2025 Buffalo Bills training camp insight: Defensive tackles

The Buffalo Bills are moving into their next major offseason phase in due time: Training camp.

The Bills will kick off their 2025 training camp on July 23 at St. John Fisher University. As with every offseason, Bills Wire will examine each position group ahead of this pivotal time on the football calendar. 

Our 2025 defensive tackles  preview can be found below:

At the top

The Bills love to rotate their players along the defensive line. However, the one player that stands out among this group is Ed Oliver. The former ninth-overall draft pick has shown moments of dominance and disruption against interior lines. Oliver’s athleticism is well documented. Oliver took a bit of a step back last year, seeing his tackles and sack totals drop from an outstanding 2023 season. The leading player to saddle up next to Oliver as a 1-tech tackle is DaQuan Jones. Jones had 23 total tackles and 2.5 sacks last year.

Depth chart

Buffalo has a bevy of options to add as part of their rotation. The Bills signed Larry Ogunjobi in free agency. However, Ogunjobi will miss the first six games of the season due to a PED suspension. Buffalo drafted TJ Sanders and Deone Walker in this year’s draft. The Bills also return 2024 third-round pick DeWayne Carter as well. Carter flashed at times as a rookie, but he will need to make a major step forward to see snaps with the added competition. Zion Logue, Casey Rogers, and Marcus Harris round out the defensive tackles group. 

In 2025...

Buffalo will rely on this group extensively this year. Buffalo needs this group to consistently win battles and dominate opposing offensive linemen. It’s no longer good enough to have flashes of great play--this unit needs to be a massive problem on a snap-by-snap basis. The ripple effect will be monumental on the remainder of the defense. 

Simply put, Buffalo needs the 2023 version of Ed Oliver to be present this year. Oliver set a career-best with 9.5 sacks that season. DaQuan Jones needs to eat blockers to allow the athleticism of linebackers and edge rushers to make plays. 

It will be an interesting competition as the training camp unfolds. With the Bills so close to the promised land, a great deal of their success will rely on how this group disrupts opposing offensive lines. 

We are leaning toward the idea that this group can create a bigger disruption and get more consistent results than other groups from previous defenses. If they can, the AFC Championship game will not be the end of the season for Buffalo.

This article originally appeared on Bills Wire: 2025 Buffalo Bills training camp insight: Defensive tackles