Bills HC Sean McDermott updates on the rookie DT’s condition following wrist surgery

The Buffalo Bills are optimistic that rookie DeWayne Carter, who recently underwent wrist surgery, will play again this season. During Friday’s media visit, head coach Sean McDermott provided an encouraging update on the 23-year-old’s 2024 status.

“Hopefully (he can come back this year),” McDermott said. “He just came back from surgery and seems to be in good spirits. “I think like everything else, we’ll just monitor it from week to week and see where it takes us.”

Carter, whom the Bills selected in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, suffered a wrist injury late in the team’s Week 7 win over the Tennessee Titans. A few days after the game, McDermott told reporters that the defender’s ailment required surgery and would keep him out of the game for “many weeks;He was placed on injured reserve shortly thereafter.

The rookie has seen his game continue to improve throughout the 2024 season after experiencing some early developmental issues, playing between 46% and 54% of the team’s defensive snaps from Week 4-7. According to PFF, he recorded nine tackles, seven stops and five quarterback pressures before he was injured, with his most impressive plays being a Week 4 pass interference call against Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry and a fourth-down tackle in Week 7 against the Tennessee Titans .

It was discouraging to see the rising Carter suffer a serious injury at a key stage in his development, but the Bills seem to believe he will have the opportunity to build on his early promise later this season. He may be activated on injured reserve following the team’s Week 11 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs.

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