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DeForest Buckner

DeForest Buckner

31-Year-Old Defensive TackleDT
Indianapolis Colts
IR-R
Injury Neck
Est. Return 12/14/2025
Fri Practice: Limited
2025 Defense Stats
TCKL
42
SACKS
4.0
INT
0
FF
0
TD
0
Rest-of-Season Projections
TCKL
SACKS
INT
FF
TD
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2025 Fantasy Outlook
Buckner displayed remarkable durability through his first eight NFL seasons, surpassing 750 defensive snaps in every season and failing to top 800 defensive snaps just once. That streak came to an end in 2024 when he missed five games due to an ankle injury, although he still managed to record 61 total tackles and displayed the same dominance he has shown throughout his career. While his health is a minor warning sign that his body might be starting to slow as he enters his age-31 campaign, Buckner remains a premier run stuffer and among the best defensive linemen at generating interior pressure on the quarterback. Read Past Outlooks
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RANKS
#310.04
ADP
#Subscriber-Only
IDP
Bye Week 11
Height 6'7"
Weight 295
DOB 3/17/1994
College Oregon
Drafted 1st Rd 2016 #7 Overall
Signed a two-year, $46 million contract with the Colts in April of 2024.
Won't return Sunday
DTIndianapolis Colts
Neck
December 12, 2025
Buckner (neck) has been ruled out ahead of Sunday's matchup against the Seahawks, JJ Stankevitz of the Colts' official site reports.
ANALYSIS
The veteran defensive lineman returned to practice this week after missing the Colts' last four contests due to a neck injury, but it appears he's not ready for game action just yet. Through nine appearances this season, Buckner has tallied 42 total tackles, including 4.0 sacks, across 424 defensive snaps. While he remains on the injured reserve list Sunday, Neville Gallimore will likely start on Indianapolis' defensive line.
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Snap Distribution / Depth Chart
Snap Counts
Snap %
Indianapolis ColtsColts 2025 DT Snap Distribution
See more data like this | See last season's snap counts
G.Grover Stewart
D.DeForest Buckner
A.Adetomiwa Adebawore
N.Neville Gallimore
E.Eric Johnson
#% of Team Snaps
52959%
15164%
42447%
00%
40245%
15968%
34338%
10043%
9711%
2812%
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#2 DT2
Indianapolis ColtsColts
  1. Neville Gallimore
  2. DeForest BucknerIR-R
2025 DeForest Buckner Split Stats
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Measurables Review
How do DeForest Buckner's measurables compare to other defensive tackles?
This section compares his draft workout metrics with players at the same position. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that metric and it would be considered average.
Height
6' 7"
 
Weight
295 lbs
 
40-Yard Dash
5.05 sec
 
Shuttle Time
4.47 sec
 
Cone Drill
7.51 sec
 
Vertical Jump
32.0 in
 
Broad Jump
116 in
 
Hand Length
11.75 in
 
Arm Length
34.38 in
 
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
Buckner has one thing that few other defensive lineman, particularly interior lineman, can boast in that he's topped 800 defensive snaps in seven of his eight professional seasons. From a durability and pass rushing perspective Buckner has shown no signs of slowing down even as he enters his age 30-season. The only area we've seen any hint of him being on the backside of his career is on special teams, as his snaps on the unit have all but disappeared across the last two seasons. That hasn't been enough to hurt his statline, though and the Colts inked Buckner to a lucrative new two-year deal this offseason, reiterating their faith in him. Buckner won't remain an elite defensive lineman forever, but we've seen nothing to suggest that 2024 is the year his run ends.
The veteran defensive tackle put together another outstanding campaign, recording a career-high 74 tackles last year while piling up at least seven sacks for the fifth consecutive season. Buckner's combination of interior pass rush skills, run-stuffing and consistency (he's missed only two games in a seven-year career) are unmatched at his position, but at 29 it's fair to wonder how much longer he can keep going to war in the trenches without slipping. The Colts scaled back Buckner's snaps on special teams last year, and they could keep an even closer eye on his workload in 2023.
Buckner will never be as valuable as an IDP as he is on the real football field, but he’s still a conventionally valuable defensive lineman IDP. His modest sack totals restrict him to more of the low-end DL1 range of the defensive line IDP rankings. Buckner is a big snare trap in the middle of the Colts defense who frees up everyone else and still finds time to push for double- digit sacks.
Buckner is truly a foundational talent on the defensive line, single-handedly anchoring the Indianapolis front seven and opening possibilities for the rest of the swarming Colts defense to pursue the ball. At 6-7, 291, with exceptional reach and quickness, Buckner tangles up offensive linemen and obstructs throwing lanes like few can. Despite these responsibilities, Buckner piles up numbers on his own part, too. In recent years he has reliably produced about a 60-tackle, 10-sack range for a 16-game season, and health permitting he should keep that up.
There's no way to know exactly how Buckner will fit into the Indianapolis defense, but there's no doubt that he's an elite talent on the line with unusually strong conditioning. Even as the primary concern of the offensive line on any given play, he always showed the ability to play upwards of 1,000 snaps on the interior line. With the Colts, though, it seems unlikely that he'll play much more than 800 snaps. Still, his per-snap numbers from San Francisco would project to roughly 59 tackles and 6.5 sacks per 800 snaps, so Buckner should provide DL2 utility or better in most IDP formats.
Buckner is an elite defender whose uncommon conditioning allows him to approach 1,000 snaps despite the exhausting task of anchoring the San Francisco defensive line. In his three NFL seasons, Buckner already has 201 tackles, and he really threw down the gauntlet last year by breaking out for 12 sacks on 852 snaps. Offenses have already been doing everything they can to slow Buckner, so his per-snap production is mostly sustainable even if last year was the best-case scenario for sack production. Buckner is a sound DL1 with 70-tackle, 10-sack upside.
The general rule is that defensive linemen see fewer snaps the bigger they are, with the reasonable underlying premise being that bigger linemen get more blocking attention, and thus take more of a beating. Buckner seems immune to that rule. He's a huge lineman at 6-7, 300 pounds, yet he's displayed a freakish level of conditioning and durability to play 1,000 snaps or more in a season. Any lineman who plays that much has an advantage over the field of IDPs, making him a strong bet to rank among the positional tackle leaders.
The 49ers selected Buckner seventh overall last year because he fits like a glove as an end in a 3-4 scheme at 6-7, 300, but he likely will play tackle in the 49ers' new 4-3 scheme this year. It's not ideal to be that tall and line up over guard, but Buckner is a unique enough athlete to produce anyway. He was productive as a 22-year-old rookie starter last year, posting 73 tackles despite missing one game with a foot issue. He logged a lot of plays to get there, however, playing 1,005 snaps, and it might be more realistic to project something like 900 this season.
Rookie 3-4 ends normally don't make IDP noise, but Buckner might be a different breed. A rare athlete at 6-foot-7, 291 pounds with incredible conditioning, Buckner is already a polished product and shouldn't need the acclimation time most DEs would require. He was exceptionally productive at Oregon the last two years, exceeding 80 tackles in both seasons while totaling 30 tackles for loss and 14.5 sacks in just 28 games. He's a boom-or-bust IDP consideration with a low floor, but Buckner might do a good Calais Campbell impression surprisingly early in his career.
More Fantasy News
Window to return from IR opens
DTIndianapolis Colts
Neck
December 10, 2025
Buckner (neck) had his 21-day practice window opened Wednesday, Mike Chappell of FOX 59/CBS 4 Sports reports.
ANALYSIS
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Coach optimistic for return in 2025
DTIndianapolis Colts
Neck
November 21, 2025
Head coach Shane Steichen said Friday that he's optimistic Buckner (neck) will return during the 2025 season, James Boyd of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
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Gets treatment for neck injury
DTIndianapolis Colts
Neck
November 14, 2025
Buckner received regenerative stem cell treatment to address the neck injury that landed him on injured reserve Nov. 7, James Boyd of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
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No timetable for return
DTIndianapolis Colts
Neck
November 10, 2025
Colts coach Shane Steichen said Monday that the team is " very hopeful" that Buckner (neck, IR) will retake the field this season but added he remains without a timetable to return, James Boyd of The Athletic reports.
ANALYSIS
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Placed on injured reserve
DTIndianapolis Colts
Neck
November 7, 2025
Buckner (neck) was placed on injured reserve Friday.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Lands on IR with neck issue
DTIndianapolis Colts
November 7, 2025
Buckner was placed on injured reserve Friday due to a neck injury that he sustained in the Week 9 loss to the Steelers, Nick Shook of NFL.com reports.
ANALYSIS
Buckner will miss the next four games at minimum, although due to the nature of his injury, the veteran could miss more time than that. Buckner has been a key member of the Colts' defensive front, recording 42 tackles, including 4.0 sacks, and 13 quarterback hits overall across nine games.
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