Week 18 Could Be A Huge Opportunity For DeWayne Carter
The Buffalo Bills are coming off a blowout 40-14 win over the downtrodden New York Jets, where the game was decided by the end of the third quarter, when Buffalo was up 40-0. With neither team wanting to risk unnecessary injuries, the backups took over for the entire final 15 minutes. The win meant the Bills officially clinched the AFC East title and the No. 2 seed in the playoffs, where they will host the Denver Broncos, the Miami Dolphins, or Cincinnati Bengals in the Wild Card round.
Week Seventeen
Mitch Trubisky Passing TD (1)
to Tyrell Shavers (1) pic.twitter.com/Kq75WVfr22— NFL TD Videos (@NFLTDVids) December 29, 2024
As a result, Buffalo’s Week 18 game against the 3-13 New England Patriots is completely meaningless for the Bills. For the team, anyway. For the backups that will be playing the game, it’ll be a huge game, as they’re set to get valuable reps that they seldom receive. That includes third-round rookie DeWayne Carter, who has cut his teeth as a rotational DT for the Bills defense. But thanks to Buffalo’s offensive explosion, he’s coming off a week where he played 54% of the defensive snaps, tied for the highest of his young career. This week’s game could serve as an audition for more playing time in the playoffs.
Buffalo’s run defense has been suspect, allowing 4.7 yards per carry, which is tied for 5th worst in the league. Additionally, The Bills run defense is also the most high-variance unit in the NFL. Per Sports Info Solutions, they are tied with the Dallas Cowboys for the highest percentage of big runs allowed in the NFL, and also lead the league in busted run percentage. The Bills desperately need a run-stuffing defensive tackle, and Carter will get his chance to prove he can be part of the solution.
Carter is currently the fourth defensive tackle on the Bills’ depth chart behind Ed Oliver, DaQuan Jones, and Austin Johnson. Carter played an average of 39% of the team’s defensive snaps through the first 7 weeks of the season before being placed on injured reserve because of a wrist injury that required surgery. Once Carter was activated Week 13, the Bills slowly eased him back into action, playing him between 20-32% of defensive snaps until Sunday.
Although the injury set Carter back a little bit, the truth of the matter is that he hasn’t played very well in his rookie season. His overall Pro Football Focus grade currently sits at an abysmal 36.6. To make matters worse, his run defense grade is 32.1 on the season, which is a huge red flag for a player who was selected in the third round of the 2024 Draft. It’s a bit premature to press the panic button, of course, but Carter has not performed well in the early going of his professional career.
Still, plenty of development can happen over the course of a rookie season, and Carter will get a full game to show what he’s learned. In addition, the Buffalo Bills are traveling to Foxborough Stadium to play a 3-13 New England Patriots team that is completely devoid of talent on the offensive line. Carter will have the ideal opponent to build some confidence against and show he can handle an increased role.
As it stands right now, none of the three starting defensive tackles ahead of Carter on the depth chart have a PFF run defense grade above 51.0. Even for Jones, the “leader” (50.3), that’s not a very high grade, and he’s having arguably the worst season of his 11-year career. Whatever you can say about Carter’s performance in the NFL as a rookie, Carter still has potential as a run defender, and proved he could be effective in college.
The Draft Network’s Damian Parson raved about DeWayne Carter’s run defense in his scouting report: “Carter has powerful hands versus the run and at the point of attack. He is not easily displaced and moved off the line of scrimmage. Functional full-body strength allows him to hold his ground and anchor well. Carter has lateral agility and balance to disrupt zone and outside run plays. He can occupy blockers to keep his linebackers free and clean to flow with the football.”
The biggest reason for optimism for Carter becoming a factor for Buffalo’s run defense sooner rather than later is the fact that he isn’t a 2-3 year project. Carter was a three-year starter in the ACC for Duke and spent five seasons in college before declaring for the draft. Carter also has some positional versatility, having played at both nose tackle and defensive end at Duke, and he was the first player in Blue Devils history to be named a team captain in three consecutive seasons. The pedigree and track record are there, we’re just waiting for the results.
Overall, Carter is a rookie who has gotten off to a slow start and was hampered by a wrist injury, but he’s also the Bo Nix of defensive tackles. He’s a player who spent several years in college and should be a key contributor for the Bills’ defense sooner rather than later, despite his recent struggles. This week’s game against the Patriots could help Carter gain some positive momentum heading into the playoffs. If that happens, don’t be surprised if Sean McDermott suddenly gives Carter more than 54% of snaps in the defensive line rotation.
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