Bills Land ‘Intriguing’ Rookie Defensive Tackle After Losing Key Starter

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Bills head coach Sean McDermott at Raymond James Stadium on August 23, 2025.

The Buffalo Bills are shifting around their roster after Ed Oliver’s injury, bringing in a familiar face on the defensive line while also adding a rookie who earned some praise coming out of college.

The team announced this week that Oliver was headed to surgery after suffering a torn bicep in Sunday’s win over the Carolina Panthers. The injury is a serious blow to Buffalo’s defensive line, but the team has already brought in some help in the form of veteran Jordan Phillips and rookie Tommy Akingbesote.

Bills Add Young Depth

The Bills had already used all three practice squad elevations for Phillips, leaving the team with only two options — sign him to the active roster or cut him loose. The Bills opted to bring the veteran onto the roster just two days after his strong performance against Carolina, where he registered a sack.

The Bills also signed safety Jordan Poyer to the active roster, giving them room on the practice squad to add Akingbesote. The former Maryland standout was a seventh-round draft pick by the

Dallas Cowboys this year, but failed to make the active roster.

Akingbesote was seen as a project, with analyst Ryan Fowler of The Draft Network noting that he has the tools to become a starter but some areas of his game in need of more development.

“An experienced and mature athlete with four years of experience along the Terrapins’ defensive front, Tommy Akingbesote is an intriguing prospect along the defensive line, offering a blend of power, quickness, and raw upside,” Fowler wrote. “He possesses a well-built frame with the ability to anchor against the run while also flashing disruptive traits as a pass rusher. Has a quick first step for a player of his size, allowing him to gain early leverage against interior blockers.”

Fowler suggested that Akingbesote could make some limited contributions at first, eventually growing into a more reliable NFL player.

“While he may not be an instant three-down contributor, his ability to stop the run and flash disruptive traits as a pass rusher make him a promising developmental option with starter upside,” Fowler wrote.

Bills May Need More Help

With Akingbesote likely not contributing much at first, the Bills may need to look outside the organization for more help filling the void left by Oliver’s injury.

Reporter Matt Parrino of Syracuse.com suggested the Bills could have some targets at next week’s NFL trade deadline, including another player familiar to the organization.

“The easiest connection to make is to

New York Jets defensive tackle Harrison Phillips, whom the Bills drafted,” Parrino wrote. “He only comes with $4 million cap hit. The trade could include the Jets picking up enough of it to fit it into the Bills’ limited salary cap space, estimated at $2.5 million by Spotrac.com.”

The Bills could have some in-house help as well, especially with the return of defensive end Michael Hoecht and defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi after serving six-game suspensions. Hoecht was particularly effective against the Panthers, hounding quarterback Andy Dalton as part of an effort that led to seven sacks.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers' playoff chances midseason: Can Baker Mayfield and his teammates make a dramatic breakthrough to maintain their position in the NFC South?

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn’t look the part in their 23-3 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, particularly the offense, but they’re now 6-2 headed into their bye week before gearing up for the second half of the season.

The Bucs have gotten off to one of the best starts in franchise history, and are well in control of their playoff hopes as they currently hold the third overall seed in the NFC and a strong grasp on the top spot in the NFC South.

With Tampa Bay trending towards being one of the NFL’s top playoff contenders, it got us thinking about what their chances would be to make the playoffs now that we are at the midway point of the 2025 season.

According to PlayoffStatus.com, the Buccaneers have some of the highest odds to make the playoffs at 92 percent.

Oct 26, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers outside linebacker Lavonte David (54) Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

92% is a great percentage for the Buccaneers. They have faced adversity head-on and have come through on the other side fairly unscathed (as far as losses are concerned, at least).

The Bucs will have a tough stretch immediately after the bye with the Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills on the docket, but things should lighten up for them after that with a bunch of teams that are fighting to stay alive. So, with all things considered, it is hard to see a path where the Bucs don’t reach the playoffs, albeit if they avoid any serious issues the rest of the way.

Per the site, the Buccaneers not only have a great chance to reach the playoffs, but they also have a great chance of moving through the playoffs. Currently, the Bucs have a 61 percent chance to reach the second round, a 33 percent chance to make the conference championship, a 16 percent chance to reach the Super Bowl and the third-highest chance of being named the winner of Super Bowl LX.

The Buccaneers are trending upward, and it might take injuries to finally get the best of them or unforeseen circumstances for them to miss out on their postseason goals.

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