The Buffalo Bills have overhauled their defensive line once again this offseason. That involves draft choices and free-agent signings at both the defensive end and defensive tackle positions. The surprising thing about that overhaul is that the Bills added a style of defensive tackle that they already had rather than adding the type that they were lacking.
Have the Bills abandoned their “one-tech” vs. “three-tech” defensive tackle stance in favor of more versatile players? Are they so confident in the “space-eaters” that they have that they figured it was wiser to roll the dice on more “penetrators”? Or are the Bills just looking for the best football players and athletes rather than the best system guys they can find?
In today’s edition of “90 players in 90 days,” we discuss the team’s second-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Name: T.J. Sanders
Number: 98
Position: DT
Height/Weight: 6’4”, 297 pounds
Age: 22 (23 on 7/30/2026)
Experience/Draft: R; selected by Buffalo in the second round (No. 41 overall) of the 2025 NFL Draft
College: South Carolina
Acquired: Second-round draft choice
Financial situation (per Spotrac): Sanders signed his four-year rookie contract, which is worth $10,720,408 overall, after a long wait. For the 2025 NFL season, he carries a cap hit of $1,935,529. If he’s released or traded, Buffalo will carry a dead-cap charge equal to the total guarantees in the contract, which comes to $10,072,496 overall.
2024 Recap: Sanders completed his fourth season with the Gamecocks last year, and it was just as productive as his third season with the team. He set a career-high in tackles, notching 50 overall. He added four sacks and seven tackles for loss, as well as one pass knockdown. He played in 13 games.
For his efforts, Sanders earned Third-Team All-America honors, as well as SEC Interior Defender of the Year and First-Team All-SEC nods from College Football Nation. Phil Steele named him Second-Team All-SEC.
At the NFL Scouting Combine, Sanders leapt 31.5” in the vertical jump test and 9’4” in the broad jump test. He did not run the 40-yard dash or complete the bench press at the combine, but he did run the three-cone drill in 7.7 seconds and the 20-yard shuttle in 4.67 seconds. At South Carolina’s Pro Day, he ran the 40-yard dash in 5.04 seconds but did not bench press.
Positional outlook: Sanders is one of nine defensive tackles on the roster. Deone Walker, Casey Rogers, Ed Oliver, DaQuan Jones, DeWayne Carter, Larry Ogunjobi, Marcus Harris, and Zion Logue are the others.
2025 Offseason: Sanders is healthy and has participated in all offseason work to date. He played 15 snaps on defense in Buffalo’s preseason opener against the New York Giants, registering two quarterback hits on the day.
2025 Season outlook: While Sanders profiles as yet another attacking “three-tech” type, my initial disdain for the pick has subsided given the flashes of pure ability he’s shown so far this summer. Count me among those who thought Buffalo needed a one-tech early in the draft and not another backup for Ed Oliver, but Sanders seems like he can be much more than just a rotational player. He brings solid pass-rush juice, a high motor, and a strong anchor against the run.
Whether the glut of penetrating defensive tackles signifies a shift in defensive philosophy remains to be seen, but regardless of philosophy, Sanders fits this defense as a football player, pure and simple. He likely won’t go out and win Defensive Rookie of the Year, but he’s going to play somewhere between 25% and 40% of the snaps on defense, and he’ll add pass-rush value in the middle. Whether he’s spelling Oliver or playing next to him, Sanders looks like a solid long-term investment to improve the team’s interior pass rush.
Source link
