The Bills and Patriots look built for a tight fight in the AFC East, with Josh Allen and Drake Maye both good enough to keep this thing on a knife’s edge. That makes the small edges matter, and Buffalo may have found one in a place New England still hasn’t solved.
The issue is the Patriots’ pass rush, which Chad Graff of The Athletic pointed to as the team’s biggest unanswered question once the heavy lifting of the offseason was done. For all the talk about New England being a tougher defensive outfit overall, the front still looks like it has more questions than answers.
Milton Williams was a strong free agent addition, but one defensive tackle doesn’t remake an entire line by himself. The Patriots also spent a second-round pick on Gabe Jacas, though he is dealing with a contract dispute tied to an injury.
Harold Landry has shown he still has something left, but injuries have been part of the picture and he looks more like a step below a true No. 1 rusher. Christian Barmore is coming off a rough season, and Dre’Mont Jones doesn’t move the needle much in the rotation.
That’s where Buffalo can lean in. The Bills have their own issues along the defensive line, so this isn’t a spotless area for them either. But the difference is investment: Buffalo has spent multiple years using premium draft capital on the line, which gives the group more upside if even one player pops.
Allen and the Bills’ offensive line should also be in a better spot than they’d be against a more dangerous New England front. Even a thinner Bills roster can look at the Patriots’ current pass rush and feel pretty good about the matchup.
And if the AFC East race really does stay that tight in 2026, that kind of edge could end up mattering a lot. Maye is for real, and even if he slips a little, Buffalo and New England are still likely to be right there with each other all season. In a race like that, the pass rush might be the difference between hosting a playoff game and heading out on the road for the Wild Card round.
In Other News...
Stevie Johnson Just Raised The Stakes For Keon Coleman In Buffalo
Keon Coleman enters this season with more to prove than most third-year receivers, and the backdrop from last year still lingers. He was a healthy scratch for multiple games, his name popped up in trade speculation, and the noise around him only grew after the owners unusual comments, turning what should have been a developmental year into a test of patience and professionalism.
Now he is spending time with Stevie Johnson, one of the more productive receivers in Bills history, in an effort to sharpen the details of his game and reset the conversation. Johnson has been openly bullish on Colemans ceiling, and Buffalos new staff has signaled belief too, with Joe Brady planning to make him a major part of the offseason and Josh Allen voicing confidence in what Coleman can become. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Fans Should Watch This Receiver Battle More Closely Than Expected
Stephen Gosnells path through Buffalo has already followed the familiar undrafted-receiver route: sign, stick around, keep developing, and try to turn offseason reps into something more meaningful. After spending the 2025 season on the practice squad, the wideout is back in the Bills pipeline on a reserve/future deal and was part of offseason workouts heading toward 2026, which keeps him on the radar even if he is still more of a project than a roster lock.
The wider interest here is less about whether Gosnell crashes the 53-man roster and more about how Buffalo chooses to keep grooming him if he doesnt. A return to the practice squad remains a real possibility, and a gameday elevation during the season would not be out of the question if he continues to show growth. For a receiver group that always seems to have one or two jobs open to the right developmental player, Gosnell is the kind of name worth watching a little more closely than his current status suggests. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Fans May Not Have Realized They Just Saw This Pass Rusher's End
Joey Bosas one-year run in Buffalo may already stand as the last chapter of a decorated career, even if nothing has been officially announced. The five-time Pro Bowler gave the Bills real impact last season, staying on the field for 15 games and helping set the tone off the edge with production that fit exactly what Buffalo wanted from a veteran pass rusher.
The Bills have moved quickly to reshape that group since then, adding Bradley Chubb and drafting T.J. Parker to reinforce the pass rush. Bosa remains unsigned as free agency moves on, and for a player who once looked like a premium difference-maker, the longer he stays on the market, the more his lone season in Buffalo starts to look like the end of the line. [Read more 🡒]