Buffalo Bills defensive tackle DeWayne Carter. Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Buffalo Bills have clear free-agent solution available to replace injured DeWayne Carter

Originally posted on Buffalo Bills on SI
By Mike Moraitis | Last updated Sep 1, 2025 11:33 AM ET

The injury to defensive lineman DeWayne Carter has cracked the door slightly ajar for the Buffalo Bills to make a big splash.

Of course, it was reported on Sunday that Carter will miss all of the 2025 season due to a torn Achilles. Carter was expected to play a sizeable role in Buffalo's rotation along the defensive line.

With Carter out, the Bills are now missing three key defenders upfront, with Michael Hoecht and Larry Ogunjobi both being suspended for the first six games.

It isn't easy to find adequate replacements at any position at this late stage of the offseason, but there is one out there for the Bills to explore.

That option is former Las Vegas Raiders defensive lineman Christian Wilkins, who was shockingly cut loose in July.

Wilkins was one of the most high-profile free agents in 2024 and he ultimately inked a massive deal with Las Vegas. His first season in Sin City, however, didn't exactly pan out, as he was limited to five contests due to injury.

Wilkins, who suffered a Jones fracture and experienced setbacks in his recovery this offseason, was at odds with the Raiders on how to handle his injury and recovery.

"With no clear path or plan for future return to play from Christian, this transaction is necessary for the entire organization to move forward and prepare for the new season," the Raiders said in a statement.

That wasn't the only controversy surrounding Wilkins upon his release, though, as ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the veteran "kissed a fellow player on the head" and had a complaint filed against him with the team's human resources as a result.

Schefter's report adds that the kiss "was not the sole reason Wilkins was cut."

While all of that makes Wilkins a big question mark, It also opens the door for him to sign a cheap deal, which lessens the risk associated with bringing him in.

When it comes to strictly the football field, Wilkins is a three-down lineman and offers exactly the kind of versatile option the Bills need.

Wilkins has posted a Pro Football Focus run defense grade of 71.5 or higher in each of the past four years, and he's has averaged a half of a sack per game over his last 22 contests.

A duo of Wilkins and Ed Oliver has a chance to be elite if the former can return to his 2023 form.

Of course, the cap-strapped Bills will have to move some money around to make it work, but general manager Brandon Beane should consider doing what it takes to bring Wilkins in.