The biggest X-factor on the Bills’ 2026 defense is T.J. Sanders, and believe it or not, fans and media are barely talking about him. This dude was an early second-round pick a year ago, taken at No. 41 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, but you’d be forgiven if he slipped off your radar. Everyone’s buzzing about Keon Coleman, another early second-rounder, which totally makes sense; receivers naturally grab more headlines than defensive tackles. But with Buffalo’s defensive struggles in the playoffs still fresh and Jim Leonhard taking over as defensive coordinator, you’d think Sanders would be generating some serious buzz heading into Week 1.
The “Forgotten” Talent That’s Key
Sanders’ quiet rookie season, unfortunately, probably led to this general apathy. He dealt with a reasonably serious knee injury that cost him five games and meant he only appeared on 30.2% of the Bills defensive snaps. And yeah, let’s be real, there were some ugly reps once he returned, especially when he was trying to anchor against double teams in the run game. He was getting displaced from intended running lanes pretty easily sometimes. But here’s the kicker: devouring blockers and freeing up second-level teammates wasn’t why the Bills traded up to snag him. This guy was scouted at South Carolina to be an upfield penetrating understudy to Ed Oliver.
Explosive Potential Waiting to Erupt
Oliver is still going to be the main one-gap backfield disruptor in Leonhard’s new scheme, but he needs a rotational piece behind him, and that’s where Sanders can be an absolute asset. Despite those rough run-game reps, Sanders still managed to generate 13 pressures on 164 pass-rushing snaps as a rookie. That’s a respectable, bordering-on-encouraging 7.9% pressure rate. You know in the NFL, if a defensive tackle hits a double-digit pressure rate, they are a darn-good rusher. The talent with Sanders is just undeniable. He’s an explosive dude, tested like crazy before the 2025 draft, even at close to 300 pounds. In his final two seasons at South Carolina, he racked up 16.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks. The production was absolutely there in the SEC. The general indifference around him has a lot to do with those lowlights, yes, but also long stretches of invisibility and reps with average-at-best effort during his debut campaign. And we’ve got to consider that knee injury on those.
With Week 1 coming fast, it’s time for Buffalo to remember what they have in Sanders. If he steps up as that rotational piece behind Oliver and keeps that pressure rate climbing, this new Jim Leonhard defense could be way more disruptive than anyone is giving them credit for. Keep your eyes on No. 98 when the season kicks off, because this dude could be huge for the Bills.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Buffalo Rumblings.
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