Is the Bills 2026 roster better than 2025?

Q: How does the Buffalo Bills 2026 wide receiver group compare to 2025?

The 2026 wide receiver group is considered better due to the acquisition of D.J. Moore and the addition of Skyler Bell.

Q: What changes have occurred in the Buffalo Bills offensive line for 2026?

The offensive line is viewed as worse for 2026 due to the departure of David Edwards and changes in coaching staff.

Q: Who are the key players in the Buffalo Bills 2026 roster?

Key players include quarterback Josh Allen, new wide receiver D.J. Moore, and tight end Dalton Kincaid.

Q: What improvements are expected in the Buffalo Bills defensive line for 2026?

The defensive line is expected to improve under new coaching, focusing on simplifying responsibilities and enhancing run defense.

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JANUARY 18: DJ Moore #2 of the Chicago Bears carries the ball Los Angeles Rams during the first quarter in the NFC Divisional Playoffs at Soldier Field on January 18, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) | Getty Images After the first non-AFC East winning campaign since 2019, the Buffalo Bills can reasonably look for clear improvement in many key areas of their roster for the 2026 season. Let’s go position-by-position, identifying which position groups are better or worse than last year’s iteration for the Bills. Quarterback: **Push** — Sure, there’s a new backup quarterback (Kyle Allen), who doesn’t have anywhere close to the starting experience of Mitch Trubisky, yet this is all about Josh Allen. If anything, it wouldn’t be crazy to assume Allen gets a little boost from having his offensive play-caller now as his head coach. Remember, during his introductory press conference, Joe Brady said “everything this organization does is with Josh Allen (and the players) in mind.” Running back: **PUSH** — It’s the exact same group as a season ago, and is not even close to the dreaded 1,500-carry cliff yet. He’s at 982 career NFL carries, counting the playoffs. Wide receiver: **Better** — An easy one after the trade to acquire D.J. Moore and the fourth-round selection of Skyler Bell. I will say, this was a low to bar to pass. Just think, a year ago at this time, Buffalo’s receiving depth chart was , , , and . Now it’s Moore, Shakir, Palmer, and Bell. Not an elite group, nor even close to it. Yet noticeably better. Offensive line: **Worse** — was a heady, durable, mostly reliable left guard, and he’s gone from one of the steadiest offensive lines in football a season ago. That hurts. I may be in the minority here, but don’t believe ’s departure is big at all. His athletic upside was never quite realized, and when he was forced to play, things got ugly on the right side. Van Demark was well-versed in the offensive line’s scheme that will no longer be instituted by Aaron Kromer, the latter of whom retired this offseason. Adding a Kromer disciple in Pat Meyer, should mitigate some of the negative impact of Kromer no longer roaming the sidelines. The losses of Edwards, Kromer, and Van Demark are a departure from the prior seasons that saw essentially no changes up front for the Bills. It is now a super-deep group, particularly on the inside, thanks to draft additions of fourth-rounder Jude Bowry and the supremely long Ar’maj Reed-Adams. Tight end: **Better** — While the personnel is unchanged, I’m banking on two developments that lead to this “better” distinction, the first being staying more healthy in 2026 than either of the past two seasons. After all, he played 26.6% of the offensive snaps in 2025 and 43.2% in 2024. It’s sensible to envision a positive regression to the mean with him on the injury front. The other development… more receiving opportunity and production from second-year tight end , who instantly settled in as one of the league’s best blocking tight ends as a rookie, before he had a full year in an NFL strength and conditioning program. Even if misses a game or two — he appeared in all 17 regular-season contests — this position group should collectively be more effective in 2026. Defensive line: **Better** — Run defense is the culmination of an entire unit’s efforts, yet Buffalo’s inability to stop the run in 2025 was largely due to the club’s up-front issues. played 11% of the snaps during the regular season. Heck, and played nearly double the amount of snaps. Buffalo finished (regular season, non-garbage time), and seventh against the pass. The Bills were 20th in the NFL in sacks during the regular season with 36. This “better” selection is not seismic, nor is it based on entirely new personnel. In fact there are far fewer experienced pieces. Now under Leonhard’s watch, Buffalo’s defensive line won’t have such a lengthy list of job responsibilities, and the veterans of a season ago were on their last legs, like Da’Quan Jones, Ogunjobi, and Phillips. Edge rusher: **Better** — played the third-highest percentage of snaps (44.6%) among Buffalo edge rushers in 2026 and registered just 28 pressures during the regular season. ’s second-highest snap rate at the position was good for only 12 pressures in the final seven games before the playoffs. Neither were anywhere close to good enough. Enter heady veteran , who still has a reasonable amount of juice at 29 years old, and second-round selection T.J. Parker, one of the most no-nonsense, NFL-ready edge defenders in the 2026 draft class. We may not see until October or November, but I’m going to bet he plays more than the 6.5% of the snaps he appeared on in 2025. Consider less run-defense demands on his position now, and it’s a no-brainer — the edge-rusher spot is better entering the 2026 campaign. Linebacker: **Push** — This was a patched-together unit in 2025 because of ’s injuries. Bernard is now presumably healthy, and even with and currently unsigned, I like the upside of this group, due to ’ exquisite fit in a more confined inside linebacker role, and the fourth-round addition of a , Kaleb Elarms-Orr. This wasn’t a spectacular position group in 2025, and I don’t expect it to feature multiple Pro Bowlers in 2026 either. Depth could be tested, yet it’s a younger, more explosive/athletic linebacker contingent this season. Cornerback: **Better** — A season ago, after at safety, the two players who appeared on the highest percentage of defensive snaps for the Bills were (81%) and Tre’Davious White (71.3%). The latter might be miscast in a new scheme with more of a man-coverage emphasis, which could speak to why he remains unsigned. Max Hairston was built to play one-on-one man coverage, and he’s entering Year 2 with a clean bill of health after he played just 35.4% of the snaps a season ago. Say what you want about the player, , and , but the Bills have invested a second-round pick at the outside position to give that specific group better depth and certainly more upside, on paper, than it’s had in a while. In the slot, is an athletic upgrade over the previously super dependable who saw his productivity dip the past two seasons. Safety: **Better** — Let’s be frank, Buffalo’s safety play opposite Bishop was an abomination at times in 2025. Unironically, steadied the ship at the other safety spot, but he didn’t play until Week 6 and ultimately appeared on just 43.5% of the team’s defensive snaps. The only place to go for the play of Buffalo’s safety position is up. Bishop enters a pivotal Year 3 after a breakout sophomore campaign. The group adds the pesky and always-productive and highly athletic rookie Jalon Kilgore. and represent quality depth here too. What do you think? Where are the Bills worse in 2026? Where are they better?