The Athletic has live coverage of NFL training camp.
After a long wait and, at times, a topsy-turvy offseason, the Buffalo Bills are officially back in action on Wednesday.
The team conducts its first training camp practice of 2026 at St. John Fisher University with several questions to answer after an offseason of significant changes. A new head coach, a new defense and defensive coordinator, and a pretty major roster refresh on that side of the ball to go with it.
Those answers will all come over the next several weeks, as general manager Brandon Beane needs to make some difficult decisions ahead of final cuts. Some years have been easier than others for final cuts, but this year’s group has several decision points currently up in the air.
How could it all shake out at several key spots?
Here is our Bills 53-man roster projection to jumpstart training camp and the official beginning of the 2026 season.
Quarterback (2)
Josh Allen, Kyle Allen
After bringing back Mitchell Trubisky for the last two seasons and having one of the league’s better backup situations, the Bills now have one of the bigger dropoffs from starter to backup in 2026. Kyle Allen and Josh Allen share a close relationship — and that’s something the team values in constructing the quarterback room. The Bills had to choose low-cost options in some areas of the roster, and in this case, they do so at backup quarterback behind a starter who hasn’t missed a game since 2018.
Cut: Shane Buechele
Running back (4)
James Cook, Ray Davis, Ty Johnson, Jackson Acker (FB)
It appears the Bills will go with the trio of Cook, Davis and Johnson for a third straight season. Whether their roles are as defined under Joe Brady as head coach as they were in the last two seasons remains to be seen. The Bills likely will have a new fullback on the 53-man roster this season, filling the role vacated by Reggie Gilliam. I gave the edge to Acker, the undrafted rookie out of Wisconsin, because he has the advantage of being on a three-year deal, is a restricted free agent after that and has more guaranteed money than the veteran free-agent pickup Ben VanSumeren.
Cut: Frank Gore Jr., Ian Wheeler, Ben VanSumeren (FB)
Did Buffalo Bills do enough this offseason?
Robert Mays
Wide receiver (5)
DJ Moore, Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, Joshua Palmer, Skyler Bell
The Bills have a few interesting names who could push for the 53-man roster, but with so many spots needed for their offensive line investments and a new defensive scheme, picking five to make the initial roster seems like the most efficient use of assets at this point. Palmer could be one to monitor, but his versatility within the scheme and knowledge of it make him far more likely to make it than not. Hardman is one to monitor for his punt-returning skills, though he would need to vastly outshine other options for a onesie role. Hardman is also hurt by rookie Skyler Bell having a real chance to earn the same role, and by the fact that Bell is a mid-round pick the team is high on. At some point later in the season, they could get Tyrell Shavers back from his torn ACL, which would be a good way to keep six receivers while initially having only five.
Physically Unable to Perform (PUP): Tyrell Shavers
Cut: Mecole Hardman, Trent Sherfield, Jalen Virgil, Stephen Gosnell, Ja’Mori Maclin, Mac Delena, Max Tomczak, Quentin Skinner
Tight end (3)
Dalton Kincaid, Dawson Knox, Jackson Hawes
With Knox agreeing to a new contract this offseason, the Bills likely keep the same tight end room from 2025. Knox is the balance between the receiving and running games. Kincaid is the top receiving threat in the trio, with the team hoping his role increases from last season. Hawes is the bruising blocker with a better receiving profile than he gets credit for. Rather than who makes the team, the real question under Brady as head coach is how — and how often — they’re deployed.
Cut: Keleki Latu, Shane Zylstra
Offensive line (10)
Dion Dawkins, Connor McGovern, O’Cyrus Torrence, Spencer Brown, Alec Anderson, Austin Corbett, Jude Bowry, Lloyd Cushenberry III, Tylan Grable, Sedrick Van Pran-Granger
Without question, there is a tough decision or two coming from this offensive line group. They have a healthy mix of draft investments and veteran options along their reserve group, putting them in an uncomfortable spot with 11 legitimate rosterable options by the start of the regular season. The Bills generally prefer to keep at most 10 offensive linemen under Beane, setting up a major decision this summer. I think the group it could come down to is between Cushenberry, Grable, Van Pran-Granger, and Chase Lundt.
With it comes an opportunity that Beane generally takes advantage of ahead of final cuts — shipping out a reserve offensive lineman for draft compensation rather than cutting one for nothing. With this year’s group, I landed on Lundt. Although they just drafted Lundt in 2025, things have changed at offensive tackle. The team drafted Bowry in the early fourth round this year, while Grable — who can play tackle or guard — has more positional flexibility than Lundt. Lundt is mostly a right tackle-only prospect. They could look to trade Grable or Van Pran-Granger as well, but as of now, Lundt seems like the most logical candidate.
Traded before final cuts: Chase Lundt
Cut: Ar’maj Reed-Adams, Nick Broeker, Bruno Fina, De’Metrius Weatherspoon, Travis Clayton
Defensive line (6)
Ed Oliver, Deone Walker, T.J. Sanders, Landon Jackson, DeWayne Carter, Zane Durant
The defensive line group is tough to gauge because it has a lot of unknowns. Sanders is transitioning to a new position and could be expected to start. Jackson is coming off a season-ending injury, packed on a bunch of weight and is switching to a new role in a new defense. Carter is making his comeback from a season-ending ruptured Achilles, and whether he can be a rotational nose tackle for them remains to be seen. It could make the case a bit stronger for keeping someone like Phidarian Mathis, who can play a few roles in their defense. However, with very little guaranteed money in his deal, Mathis could be more of a practice-squad type who eventually works his way onto the active roster as injuries occur during the year.
Cut: Phidarian Mathis, Tommy Akingbesote, Zion Logue, Kody Huisman
Edge rushers/outside linebackers (6)
Greg Rousseau, Bradley Chubb, T.J. Parker, Michael Hoecht, Mike Danna, Javon Solomon
The Bills made three noteworthy additions to this group during the offseason: Chubb, Parker and Danna, and Danna’s guaranteed money ($1.26 million) makes him a good bet to make the team. The big question is about Hoecht and his timeline to return to play (torn right Achilles tendon). Things have been trending positively throughout the spring, but Hoecht taking a roster spot to begin the year could weaken the Bills elsewhere. Solomon could be on the roster bubble because of how many outside linebackers are ahead of him, though his special teams abilities make him safe for now.
Cut: Andre Jones Jr., Cade Denhoff
Inside linebackers (4)
Terrel Bernard, Dorian Williams, Kaleb Elarms-Orr, Joe Andreessen
This inside linebacker group has three definites in Bernard, Williams and Elarms-Orr and one near-lock in Andreessen for his special-teams abilities. It remains to be seen if it will be Williams or Elarms-Orr starting next to Bernard to begin the year, or if they work all three into the lineup. The intrigue with this group is high, considering the investments in Bernard and Elarms-Orr, and with Williams in the final year of his rookie deal.
Cut: Keonta Jenkins, Jimmy Ciarlo, Theron Gaines, Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles
Nickel (2)
Dee Alford, Jordan Hancock
Although the Bills haven’t dedicated Hancock to a position at this point, the logical choice is for him to be the primary backup to Alford at nickel. The Bills have plenty of safeties on their roster they added in the offseason and are light at nickel if Hancock wasn’t a part of the group.
Cut: Te’Cory Couch
The Buffalo Bills’ Christian Benford (47), pictured running back an interception for a touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals, leads a cornerback room that is currently light in numbers heading into training camp. (Mark Konezny / Imagn Images)
Cornerback (3)
Christian Benford, Maxwell Hairston, Davison Igbinosun
Three at this position seems light, but it’s fair to note a couple of things. The first: Do not be surprised if the Bills bring in a veteran free agent to round out the room and then subtract elsewhere on the roster. It could happen as early as the initial stages of training camp. They could also deal a younger offensive lineman for a fourth cornerback around final cuts. Second, Alford has experience playing on the boundary and can do so in a pinch if they need him to. So, while this looks light now, the developments are worth watching.
Cut: Toriano Pride Jr., Jordan Dunbar, Kani Walker
Safety (5)
Cole Bishop, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Geno Stone, Jalon Kilgore, Sam Franklin Jr.
Bishop, Gardner-Johnson, Kilgore and Franklin all seem like roster locks at this point. Franklin is more special teams than safety, which means it’s more likely the Bills keep a fifth safety for 2026. At that point, it would come down to Stone against Damar Hamlin. That battle could be fairly wide open, as Stone has more guaranteed money ($187,500) than Hamlin ($25,000), but it’s not enough to be an open-and-shut case for Stone. Regardless, Stone gets the edge ahead of camp for that reason, albeit a slight one.
Cut: Damar Hamlin, Wande Owens
Specialists (3)
Tyler Bass (K), Tommy Doman (P), Reid Ferguson (LS)
We are merely one day away from our most legit #Puntapalooza in years, featuring the incumbent Mitch Wishnowsky against Doman, a rookie and 2026 seventh-round pick. Wishnowsky’s guaranteed money is only $150,000, which paves the way for Doman to win the job as long as he doesn’t outright lose it in practices and preseason games. A tie or even slight edge to Wishnowsky could still go to the rookie — with his cost-controlled four-year rookie deal being a major reason why.
My stopwatch awaits.
Cut: Mitch Wishnowsky (P)
