Buffalo Bills

Ian Wheeler

RB

Wheeler signed with the Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2024 before suffering a knee injury that killed all momentum in his rookie season. The running back joined the Saints' practice squad in 2025 before departing the league for the UFL. Wheeler was named United Bowl MVP and rushed for 541 yards over 85 carries in 11 games during the 2026 UFL season. The 24-year-old will compete for a depth spot with the Bills behind 2025 rushing-title winner James Cook.

Dorian Strong

CB

Strong had a productive rookie season, logging reps at outside cornerback throughout the first four weeks of the 2025 season before suffering a career-altering neck injury. The 2025 sixth-round pick was seen at OTAs, but he's not expected to play in 2026 due to the severity of the neck issue. Strong cleared waivers, allowing the Bills to keep him on the roster as he works towards a possible return in 2027.

Max Tomczak

WR

The wide receiver initially signed with Buffalo as an undrafted free agent in April, but he was waived in May. Tomczak caught 225 passes for 3,024 yards and 15 touchdowns in four seasons at Youngstown State.

Deven Thompkins

WR

The wide receiver was cut by Atlanta in May after seeing action as a punt and kick returner for the team in 2025. Thompkins will likely aim to compete for a similar role with the Bills, as he has just 29 regular-season catches across four NFL campaigns.

Joshua Palmer

WR

Palmer was plagued by the injury for a good chunk of the 2025 season in and out of the lineup and ended up missing both of the team's playoff games, but he's feeling much better as prep for the new campaign gets underway. After posting a disappointing 22-303-0 line in his first season with the Bills, Palmer should be able to play more and do more in his next go-around. However, with DJ Moore, Khalil Shakir, Dalton Kincaid and James Cook all ahead of him in the pecking order, Palmer's upside is probably capped unless the Bills get struck with a number of injuries to their passing game.

Cole Bishop

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Bishop has not been participating in the Bills' minicamp due to this knee procedure and will continue to rehab in Buffalo until training camp begins. The third-year pro from Utah posted impressive numbers in 2025, tallying 85 total tackles, including 2.0 sacks, and seven passes defensed, with three interceptions, while playing in all 17 regular-season contests. Once fully healthy, he's expected to remain Buffalo's top strong safety.

Dorian Williams

LB

Brady did not go into detail when speaking about the injury, but he did say that Williams is expected to be ready for training camp in July. In the meantime, veteran free agent acquisition Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles might get some looks with the first-team defense.

Ed Oliver

DT

Back in January, Oliver left Buffalo's loss at Denver in the divisional round early with a knee injury, but the issue does not seem to be bothering him any longer. He projects to start on the Bills' defensive line in 2026 as long as he's available, and he'll be looking to bounce back from a season that saw him appear in just four games as he dealt with biceps and meniscus injuries.

Mac Dalena

WR

The wide receiver signed a reserve/future contract with the Jets in January before being waived by the team in May. Dalena was let go by the Chiefs ahead of the 2025 campaign but spent some time on the Seahawks' practice squad during the season. He has not yet appeared in an NFL regular-season game.

Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles

LB

After spending his 2025 campaign with the Giants, Flannigan-Fowles has found a new home in Buffalo. The 29-year-old appeared in 10 games last season, recording 33 total tackles, including 1.0 sacks, and one pass defensed while playing 330 total snaps (224 on defense, 106 on special teams). Now with the Bills, Flannigan-Fowles is expected to compete for a reserve inside linebacker role ahead of the 2026 season.

Ty Johnson

RB

Johnson missed the Bills' two playoff games back in January but is now 100 percent healthy. He should again handle the pass-game, change-of-pace role behind James Cook in 2026 after Buffalo did nothing to address the running back room over the offseason. Johnson carried the ball 50 times for 200 yards and three touchdowns and added a 24-263-2 line as a receiver across 17 regular-season contests last season.

James Cook III

RB

While OTAs are quote unquote "voluntary," it's a notable absence, as the rest of Buffalo's star players and veteran leaders were in attendance for new coach Joe Brady's first open practice session. There's been no reason given for Cook's absence, and he just signed a new four-year, $46 million contract last summer after "holding in" at training camp. Cook, however, has already fallen behind the top of the running back market after De'Von Achane, Kenneth Walker, Breece Hall and Travis Etienne all received bigger deals this offseason. It's possible Cook is looking at that and pushing for more money after leading the league in rushing with 1,621 yards and 12 touchdowns on a career-high 309 carries last regular season. With Cook idle to begin OTAs, Frank Gore and Ray Davis have seen more reps with the first-team offense, according to Parrino.

DeWayne Carter

DT

Carter, who missed all of the Bills' 2025 season due to a torn Achilles, has now returned to the field and moved past his injury. The 2024 third-round pick from Duke appeared in 11 regular-season games during his rookie campaign, recording 14 total tackles and one pass defensed. Carter also bulked up to 330 pounds this offseason and is expected to compete for meaningful reps at nose tackle.

Terrel Bernard

LB

Bernard missed Buffalo's final three games (including playoffs) last season due to a calf injury. However, his participation in Wednesday's OTAs suggests he's recovered from the issue. The Baylor product dealt with multiple injuries during the 2025 campaign, appearing in just 12 regular-season games and recording 65 total tackles and three passes defensed, including one interception. Now fully healthy, Bernard is expected to remain a crucial part of the Bills' linebacker corps in 2026.

Maxwell Hairston

CB

Hairston didn't play in either of Buffalo's two playoff games last season due to an ankle injury, but it appears he's moved past the issue. The 2025 first-round pick from Kentucky appeared in 11 regular-season contests during his rookie campaign, recording 18 total tackles and five passes defensed, including two interceptions. Entering his second NFL season, Hairston is expected to operate as one of Buffalo's top outside cornerbacks.

Dalton Kincaid

TE

Per Capaccio, Kincaid -- who is bouncing back from a PCL injury -- didn't require an offseason procedure to address the issue, and with regard to his health, the tight end noted Tuesday, "I'd say it's probably the best I've felt in my career at this point in the year...I feel really good." As the coming campaign approaches, Kincaid is set to maintain his key role in a Bills passing offense that has been fortified by the trade acquisition of WR DJ Moore. As long as Kincaid can stay healthy, the 2023 first-rounder should see enough weekly volume to maintain fantasy utility in 2026, on the heels of having recorded a 39-571-5 receiving line in 12 regular-season contests in 2025.

Josh Allen

QB

Allen reported soreness after Week 16 last season that eventually proved to be a fracture of the fifth metatarsal in his right foot. The procedure was performed after the Bills' divisional-round loss in Denver, and he's on track for an expected recovery time of 8-to-10 weeks. Allen is coming off another fantastic season in which he completed a career-best 69.3 percent of his passes for 3,668 yards, 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while rushing 112 times for 579 yards and 14 more TDs in 17 regular-season games. Now that his health isn't a concern, he can begin building chemistry with the Bills' most notable offseason addition, wideout DJ Moore.

Keon Coleman

WR

"I made sure when I got the job, [Coleman] knew he was going to be here and be a part of our offense," said Brady. It's safe to assume Coleman's presence in Buffalo wasn't a sticking point in negotiations when Brady was promoted from offensive coordinator to head coach. Coleman turned 23 on May 17, making him younger than many rookies in the incoming class, but he frankly hasn't shown much on the field to hint at living up to his draft capital (33rd overall in 2024). Bills GM Brandon Beane said in April that he refuted trade offers and now wants to "hit the reset button" on Coleman, who notoriously had a rocky relationship with former head coach Sean McDermott. While Brady called plays for most of those games in which Coleman failed to make an impact, Brady sounds open to letting the 23-year-old compete for a top-three job at wide receiver again. If not Coleman, the Bills have fourth-round pick Skyler Bell and sixth-year pro Joshua Palmer (ankle) as the top candidates for WR snaps behind newcomer DJ Moore and slot specialist Khalil Shakir.

Shane Zylstra

TE

Zylstra is headed to Buffalo after spending his entire four-year career with the Lions. The 29-year-old caught three passes for 20 yards across six games last season and will likely compete for a depth spot on the Bills' roster.

Mike Danna

DE

Danna was released by the Chiefs in late February to clear cap space as the team prepared for the 2026 offseason. The linebacker was with the organization for six years, appearing in 87 regular-season games and starting in 49. The 2026 Bills defense will be switching to a 3-4 front under new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard, and the acquisition of Danna will add further depth to the team's outside linebacker group.

Ja'Mori Maclin

WR

Maclin played for Missouri and North Texas before ending up at Kentucky for his final two collegiate seasons. The wide receiver finished the 2025 season with 13 receptions for 189 yards over 10 games.

Ben VanSumeren

FB

Philadelphia opted not to tender VanSumeren after his third season with the team back in March, but it didn't take long for him to get another shot with a new squad. His 2025 season ended prematurely due to him tearing his patella tendon during the opening kickoff of Week 1, but in the two years prior, his elite speed, strength and explosiveness allowed him to earn opportunities on special teams.

Tommy Doman Jr.

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Being a punter for the Josh Allen Bills is probably one of the cushier jobs on earth, as Buffalo rarely needs to punt and will often times go out of its way for the fourth-down conversion. With that said, Buffalo could still stand to improve on incumbent punter Mitch Wishnowsky, whose average of 45.3 yards per punt ranked 28th among qualifying 2025 punters. Doman was not a great punter himself at Florida (44.0 yards per punt in 2025), but the bar is low with Wishnowsky.

Ar'maj Reed-Adams

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Reed-Adams (6-foot-6, 314 pounds) spent the first three seasons of his collegiate career handling a depth role for Kansas before starting 12 games in 2023 (nine at left guard, three at right tackle). He then transferred to Texas A&M and served as the team's starting right guard from 2024-25. Reed-Adams will turn 25 years old during his rookie year and boasts the experience to make an impact early in his NFL career, so he could press Austin Corbett and/or Nick Broeker for reserve opportunities behind starting guards Alec Anderson and O'Cyrus Torrence.

Toriano Pride Jr.

CB

Pride, out of Missouri, has plenty of speed to keep up with opposing wideouts at the NFL level, posting the second-best 40-yard dash time (4.32) among defensive players at the NFL Combine. However, he's a bit on the smaller side (5-foot-10, 185 pounds) and can struggle with bigger wideouts. He's a solid tackler for his size and likely will be asked to contribute on special teams to maintain a 53-man roster spot.