ORCHARD PARK — The final score won't count towards the standings, none of the statistics will go into the record books and not much will be remembered once the regular season begins.
Don't tell DeWayne Carter that.
The defensive tackle will play his first football game in nearly a year when the Buffalo Bills open the preseason game against the Carolina Panthers at 1 p.m. Saturday. The 2024 third-round pick tore his Achilles tendon just after cutdown day and missed the entire season.
The injury came on the heels of wrist surgery that cost him five games as a rookie. Once Carter returned, he wasn't the same player and was a healthy scratch for the entire postseason. The last time Carter played in a regular-season game was Jan. 5, 2025 — the 2024 regular-season finale.
So a football game — any football game — is exciting to Carter.
"I'm ready to go," Carter said. "I don't care what type of game it is. It's a game. And I get to put on that Bills red, white and blue. I'm just excited to go."
Carter put on 25 pounds during his Achilles recovery and it turned out to be necessary as the Bills shifted him to nose tackle in their new 3-4 defense. General manager Brandon Beane voiced his confidence in Carter throughout the offseason as questions about whether a 3-4 nose tackle was on the roster.
But not only did Carter tear his Achilles last year, he didn't have a stellar training camp. After starting this year as the primary backup to Deone Walker , Carter was briefly leap-frogged by Phidarian Mathis , who saw spot duty last season while trying to resurrect his career in Buffalo after washing out as a second-round pick in Washington.
Carter isn't in danger of being cut, but his performance this season will determine a lot about his future with the Bills.
"Whenever I'm told to go out there is when I go," Carter said. "I compete whenever I compete. I do everything I need to do and that's all you can worry about. It doesn't really matter where I go, when I go. At the end of the day, I'm just here to compete and get better."
•••
Most will be focusing their attention on quarterback Josh Allen and his connection with new wide receiver D.J. Moore . Or how Greg Rousseau fits into the new defense opposite free-agent signee Bradley Chubb .
But their appearances are likely to be fleeting. So there are a number of other players to keep an eye on during the game. And remember, the longer a player remains in a preseason game, the greater chance of missing the final cut.
• Joe Andreessen : Andreessen stunningly made a late surge to make the roster as an undrafted free agent in 2024 and made the final roster without much resistance last year. The Bills list Andreessen as the backup middle linebacker on the depth chart, but he has consistently played behind Keonta Jenkins throughout camp. If the Bills only want four inside linebackers, Andreessen would be the odd man out.
• Jude Bowry: The fourth-round pick was expected to dabble at guard and tackle during camp, but he hasn't played a snap of guard since the spring. And over the last week, Bowry has snatched the backup left tackle job from Tylan Grable , just as Grable did as a rookie in 2024 to Ryan Van Demark . Grable has spent most of his first two seasons on injured reserve and the Bills are high on Bowry.
• Keon Coleman : The 2024 second-round pick is battling Joshua Palmer for the No. 3 wide receiver job. Coleman isn't in jeopardy of being cut, but his future would be bleak if he was beaten out cleanly by Palmer.
• Mike Danna/Javon Solomon: Danna has two Super Bowl rings and six years of experience. Solomon has been one of Buffalo's top special teams players his first two seasons. It doesn't seem likely both make the roster.
• Landon Jackson : Last year's third-round pick has been praised by the Bills coaching staff after his move to defensive tackle. But Jackson is still consistently behind last year's second-round pick T.J. Sanders . It will be interesting to see how the Bills use Jackson in four-man fronts, particularly on third downs.
Nick Sabato can be reached via email at nick.sabato@gnnewspaper.com , on X @NickSabatoGNN or on Bluesky @nicksabatognn.bsky.social.
