guys to play and getting really comfortable and playing free with that, and then DC really taking his game . . . first year in the NFL, there’s a lot thrown at you. If he can just kind of continue to edit and block some of that noise out and focus on getting better every day, he’ll be just fine.”

Johnson has long been one of the NFL’s more underrated defensive tackles, so there shouldn’t be any overwhelming concern regarding his role; Carter also totaled over 120 quarterback pressures throughout his collegiate career, so there, too, are no significant questions regarding his ability. Expect their snap share to increase as the season progresses; fortunately, Buffalo has one of the league’s more fearsome defensive tackle pairings in Oliver and Jones carrying the bulk of the load until then.

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