Four Young Defensive Linemen Who Buffalo Bills Need to Break Out in 2026

T.J. Sanders played in 12 games and started two as a rookie in 2025 after being selected in the second round out ot of South Carolina. He tallied 16 tackles, one tackle for loss and one pass defended while playing 30.24% of the Bills' defensive snaps.

Sanders came out of college as a highly athletic defensive tackle, ranking in the 93rd percentile in Relative Athletic Score (RAS) among players at his position from 1987 to 2025. Perhaps Leonhard can put that athleticism to use better.

Sanders will slot as a 5-technique, positioned over an offensive tackle and helping dictate blocking assignments.

NT Deone Walker

Deone Walker arguably had the best season of any Bills rookie in 2025, tallying 39 tackles, eight tackles for loss, one sack and four passes defended while playing 47.25% of Buffalo's defensive snaps.

A fourth-round pick out of Kentucky in 2025, Walker is very athletic for a 6-foot-7, 311-pounder. Leonhard's system could help Walker utilize his big frame and expansive skill set better.

Walker is the presumed starting nose tackle for Buffalo, lining up over the center. He'll be one of the main targets for opposing offensive lines to block before they move up to the second level. If his rookie season was any indication, getting past Walker will not be easy.

DT DeWayne Carter

DeWayne Carter did not play a game in 2025 due to a torn Achilles tendon. However, as a third-round rookie out of Duke in 2024, he recorded 14 tackles and five tackles for loss in 11 games while playing 28.53% of Buffalo's defensive snaps.

General manager Brandon Beane said Carter has "beefed up" throughout his rehab, and with the Bills' only new competition for Carter being fifth-round pick Zane Durant, a path has made itself known for Carter to make himself known among Buffalo once again.

Carter is behind highly touted veteran Ed Oliver as the team's 3-technique, but he could see time in multiple roles depending on Buffalo's needs.

DE Landon Jackson

Landon Jackson appeared in three games as a third-round rookie out of Arkansas in 2025. He made his NFL debut in Week 5 against the New England Patriots, but he didn't record any stats before suffering a season-ending knee injury in Week 10 against the Miami Dolphins.

Jackson has the length and bulk at 6-foot-6, 264 pounds and a wide variety of pass-rush moves for Leonhard to experiment with, but his role remains uncertain as he comes off injury

Jackson could emerge as Buffalo's 5-technique if Sanders doesn't pan out, and his skill set could prove effective in stunts alongside Buffalo's edge rushers.