Buffalo’s linebacker room is one of the clearest places to watch when training camp opens, and it starts with a rookie who already has a real shot to shake up the depth chart.
Kaleb Elarms-Orr is in the middle of the most important competition in the group. On one level, he’s battling Dorian Williams for the job next to Terrel Bernard.
On another, he’s also trying to position himself as Buffalo’s fallback at Bernard’s own spot if health becomes an issue again. Elarms-Orr has made a strong early impression on the coaching staff, has said he wants the starting job from day one, and has already worked with the first team during minicamps.
Williams’ injury helped create that opening, but it’s still there for the taking. A healthy Williams, though, is no easy target for a rookie to beat out.
That Bernard piece hangs over everything. His talent has never been in doubt, and in 2023 and 2024 he played at a level that belonged among the NFL’s best linebackers.
The problem has been health. He has spent long stretches of recent seasons playing through injuries and taking on blockers in space without much help in front of him.
Jim Leonhard’s new 3-4 system might clean some of that up, but scheme only goes so far. A lot of this still comes down to whether Bernard can stay on the field.
If he can’t, Buffalo needs someone ready.
Joe Andreessen looks like the first man up in that conversation, at least for now, but that role still has to be earned in camp. Keonta Jenkins, Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, Theron Gaines, and Jimmy Ciarlo are all in the mix too, whether that’s for a roster spot or a practice squad look. Ciarlo is more of a special teams piece than a defensive one, but he’s part of the competition all the same.
If the Bills don’t get the answers they need from Bernard, Williams, and Elarms-Orr, the door could stay open for a short-term outside addition. Matt Milano and Shaq Thompson have not retired and have not signed elsewhere, so Buffalo could circle back if the situation calls for it. That isn’t the plan right now, but it remains a possible backup if the depth chart doesn’t settle the way the team wants.
At outside linebacker, the top of the chart is much less dramatic. Greg Rousseau and Joey Bosa should open as the starters in this 3-4, and the bigger issue there is whether they stay healthy, not whether they’re good enough.
T.J. Parker is not walking into a starting role, and Bosa is not losing his job to a rookie on merit.
Still, Parker has a path to meaningful snaps if Bosa runs into physical trouble. If that happens, Parker could end up playing more than the veteran on the other side.
Michael Hoecht is the other name to keep in mind on the edge as he works back from a torn Achilles. He’s the complementary piece Buffalo expects to lean on with Rousseau, Bosa, Parker, and Hoecht forming the group the Bills trust to generate pressure in 2026. Hoecht appears closer to returning than many think, but if he needs more time, the team has other options.
Javon Solomon is trying to carve out a role in a scheme that should fit him better than the old one did, and he could push for snaps if he starts fast. Mike Danna brings the veteran stability in the room and gives the group a solid floor. If Buffalo takes the cautious route with Hoecht, Danna looks like a lock.
Andre Jones Jr. and Cade Denhoff round out the room, though the expectation there is modest. They’ll need to show enough to keep themselves in the conversation for a practice squad spot. For now, the top four at outside linebacker look set.
Two rookies. Two very different paths.
Elarms-Orr has a real chance to win a starting job and serve as insurance at Bernard’s spot at the same time. Parker’s route is narrower, but Bosa’s durability questions keep the door cracked open.
And at the center of it all is Bernard, still the engine of the defense when healthy, with camp set to answer whether Buffalo can finally give him the help he needs.
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