DeForest
Buckner
DT
#99
DeForest Buckner
#99DT
Indianapolis Colts
Height : 6' 7" · Weight : 295 lbs · Age : 32
NFL record
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | AST | SACK | FF | FR | YDS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Indianapolis Colts | 3 | 14 | 3 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | Indianapolis Colts | 10 | 47 | 30 | 17 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | Indianapolis Colts | 12 | 61 | 24 | 37 | 6.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | Indianapolis Colts | 17 | 81 | 45 | 36 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 26 |
| 2022 | Indianapolis Colts | 17 | 74 | 44 | 30 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 2021 | Indianapolis Colts | 17 | 68 | 40 | 28 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | Indianapolis Colts | 15 | 58 | 37 | 21 | 9.5 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 2019 | San Francisco 49ers | 16 | 62 | 34 | 28 | 7.5 | 2 | 4 | 12 |
| 2018 | San Francisco 49ers | 16 | 67 | 44 | 23 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2017 | San Francisco 49ers | 16 | 61 | 45 | 16 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | San Francisco 49ers | 15 | 73 | 43 | 30 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Contract
Indianapolis Colts payroll →- 2026 cap number
- 26.60 M$
- Average per year
- 23.00 M$
- Total value
- 46.0 M$
- Seasons left
- 2 · through 2027
2026
26.60 M$
Partially guaranteed
2027
7.20 M$
Not guaranteed
Cap number: the season's salary plus the share of the signing bonus spread over the contract. Total value and average per year cover the whole contract, from its signing.
Advanced stats, 2026 Interior defensive line
NFL stats →2026 season, in progress (3 games played). The percentile ranks the player among regular interior defensive line: 90th means better than 90% of them.
Tackles
14
95th percentile
Sacks
3.0
96th percentile
Pressures
4
70th percentile
QB hits
4
84th percentile
Tackles for loss
2
74th percentile
Forced fumbles
0
44th percentile
Passes defended
1
80th percentile
Missed tackle rate
6.7 %
88th percentile
Defensive snaps
163
90th percentile
Games
3
Regular season. Data: nflverse (play-by-play, snap counts), Next Gen Stats, Pro Football Reference. EPA: expected points added. CPOE: completion percentage over expected.
2026 end-of-season projection
NFL trends →Projected WAR
0.3
Games
17
WAR 2026
0.1
Games played
3
WAR already earned, plus his pace (WAR per game over the last three seasons, 60/25/15, pulled toward the group average) over his team's remaining games, given his availability so far.
Trend
→ Stable (0)
- 20230.3 WAR · 0.018 per game
- 20240.3 WAR · 0.025 per game
- 20250.2 WAR · 0.020 per game
- 20260.1 WAR · 0.033 per game
The trend compares this season's WAR per game with last season's, weighted by games played.
Outlook, age included
-30 · 32 y.o. · the age when performance usually declines
It is only a projection. It knows nothing about injuries, trades or role changes.
Player ratings, 2026
All ratings →Ratings from 0 to 100, computed over four seasons from data, never by hand, against regulars in the same position group. 75 = established regular, 87 = 90th percentile, 95+ = elite.
OV · Overall
90
Star
- PRS
- Pass rush
- 89
- RDF
- Run defense
- 92
- TCK
- Tackling
- 90
- DUR
- Durability
- 64
- EX
- Experience
- 86
Why these ratings?Hide details
- PRS — Pass rush : Pressures, sacks and QB hits, per snap
- RDF — Run defense : Run tackles and tackles for loss, per snap
- TCK — Tackling : Tackles made and missed tackles
- DUR — Durability : Games played out of his team's, over several seasons
- EX — Experience : Seasons in the NFL
WAR and PAL Rating, 2026
How we rate →WAR: the EPA (expected points added) of every play, above replacement level, shared among those who made it, then converted to wins (35.3 points = one win). PAL Rating scores performance from 0 to 100 against regulars in the same group (50 = median).
WAR
0.1
#2 of 47 regular interior defensive line
PAL Rating
86 / 100
#7 of 47 regular interior defensive line
Value Rating · 2025
96 / 100
2025 PAL (98) against 2026 salary: the contract's average per year (APY), $23.0M.PAL expected for this salary: 69PAL: dimensions
Where WAR comes from (in wins)
Half the EPA of his sacks, interceptions, passes defended, forced fumbles, tackles for loss and QB hits, against his position's average per snap.
Yards allowed per target against his position's average, 0.12 points per yard (measured).
Replacement level: the share of defense the league spends on his position (by payroll), prorated by snaps.
How much better or worse than average his team's defense was (EPA allowed), minus what is already credited to players, prorated by snaps.
The individual part is splash plays and coverage. The rest is the position share and his team's defense, split by snaps played.
| Season | Team | G | WAR | PAL | OV | Tkl | Sacks | Prss | TFL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | IND | 3 | 0.1 | 86 | 90 | 14 | 3.0 | 4 | 2 |
| 2025 | IND | 10 | 0.2 | 98 | 92 | 47 | 4.0 | 20 | 9 |
| 2024 | IND | 12 | 0.3 | 95 | 92 | 57 | 6.5 | 19 | 8 |
| 2023 | IND | 17 | 0.3 | 98 | 97 | 71 | 8.0 | 25 | 10 |
| 2022 | IND | 17 | 0.4 | 93 | 93 | 64 | 8.0 | 29 | 10 |
| 2021 | IND | 17 | 0.1 | 85 | 90 | 56 | 7.0 | 27 | 10 |
DeForest Buckner in five questions
What are DeForest Buckner's stats in 2026?
DeForest Buckner has 3 sacks and 4 QB hits in 3 games in 2026.
How old and how tall is DeForest Buckner?
DeForest Buckner is 32 years old. He is 6'7" (201 cm) and weighs 295 lb (134 kg).
How good is DeForest Buckner?
DeForest Buckner produced 0.1 wins above replacement (WAR) in 2026 (season in progress), 3rd of 47 players at his position in the NFL. His PAL rating is 86 out of 100: excellent for his position.
What number does DeForest Buckner wear, and what team does he play for?
DeForest Buckner plays for Indianapolis Colts in the NFL, at DT, and wears number 99.
What is DeForest Buckner's projection for 2026?
Our projection has him at 0.3 WAR over the full 2026 season, based on his weighted recent seasons and age.
