The Buffalo Bills are changing defensive systems for the first time in a long time this season. Longtime head coach Sean McDermott is out, and his defensive scheme is gone with it. New defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard is in, and he is poised to run a far different scheme than his predecessor.
Whereas McDermott ran an even-front, nickel-base defense for much of his Buffalo tenure, Leonhard is going to run a more multiple, odd-front look. McDermott’s system was predicated on occupying gaps and funneling
opponents to particular spots. Leonhard’s defense is currently being described as something far more aggressive.
While we won’t know exactly what the changes are or what the differences will bring until the games begin, we can still speculate as to what kinds of players are going to fit the new defensive boss’ mold. Different archetypes are going to be necessary everywhere, but it could be argued that the defensive line is where that archetypal change will be the most radical. Could a shift in system open the door for some lesser-known players to make a push for the 53-man roster in the fall?
In today’s installment of our “91 players in 91 days” series, we discuss a young defensive tackle who fits the bill, so to speak, as a space-eater in an odd-front look.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Name: Tommy Akingbesote
Number: 71
Position: DT
Height/Weight: 6’4” 316 lbs.
Age: 23 (24 on 2/25/2027)
Experience/Draft: 1; selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the seventh round (No. 247 overall) of the 2025 NFL Draft
College: Maryland
Acquired: Originally signed with Buffalo’s practice squad on 10/28/2025
Financial situation (per Spotrac): Akingbesote signed a reserve/futures contract with the Bills following the end of the 2025 NFL season. That two-year deal is worth a total of $1.94 million, of which $5,000 is guaranteed. If he makes the 53-man roster this season, Akingbesote carries a cap hit of $887,500; Buffalo is on the hook for a dead cap charge of $5,000 if he’s released.
2025 Recap: After the Cowboys took a flier on the big Terrapin defensive tackle, he spent the summer in Dallas. In three preseason games, Akingbesote logged four tackles. That performance wasn’t enough to stick with the Cowboys, as he was released at the end of August as part of final cuts. Rather than stay with the team that drafted him, he signed with the Carolina Panthers’ practice squad on September 8. The Panthers released him from their practice squad on September 23, and he remained a free agent until signing with Buffalo’s practice squad at the end of October. Akingbesote has yet to appear in a regular-season game, as he was not called up to the active roster with either the Panthers or the Bills last season.
Positional outlook: Akingbesote is one of ten defensive linemen on the current roster, and he’s one of eight players listed as a defensive tackle. Landon Jackson and Kody Huisman are both listed as defensive ends. The seven other defensive tackles are Ed Oliver, Deone Walker, Zion Logue, Zane Durant, DeWayne Carter, Phidarian Mathis, and T.J. Sanders.
2026 Offseason: Akingbesote has attended all offseason workouts to date.
2026 Season outlook: It’s easy to look at a former seventh-round draft pick and brush him off entirely, but given that the Bills signed Akingbesote to their practice squad last season, signed him to a reserve/futures contract after the season, and changed defensive systems in such a way where he might actually be a better fit for the new system than he was the old one, I won’t write him off entirely. In my view, the biggest questions about the roster involve the defensive linemen and the middle linebackers, so hanging on to a player with the traits to play defensive end in an odd front is an easy choice.
Looking at the ten defensive linemen on the current roster, it’s easy to assume that Ed Oliver, Deone Walker, and T.J. Sanders are roster locks, or at least close to it. Zane Durant is the only defensive lineman specifically chosen with this coaching staff in place, so I’d say he has a good shot at the final roster, as well. DeWayne Carter, Phidarian Mathis, and Zion Logue all have some pro experience, as does a significantly bulked-up Landon Jackson. If Akingbesote is going to crack the final roster, he’s really going to be battling with the guys in that last group of four for the right to make the team.
How many defensive linemen will the Bills keep on the roster is another interesting question. Given that many of their players listed at outside linebacker—guys like Greg Rousseau, Bradley Chubb, and Michael Hoecht, among others—have experience at defensive end, the Bills might choose to go light on the defensive linemen. This is uncharted territory, and until we see a final roster, we won’t really know what the staff’s preference is as it relates to numbers at a given position.
This is all a very long-winded way of saying that Tommy Akingbesote has an outside chance at the final roster this year, but it’s far more likely that he’s trying to maintain his spot with the club and carve out a practice-squad spot while he bides his time and waits for an opportunity.
