Buffalo’s offense has done its part for years. The problem has been the other side of the ball, where the Bills have too often come up short when the pressure spikes. That’s why all eyes are on Jim Leonhard as he takes over the defense in 2026, with a roster that mostly looks familiar and a fan base already bracing for the same old questions before training camp even starts.
There’s plenty of reason for optimism, though, and it starts with the idea that this group could finally look like a real unit instead of a collection of pieces. If Leonhard gets what he needs from his personnel, the Bills could make a noticeable leap in a hurry.
One of the biggest swings involves the cornerback room. Christian Benford has already grown into one of the league’s better perimeter corners, but the other side has been less settled.
Maxwell Hairston, Buffalo’s 2025 first-round pick, flashed before injuries slowed his rookie year. The bet here is that Hairston settles in opposite Benford and the two become one of the NFL’s elite corner tandems.
Under Leonhard, Hairston is expected to tap into the upside that made him such an appealing pick in the first place.
The pass rush is another area where the Bills need a real jump, and a jump is exactly what’s being forecast. Buffalo finished 20th in the league with 36 sacks in 2025, a number that says plenty about how often the rush failed to show up.
But Leonhard’s reputation is built on creating pressure without needing a superstar edge rusher, and this roster has enough solid pieces for him to manufacture more disruption. Last season, 45 sacks would have been enough to crack the Top 10, and that kind of climb is being viewed as possible.
Bradley Chubb is the name tied most directly to that improvement. The outside linebacker signed a three-year deal earlier this year, and the expectation is that he can deliver the kind of production Buffalo has been missing.
Chubb had 11 sacks for the Miami Dolphins before his 2024 ACL injury wiped out that season, then came back with 8.5 sacks last year. Two years removed from surgery, he’s projected to be healthier and more dangerous, with a chance to post the best sack total by a Bill since Lorenzo Alexander’s 12.5 in 2016.
The run defense may be the clearest place for a turnaround. Last season, Buffalo gave up 2,315 rushing yards and more than 136 yards per game, numbers that made the problem impossible to ignore.
A new scheme alone should help, and the Bills have athletes like safety Cole Bishop, tackle Ed Oliver, edge rusher Gregory Rousseau, and tackle Deone Walker who can help push that group toward league average. The prediction here is a finish inside the Top 15, which for Buffalo could be enough to change the feel of the entire defense.
That’s the larger point with this unit in 2026. The offense already lives near the top of the league.
The defense doesn’t need to become perfect, but it does need to stop dragging the team down in the biggest moments. If Leonhard can coax more from the pass rush and steady the run defense, the Bills may finally have the balance they’ve been chasing.
In Other News...
Bills May Have An Overlooked Defensive Draft Steal After All
The Bills spent the 2026 draft leaning into defense, using six of their 10 picks on that side after trading away seven selections before the weekend. Among that group, fifth-round safety Jalon Kilgore from South Carolina has a chance to be the kind of late pick that quietly matters, the sort of versatile defensive back who can help against both the pass and the run while fitting into multiple alignments.
Kilgore's appeal is not just about where he was taken, but how he might fit into a safety room that gives a rookie some room to grow. With C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Geno Stone on short-term deals, the Bills may not have a long-term answer locked in at the position, which leaves open a path for Kilgore to begin on special teams and work his way toward a bigger role sooner than expected. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Fans Just Got A Troubling Dorian Strong Update
Dorian Strongs debut season with the Bills started with real promise, as the sixth-round pick opened 2025 in the starting lineup opposite Christian Benford. But a neck injury in Week Four against the Saints ended that rookie year early, and the setback has lingered long enough to reshape the conversation around one of Buffalos young defensive backs.
The Bills have since waived Strong with an injury designation and moved him to the Non-Football Injury list, a sign that this is no ordinary camp battle or depth-chart wrinkle. For a player who looked like he might carve out a role right away, the bigger question now is simply whether he can get back on the field and rejoin the mix at all. [Read more 🡒]