Buffalo Bills

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.

Dorian Strong

CB

It appears Strong is still nursing his neck injury, as he wasn't participating in Tuesday's voluntary OTAs. However, the fact that he's no longer wearing a neck brace is an encouraging sign for his recovery ahead of the 2026 season. The 2025 sixth-round pick from Virginia Tech appeared in four regular-season games during his rookie campaign, recording 10 total tackles across 133 total snaps (87 on defense, 46 on special teams).

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.

Joshua Palmer

WR

Palmer missed Buffalo's two postseason games last season after he was placed on IR due to an ankle injury. It appears he's not quite at 100 percent yet given his limitation to mostly side work Tuesday. However, there's no indication at this point that Palmer is at risk of not being ready for Week 1 of the upcoming regular season.

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.

Desmond Reid

RB

Reid played his first two collegiate seasons at Western Carolina before ending his career with two seasons at the University of Pittsburgh. The running back carried the ball 60 times for 278 yards and two touchdowns, adding 23 catches for 317 yards and two more scores over seven games in 2025. Reid's smaller frame makes him more injury-prone, but he is an explosive athlete who can line up anywhere and make plays in space. If the Bills are looking for someone to take over for Khalil Shakir at punt returner, Reid may have a path to a regular-season roster spot.

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.

P

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

G

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.

Zane Durant

DT

Durant (6-foot-1, 290 pounds) is perhaps undersized as a defensive tackle, but he started the final three seasons of his four years at Penn State and impressed at the NFL Combine, with his 4.75-second 40-yard dash representing the fastest time at the position. As a rookie, he figures to compete for a rotational depth role along Buffalo's defensive front.

Jalon Kilgore

S

Kilgore was a key piece of South Carolina's secondary in all three years of his college career. He was named to the All-SEC Second-Team in 2025, when he logged 54 total tackles and 10 pass defenses (two interceptions) across 11 games. Kilgore lacked some consistency and control on defense, but his size, athleticism and ball-hawking ability makes him a high-risk, high-reward selection on Day 3 of the draft, and he could earn a steady role for himself in the Bills' secondary with strong performances in offseason programs and training camp. Kilgore's main competition for defensive snaps will come from Dee Alford and Damar Hamlin, with veteran C.J. Gardner-Johnson slated to be the Bills' primary option at the nickel corner.

Kaleb Elarms-Orr

LB

Elarms-Orr (6-foot-2, 234 pounds) spent the first three years of his collegiate career at Cal, where he emerged as a starter in 2023 before transferring to TCU. He contributed in a rotational role for the Horned Frogs in 2024 before breaking out with a team-high 130 tackles across 13 games in 2025, including 11 tackles for a loss and 4.0 sacks (both also team-best marks), plus two passes defensed. Elarms-Orr will have time to develop behind starting inside linebackers Dorian Williams (neck) and Terrel Bernard (calf) in Buffalo, and his speed of play (4.47 40-yard dash) should provide him a fair rotational floor as well as the upside to potentially develop into a true playmaker.

Skyler Bell

WR

Bell jumped up draft boards as a senior, compiling 101 catches for 1,278 yards and 13 touchdowns for UConn while leading FBS with seven 100-yard receiving efforts. He sports adequate size at 6-foot, 192 pounds, and he has an above-average ability to get open, but he's struggled with drops throughout his college career, amassing 24 over his four years as a regular contributor. He joins a Buffalo wideout room that has already added talent this offseason by trading for wideout DJ Moore from the Bears, but the club stood pat at wideout in the draft until Bell. Khalil Shakir, Joshua Palmer (ankle) and Keon Coleman all remain on the roster for Buffalo heading into 2026, so Bell may be hard-pressed to earn regular snaps and will likely be primarily relegated to a special-teams role as a rookie. That said, the Bills' receiving unit hasn't been among the better rooms in recent seasons, so there could be room for him to etch out a role in the future if Bell impresses the coaching staff.

Jude Bowry

OT

Bowry (6-foot-5, 314 pounds) played four years at Boston College and emerged as the team's starting left tackle in his final two seasons, though he also contributed at right tackle early in his career. As a rookie, he will slot in for a depth role behind starting tackles Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown. Though Bowry doesn't have collegiate starting experience inside, he may eventually fit in more comfortably against NFL-level competition as a guard rather than tackle.