Buffalo Bills football is back, even if only for a preseason tune-up against the Carolina Panthers. For Bills Mafia, that still counts as a welcome return to something resembling real football, with the 2026 NFL season now getting its first on-field look.
There’s plenty new to watch, starting with Joe Brady. After serving as the team’s offensive coordinator, he takes over as head coach for the first time, ending a run of nearly a decade without a new face in that job. On the other side of the ball, the Bills will also have a very different look under Jim Leonhard, who is stepping in as a first-time NFL defensive coordinator.
Of course, preseason always comes with a heavy grain of salt. These games are built to stay plain and predictable, since teams aren’t eager to show their hand before they have to. They’re also a chance for coaches to evaluate roster decisions more than anything else, so the football can be as much about sorting pieces as revealing plans.
Another major storyline is the new Highmark Stadium, which opened to fans last weekend during the “Return of the Blue & Red” practice. This game gives people around the country their first real chance to see the new building on the big screen.
And with that, it’s time to turn it over to the discussion as the Bills face the Panthers. This season, game-day threads will live in one place so everyone can stay in the same conversation.
In Other News...
Bills Mafia Is Already Turning New Highmark Into A Scene
The Bills were only into their first preseason game at Highmark Stadium, and the atmosphere outside already had the familiar edge that comes with Bills Mafia. A journalist on social media reported that a fan tried to climb one of the bison statues near the stadium, a scene that fit neatly with the fan bases well-earned reputation for turning even a tune-up game into an event.
The statues outside Highmark include a large cow, bull and calf, though it was not clear which one drew the attention. Inside, there is also the broken table statue that has become part of the stadiums identity, another reminder that Bills fans do not just show up, they help define the place. Even before the regular season begins, the building already feels like it is surrounded by its own kind of tailgate folklore. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Have 4 More Extension Decisions Fans Should Be Watching
O'Cyrus Torrence is already off the board, and that matters for a Bills team that has spent plenty of time thinking about how to keep its core together. The right guards four-year, $78.4 million extension gives Buffalo a clear signal about where the front office wants to invest, and it also puts a spotlight on the next layer of roster planning as the club looks beyond the most obvious centerpiece deals.
The names worth circling now are Dorian Williams, Ty Johnson, Alec Anderson and Cole Bishop, each in a different spot but all part of the same long-range conversation. Their cases are tied to role, value and the way Buffalo projects them moving forward, which is why these decisions feel more like a roadmap than a list of imminent moves. The Bills do not need to rush any of them, but the way those situations develop will say a lot about how the team wants to shape its depth and keep its cost structure manageable. [Read more 🡒]
Josh Allen And Bills Starters Signal A New Approach In Opener
Josh Allen is set to do something Bills fans have not seen from him in over two years when Buffalo opens the preseason against the Carolina Panthers at the new Highmark Stadium. Allen and other healthy starters are expected to play, a notable shift in approach under new coach Joe Brady as the Bills use the exhibition to get their top group on the field early.
For Allen, the chance to get live snaps in the new building carries more than just preseason value. He said he is ready to play and stressed the importance of getting comfortable in the stadium environment before the regular season, a practical step as Buffalo adjusts to its new home and a more hands-on tuneup plan. [Read more 🡒]