With a switch to an odd-man front on defense, the Buffalo Bills have been changing their defensive personnel throughout this offseason. In some ways, the team has had to be creative, asking players drafted for former head coach Sean McDermott’s four-man defensive line to change their roles and body types in preparation for a season under new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard. In some cases, though, the Bills have gone outside of their usual comfort areas to find different player archetypes.
One of
the more oft-discussed positions in the new defense has been that of the nose tackle. Buffalo didn’t have a traditional nose tackle with McDermott given that they generally had two defensive tackles on the field at once, but players like DaQuan Jones and Star Lotulelei served roles similar to that which a nose tackle would traditionally fill in a three-man front. The Bills have an answer in the middle, but they definitely need depth at that spot.
In today’s installment of our “91 players in 91 days” series, we discuss a veteran nose tackle ostensibly signed to provide said depth.
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Name: Greg Gaines
Number: 97
Position: DL
Height/Weight: 6’1” 312 lbs.
Age: 29 (30 on 5/6/2027)
Experience/Draft: 7; selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the fourth round (No. 134 overall) of the 2019 NFL Draft
College: Washington
Acquired: Signed with Buffalo on 8/18/2026
Financial situation (per Spotrac): Gaines signed a one-year deal at the veteran’s minimum. The total deal is worth $1,487,500, but thanks to the veteran’s salary benefit, his cap hit comes in lower at $1,262,500 for the season. If Gaines is on Buffalo’s Week One roster, his entire base salary ($1.3 million) becomes guaranteed thanks to his status as a fully vested veteran. If he’s released prior to the start of the first game, Buffalo will carry a dead cap charge of $137,500 for the season.
2025 Recap: Gaines once again served as a rotational nose tackle for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season, appearing on 35% of the team’s defensive snaps across 17 games. Gaines offers little in the way of pass rush, so he mostly plays on early downs and in obvious run situations, acting as a gap-plugger and run-stuffer up front. He totaled 23 tackles, three tackles for loss, and two sacks last season.
Positional outlook: Gaines is one of ten defensive linemen listed on the current roster. Ed Oliver, Deone Walker, Landon Jackson, Zane Durant, Phidarian Mathis, Zion Logue, DeWayne Carter, Travis Clayton, and T.J. Sanders are the others.
2026 Offseason: Gaines has been a free agent since his contract with Tampa Bay expired at the start of the new league year. He has participated in practice and preseason action since signing with Buffalo.
2026 Season outlook: While he fills a need as a potential nose tackle, as Skarekrow pointed out in his All-22 analysisafter Gaines signed, the veteran can play multiple spots along a three-man line. Tampa Bay frequently used him off center, and while that might have been because they had Vita Vea to plug the middle, it bodes well for Gaines’ chances to come in and contribute along the line in Buffalo.
Behind Deone Walker, Buffalo doesn’t have much going at nose tackle. Phidarian Mathis looked like a solid bet to make the team as the backup nose, but a three-game suspension for an alcohol-use issue while he was with the New York Jets means that he will begin the year unavailable. I guess being with the Jets could drive anyone to drink, but I digress. The Bills have also asked third-year man DeWayne Carter to bulk up and play the nose, and while he has done so, he hasn’t exactly separated himself this summer, and after a weak rookie season followed by a lost second year due to a torn Achilles, it’s not wise to assume that he can just come in and play at the level Buffalo needs.
Gaines, then, not only has a good shot at making the roster based on his experience alone, but I would go so far as to say he has a strong chance to carve out an important role on defense. Whether he’s spelling Walker or playing alongside him on first down, in goal line situations, or on fourth-and-short, Gaines could easily see 35-45% of the snaps on defense as a run-down specialist. The Bills don’t have a ton of those along their defensive front, and given Leonhard’s stated desire to be significantly better against the run this season, it’s reasonable to assume that someone like Gaines is looked at as an acquisition who can help them in achieving that goal.
August signings are often nothing more than camp bodies and tryout players, but with Greg Gaines, the Bills likely found a piece to their defense that they were missing.
