The Buffalo Bills are a talented team, and a flawed one too. Their roster in riddled with great young men on long-term contracts; Yet, uncertainty roams freely. The team currently has 21 players on it's 90-man roster who are only contracted through 2026. The talent level ranges from simple bodies filling out the training camp roster to bonafide stars.
It's the upper tier we're focusing on. Impactful players who will see the field this season, fighting for their next contract on the Buffalo Bills, or elsewhere. The group is varied, but any of these players will have to prove their worth for 2027 and beyond.
Contract-year players who have to shine for Bills in 2026
Joe Andreessen - LB
The Bills' former UDFA and hometown hero Joe Andreessen is a competent linebacker. He offers much to Buffalo, from special teams ability to forceful tackling, but he's in the third and final season of his rookie contract. For a former undrafted free agent, his career has been nothing short of incredible.
If he intends to continue it, he has a prime opportunity to showcase his talent in 2026. The Buffalo Bills have room for as many as two new starters at linebacker, and Andreessen can be one of them. If he steps up in training camp and proves he belongs on the field this season, he could score big in free agency, either on the Bills or anywhere else.
Stepping up in training camp turns him into a contractable starter. Stepping up during this season makes the Bills' defense a potential nightmare for offenses. Joe Andreessen cannot afford to drop the ball this season.
Dorian Williams - LB
Dorian Williams and Joe Andreessen have a lot in common. Though they have different body types, roles, and skillsets, they're both fighting for those coveted starting spots in their final season under contract. Dorian Williams, however, has a larger body of work to prove himself with. Though he's still going to have to go to training camp and earn his place, he's expected to find a deal next year.
Williams is fighting less for a spot, and more for a premium one. When Dorian Williams either hits or avoids free agency in 2027, he'll do it on the back of this season's performance. With one of the Andreessen-Williams duo seemingly destined for a big role, they have a lot to fight about.
Whether it's Dorian Williams or Andreessen who takes the lead in 2026, who ever does will have to play very well to hold it. The defense needs one of these two to prove it against true opposition.
O'Cyrus Torrence - OG
The best player on this list is the only one guaranteed a starting spot, as it should be. The issue for O'Cyrus Torrence isn't whether he draws top-tier contract offers, but whether he proves himself so invaluable that the Bills can't afford to lose him. As it stands, they can't afford to pay and keep him.
With a great season in 2026, Torrence can get top dollar without having to move cities. If he does end up heading out, it will be because the Bills had faith in finding similar talent cheaply in the offseason. Torrence can step up in 2026, and remove that faith.
He's been excellent for three seasons, and another great year keeps the Bills run game consistent and their passing game dangerous. O'Cyrus Torrence will surely do it again.
Chauncey Gardner-Johnson - S
Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, or 'CJGJ', has already had a remarkable career for an NFL safety. When he makes this list, as a player who 'must step up' in 2026, it has nothing to do with his career and everything to do with the Bills' urgent requirement for elite safety play.
CJGJ brings the attitude and the veteran presence to a safety room filled with young promise. If he can do that in 2026, this secondary will benefit enormously.
Ty Johnson - RB
As Ray Davis takes the RB2 spot towards a returner job, Ty Johnson has stepped into a more consistent role alongside James Cook. In the final year of his deal, the Bills' third-down running back has shown himself capable and reliable. He will get another contract, here or elsewhere, but his performance in 2026 will determine the result of some games.
Ty Johnson is trusted in countless urgent scenarios, whenever James Cook has to come off the field. To stumble in those moments is to lose a game for the Bills- It cannot happen in a critical season like 2026.
Alec Anderson - OG
The Bills lack of certainty at left guard is the biggest hole on the roster as of now. They lost David Edwards to the New Orleans Saints, and failed to cash in on a long-term replacement. Alec Anderson returned on a one-year deal for the job. The team did ultimately draft G Ar'maj Reed-Adams in the 7th round to compete, but the starting spot is currently Anderson's.
Truly, it's the only place on this roster guaranteed to have some level of dropoff from 2025's level of play. Edwards deserved the contract he got, and the Bills couldn't have paid it. Anderson becomes a critical weak spot on the line. By stepping up and coming close to the talent and consistency that preceded him, Alec Anderson can raise the floor for the entire Buffalo offense. If he does that, he can guarantee a future for the Bills' Super Bowl window, and a fnice paycheck for himself.
Add us as a preferred source on Google