Bills Rookie DL Zane Durant Sidelined With Neck Injury For At Least Four Weeks.

Bills Rookie DL Zane Durant Sidelined at Least Four Weeks with Neck Injury

Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane confirmed this week that rookie defensive lineman Zane Durant will miss significant time due to a neck injury, a setback for the fifth-round pick out of Penn State. The Bills placed emerging rookie defensive lineman Zane Durant on injured reserve this week, meaning he will miss at least the first four games of the season.

Details on the Injury

Beane confirmed on Tuesday in Orchard Park that Durant suffered an injury to his neck area during exhibition action. The GM characterized the severity, saying, "He got his neck [hurt] in that game. It's kind of a stinger type issue without going too crazy into it," Beane said. He added that neck and head injuries typically require extra caution, noting "that one's gonna take a little time to resolve itself."

The injury occurred late in Buffalo's preseason finale against Pittsburgh. Durant, who was right behind Ed Oliver as a second-teamer on the Bills' unofficial depth chart, accounted for two solo tackles and one quarterback hit in the 28-27 comeback win before hitting an end-of-summer road block.

Roster Implications

By placing Durant on IR with a designation to return, the Bills were able to preserve a valuable roster spot. Durant's injury allowed the Bills to keep third-year defensive lineman DeWayne Carter on the 53-man roster, who missed the entire 2025 season with an Achilles injury and was fighting for a roster spot this spring and summer. Beane praised Carter's trajectory, saying, "He's a guy I saw get better, was a lot better in week two in the Cleveland game than week one."

With Durant out, additional reps on the interior defensive line are expected to be absorbed elsewhere on the roster. Landon Jackson and Greg Gaines will likely pick up any snaps that Buffalo had been earmarking for Durant, who may not be out much longer than mandated. Beane left the door open for an earlier-than-expected return, noting the team plans to evaluate his progress on a weekly basis: "We're gonna need a little more time to kind of see how he progresses. We were excited where he was heading, and we'll just kind of take that one day, one week at a time."

Background

Durant, a Plant City, Florida native, was selected by Buffalo with the No. 181 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft after a four-year career at Penn State. His IR designation requires him to miss a minimum of four games, with an eligible return window opening in Week 5 of the regular season.