4 Defensive Tackles the Bills Should Have On Top Of Their Wish List
Credit: Brett Davis via Imagn Images
The NFL Combine is upon us, which means coaches and executives from around the league are doing their offseason press tours. It’s during these pressers that we start to get a better understanding of how the Buffalo Bills want to attack free agency. Even though the Bills don’t have a ton of cap space, they can still improve on the margins by signing affordable free agents at positions of need.
Buffalo’s defensive line wasn’t as dominant as it’s been in past seasons, which is why Sean McDermott brought in former Falcons defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen — a defensive line specialist by trade — to improve the unit. At a Combine press conference, McDermott further explained his thought process behind the Nielsen hire.
“Ryan’s going to help us out on defense overall. His main focus is going to be the defensive line.” McDermott said. “He has that pedigree, He’s had that success at that position. When you can put good coaches around yourself as a head coach, it’s who has been there and done that at a high level. It bodes for good things in the future… From a coaching standpoint, those are the pieces that I control, and I’m always trying to add the best possible coaches that I can.”
It’s clear that a point of emphasis for Buffalo this offseason will be improving a front-seven that allowed 4.5 yards per carry in 2024. Fortunately for Brandon Beane, there are a few solid defensive tackles that can be had for fairly cheap on the free-agent market. So without further ado, here are four defensive tackles that the Bills should target next month to help improve their run defense.
Calais Campbell
Projected Contract: 1 year — $3M
2024 Stats: 17 games, 35 tackles, 5 sacks
2024 PFF Grades: 82.3 Overall; 85.9 Run Defense
Calais Campbell is 38 years old pic.twitter.com/BfhEdtaRBG
— Steven Patton (@PattonAnalytics) February 24, 2025
You could make a solid argument that Calais Campbell is the third-best defensive tackle on the market after Milton Williams and Osa Odighizuwa. Campbell was the seventh-highest-graded defensive tackle in 2024, per Pro Football Focus. The only reason a player of his caliber is an option for Buffalo is because Campbell will be 39 years old by the regular season, so he’ll likely sign with a Super Bowl contender for a price slightly above the veteran minimum. The only question is whether or not Campbell would leave his hometown of Miami to join an AFC East rival.
Teair Tart
Projected Contract: 1 year — $2.5M
2024 Stats: 17 games, 15 tackles, 1 sack
2024 PFF Grades: 76.0 Overall; 69.7 Run Defense
Teair Tart (#90) was constantly disruptive against the Bengals.
Tart doesn't always fill up the boxscore, but he's been playing well all year. One of the several veteran Chargers defenders that have been rejuvenated this season.
(Plus there's some Daiyan Henley) pic.twitter.com/xrjAn9kItb
— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) November 20, 2024
Speaking of Dolphins defensive tackles, another player the Bills should consider signing is Teair Tart, who signed with Miami last offseason, but was cut after training camp. Tart signed with the Los Angeles Chargers before the regular season and had a solid campaign. He’s an undersized, but powerful defensive tackle who has a nasty bull rush. Rumors have swirled about his supposedly poor work ethic and subpar conditioning, but he played well enough with the Chargers to put those rumors to rest. If the Bills were to sign Tart, expect him to be a rotational run defender in 2025.
Poona Ford
Projected Contract: 1 year — $3.5M
2024 Stats: 17 games, 24 tackles, 3 sacks
2024 PFF Grades: 85.1 Overall; 78.8 Run Defense
Poona Ford is a freak. Bring him back next year! pic.twitter.com/EmlQwsQbR6
— Tyler Schoon (@tylerjschoon) November 12, 2024
There is another solid Chargers defensive tackle who is set to be a free agent, and the Bills are familiar with him. Poona Ford signed with Buffalo in 2023, but was buried on the depth chart and never really caught on. Ford even admitted while that was here, he wasn’t expecting to have such a minimal role saying: “I don’t know, it’s just been weird for me, this isn’t what I was expecting coming here.” If the Bills clean house and let Quinton Jefferson and Jordan Phillips leave, there may be more room for Ford to carve out a role in a second stint in Buffalo.
Ta’Quon Graham
Projected Contract: 1 year — $2M
2024 Stats: 10 games, 6 tackles, 0 sacks
2024 PFF Grades: 63.9 Overall; 67.4 Run Defense
Take it w a grain of salt but #Falcons Ta’Quon Graham ranks second among all DT in ESPN’s run stop win rate pic.twitter.com/R9VZWFLJXl
— SportsTalkATL Alex (@GeauxSportsTalk) October 12, 2022
If Beane is looking for a younger guy, then Ta’Quon Graham should be on his shortlist. Graham, 26, was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the 5th round of the 2021 Draft. Prior to draft day, he was labeled as a tweener who alternated playing 3-technique and edge rusher at Texas. Since then, Graham has fully committed to being a defensive tackle and has quietly solidified a reputation as a reliable run defender. Nielsen is very familiar with Graham, having served as his defensive line coach/defensive coordinator in 2023 in Atlanta.
In a perfect world, the Bills can convince Calais Campbell to sign for $3 million. However, I really don’t see that happening, and I think it’s more likely he joins a different Super Bowl contender or retires. The most realistic free agent target for Buffalo out of the four aforementioned players may be Graham, since he’ll be the cheapest player to sign and he has familiarity with Nielsen. We shouldn’t rule out a Tart signing either, but Graham looks like the better long-term fit for the Bills this offseason.
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