The Buffalo Bills have one of the league’s best rosters heading into the 2025 season, but there are a few players who are entering contract years who need to outperform expectations to stick around. Here are three players who need to step up big time during the upcoming season for the Bills.
3 players who must step up for Bills in a contract year
Damar Hamlin
The safety position might be the weakest group on the roster for the Bills heading into the 2025 season, but they are hopeful that Damar Hamlin will take a big step forward this year. Hamlin started 14 games for the Bills during the 2024 season, recording 89 tackles and two interceptions.
However, his play wasn’t up to par, and the Bills could consider replacing him in season if he were to struggle. Cole Bishop is a second-round pick from the 2024 draft, and he figures to be a factor in the safety rotation. Jordan Hancock is another intriguing player who could steal snaps if Hamin were to struggle.
With Hamlin being a free agent in 2026, he needs to put together a strong season in order to warrant a contract from Buffalo. The Bills are counting on Hamlin improving this year, otherwise, the safety position could end up being their Achilles’ heel all season long.
Matt Milano
It’s a shame what injuries have done to Milano as he was one of the league’s best linebackers not long ago. But Milano will be a free agent after the 2025 season (two void years left on his deal) and it’s fair to wonder what his football future will look like as he is set to enter his age-31 season.
Milano has played just nine regular-season games over the last two seasons and hasn’t looked like the 2022 version of himself. Milano was a first-team All-Pro selection that year, but the injuries have piled up since, robbing him of the prime of his career. Still, there is hope that he can recapture his 2022 form, and this is the healthiest he's been entering training camp in several years.
The Bills are hoping that a healthier Milano will make a big impact in 2025, but another down season could lead to Buffalo moving on entirely in 2026. If Milano can't stay healthy this year, don't be surprised if this is his last year in the NFL.
Joey Bosa
The Bills signed Bosa this offseason to a lucrative one-year deal with the hopes that he can be a difference-maker in the postseason. But the knock on Bosa throughout his career has been his inability to stay on the field. He’s played just 941 total snaps on defense over the past three seasons, and it’s fair to wonder how much he has left despite just turning 30 in July.
Bosa is already dealing with a calf injury, and it remains to be seen when he’ll practice. But if Bosa can’t stay on the field consistently this year, it’s likely that he won’t return in 2026. The Bills are taking a big swing on his talent, hoping he can make the difference in the postseason. Bosa needs to put together a strong season if he wants to continue to earn big-time deals in free agency.