The Bills’ 2025 rookie class didn’t exactly burst onto the scene, but a few names did carve out real footing. Defensive tackle Deone Walker and tight end Jackson Hawes were the two standouts, and both came off Day 3. Now, with the group heading into its second season, the spotlight shifts from first impressions to what each player can become in 2026.
That pressure is already building for the players Buffalo invested the most in. Some got on the field more than others as rookies, but the next step is where the evaluation gets sharper, especially for the guys taken in the first three rounds.
One name that suddenly has a different kind of challenge is cornerback Maxwell Hairston. The Bills stunned the fanbase on the second night of this year’s draft by trading back into the end of the second round to take Ohio State cornerback Davison Igbinosun, even though Buffalo had already used its first-round pick in 2025 on Hairston and still had Christian Benford in the mix.
That move puts Hairston in a tougher spot now. He has to stay healthy and prove he belongs alongside Benford as one of the team’s top two corners.
T.J. Sanders is in a different kind of fight.
Buffalo moved up 15 spots to grab him in the second round last year, but his rookie season didn’t produce much to hang your hat on. He played in 12 games and finished with 16 total tackles.
With the Bills shifting to a 3-4 defense, then adding Phidarian Mathis, drafting Zane Durant, and getting DeWayne Carter set to return from injury, Sanders may be battling just to keep a steady gameday role.
Landon Jackson’s path looks crowded too. The defensive scheme change in Buffalo means the edge rushers are being asked to fit into a new outside linebacker setup, and that includes Jackson.
His rookie year barely got off the ground - he was a healthy scratch for most of the early part of the season, then appeared in just three games before a season-ending injury. With Bradley Chubb in the building, T.J.
Parker added, and other edge rushers being shifted to outside linebacker, Jackson could wind up getting squeezed out.
Deone Walker, though, is the one who looks like he could keep climbing. He was a steal last season, giving Buffalo disruption in the trenches and showing a knack for batting down passes. With Jim Leonhard calling the defense, Walker looks positioned to stay a major factor, and it wouldn’t be a surprise at all if he lands Pro Bowl honors in 2026.
Jordan Hancock faces a steep climb as well. Like Sanders and Jackson, he’s in a crowded defensive back room and will have to earn both a roster spot and actual snaps. The versatility helps - he can play safety and corner - so he should be able to dress, but that doesn’t guarantee meaningful playing time.
Jackson Hawes might be the most encouraging story of the bunch. Nobody expected him to be an instant difference-maker, but he may have been Buffalo’s best draft pick from last year.
He’s excellent as a blocker for James Cook and can also chip in with a few catches when the Bills need them. He fits Joe Brady’s offense perfectly, and with Brady now running the team, Hawes could be even more involved than he was as a rookie.
Chase Lundt appears to be at the back of the line. Buffalo has Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown locked in as starters, and the backup competition includes Lundt, Tylan Grable, Jude Bowry, and Travis Clayton. Unless injuries change the picture, Lundt could see very little of the field in 2026.
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Bills Roster Squeeze Could Put A Surprise Name On The Bubble
With training camp still ahead, the Bills are already facing the kind of roster math that comes with a new coaching staff and a few fresh personnel ideas. Two recent projections of the initial 53-man roster under Joe Brady and defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard show how much can shift when scheme changes meet a crowded depth chart, with familiar names, recent additions and special teams value all carrying extra weight as the team tries to sort out its first version of the roster.
The biggest intrigue is less about the obvious starters than the pressure points at the edges, where a couple of spots could swing on camp performance and how the staff wants to build the back end of the roster. Edge rusher, receiver and fullback all look unsettled, and even a return for Tre'Davious White is part of the conversation in one projection, which is a reminder that these early roster forecasts are really more about reading the tea leaves than making final calls. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Fans Have Every Right To Be Furious Over Christian Benford
Christian Benford has spent his Bills career doing the kind of work that usually earns trust inside a building, even if it does not always translate into national buzz. Since arriving as a 2022 draft pick, he has been a steady starter in Buffalos secondary, limiting damage and giving the defense a reliable presence on the outside. His numbers back up the eye test, too, from a career average of 10.8 yards per catch allowed to a 2025 season in which he held opposing quarterbacks to a career-best 54.4% completion rate.
Benfords production has already drawn some recognition, including Defensive Player of the Year votes in 2024, but the broader conversation still seems to lag behind what he has actually done. A big part of that is the way Buffalos defense is viewed as a whole, which can blur the work of players who consistently hold up their end. So when the leagues latest cornerback discussion came around, Bills fans had every reason to feel like one of their most dependable defenders was once again being treated like an afterthought. [Read more 🡒]
Bills May Have Found An Overlooked Answer For A Crucial Defensive Spot
Buffalos move from a 4-3 look to a 3-4 multiple defense under new coordinator Jim Leonhard has created a fresh opening in the middle of the field, and the Bills have already added a veteran body to help sort it out. The one-year signing gives the team another linebacker with experience in aggressive schemes, the kind of fit that can matter when a defense is being reshaped and every role has to be earned again.
The bigger question is whether he can do enough to stick once camp gets going. He is expected to compete for a rotational inside linebacker job while also helping on special teams, but he arrives with roster-bubble status and faces a crowded path as younger linebackers push for spots of their own. For Buffalo, the appeal is obvious: a low-cost chance to find a useful piece in a defense that is still being built on the fly. [Read more 🡒]