Josh Allen’s place near the top of ESPN’s preseason Top-100 says plenty about how the league views the Buffalo Bills heading into 2026.
Allen checked in at No. 2 overall, trailing only Los Angeles Rams edge rusher Myles Garrett, who landed at No. 1 after setting NFL records last season. For Buffalo, it’s another reminder that the team’s ceiling still starts with its quarterback.
That kind of ranking fits the arc of Allen’s career. He has finished top-five in MVP voting in each of the last four seasons and won the award in 2024. Even without a Super Bowl title in Buffalo, his production has kept him in the conversation as one of the NFL’s elite players.
The Bills are entering the season with plenty of attention and pressure attached. After years of falling short in the playoffs, the front office moved on from head coach Sean McDermott and promoted Joe Brady to the job. That shift puts even more on the plate of a team that’s being talked about as a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
Brady’s confidence in Allen is already clear. He said Allen is the best player in football ahead of the new season, a strong statement that matches the way Buffalo is building around its quarterback.
The Bills also made a move to help him by trading for wide receiver D.J. Moore this offseason.
That addition should take some of the burden off Allen, who has too often had to carry the offense almost by himself. When he was even a little off, the Bills sometimes paid for it.
Now the pressure turns back to performance. Allen has the ranking, the resume and the supporting cast to justify the buzz. Whether Buffalo finally breaks through will depend on whether he can deliver another big year when it matters most.
In Other News...
Bills Just Added A Familiar Name To Their Quarterback Room
The Bills wasted little time filling out their practice squad after trimming to 53, and one of the more interesting names in the group is Luke Buechele. The quarterback has been around the block a bit, with prior stops on both the Chiefs and Bills practice squads as well as time on active rosters, giving Buffalo another familiar depth option as it settles its back end.
Buechele also brings a little recent game experience after appearing in one game for Kansas City in 2025, and his college background at SMU and Texas gives him a sturdy football resume. For Buffalo, the move is less about headlines than continuity, but adding a quarterback who already knows the terrain can matter once the season starts asking for emergency answers. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Add A Former Top Pick With Everything To Prove
The Bills have settled their 53-man roster and filled out the practice squad, and the moves brought a little of everything: familiar names coming back, new depth at key spots and at least one addition that stands out because of his pedigree. Buffalo also lost cornerback Toriano Pride Jr. on waivers to the Browns, but the larger picture was the wave of signings that followed, including wide receiver Greg Dortch and offensive lineman Jedrick Wills Jr.
Wills is the most intriguing name in the group because the former top-10 pick arrives with something to prove after missing last season and failing to make the Bears final roster. For a Bills team that is always balancing development with immediate depth, the practice squad offers him a reset and Buffalo a low-risk look at whether there is still starter-level talent waiting to be unlocked. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Roster Choice Leaves One Position Looking Dangerously Thin
The Bills 53-man roster is in place for 2026, and Brandon Beane has made clear he believes the group has what it takes to chase a championship. Even so, the final build leaves some obvious pressure points, including a thinner-than-ideal cornerback room and a relatively lean collection of wideouts and tight ends. Christian Benford, D.J. Moore, Dalton Kincaid and Keleki Latu are among the players who made the cut as Buffalo settled on its opening-day shape.
One of the more notable choices was on offense, where the Bills chose not to carry a traditional fullback. Instead, they are planning to lean on tight end Jackson Hawes when that role is needed, a move that adds versatility but also trims away a layer of insurance. For a team talking about big-picture goals, it is the kind of roster decision that can look smart in August and a little more precarious once injuries and game plans start piling up. [Read more 🡒]