Buffalo spent the offseason patching holes, but one spot still carries more uncertainty than the rest: linebacker.
That’s the area that stands out as the Bills head toward training camp, even after Brandon Beane added DJ Moore to the offense, signed Bradley Chubb to boost the pass rush, and kept pouring draft capital into the defense. The roster has been reinforced in a lot of places. Linebacker remains the group with the most to answer for.
Terrel Bernard is still a core piece and one of the defense’s most dependable players when he’s on the field. The issue is simple enough: he hasn’t played a full season since 2023, and availability is part of the conversation now.
The questions don’t stop there. Dorian Williams has shown the kind of athleticism and physicality that made him such an intriguing pick, but the next step is consistency. To lock down an every-down role, he has to process plays faster, survive in coverage, and turn those flashes into production over a full season.
Then there’s the depth behind them, and that’s where the uncertainty gets even louder. Rookie Kaleb Elarms-Orr will have a shot to compete for a starting job, but he is still a rookie. Beyond him, Buffalo has options, but not much proven reliability if injuries start to stack up.
That matters because the Bills are expecting a lot from the front. Bradley Chubb, rookie T.J.
Parker, Greg Rousseau’s continued growth, and Ed Oliver’s presence all point to a pass rush that could be one of Buffalo’s best in recent years. If that group hits, it should make the linebackers’ jobs easier.
But football cuts both ways. If the linebackers can’t hold up against the run or stay connected in coverage, offenses will still hunt the middle of the field, no matter how disruptive the front four looks.
So the questions are clear: Can Dorian Williams take the next step? Can the depth survive if injuries hit? Can this group deal with athletic tight ends and running backs all season long?
Those answers will go a long way toward deciding how complete Buffalo really is. If the Bills get them, they’ll have one of the more balanced rosters in the league. If they don’t, linebacker could be the soft spot opponents keep coming back to as Buffalo pushes for a Super Bowl.
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