During the offseason, the Buffalo Bills didn’t do a ton of work in their inside linebacker room even though many people argued that they should have. The team ultimately let Shaq Thompson and Matt Milano walk in free agency, but they still remain unsigned up to this point. However, Thompson had recently visited a division rival of the Bills in the New England Patriots.
The Bills most notable addition that they made to the room was the drafting of Kaleb Elarms-Orr, who could find himself as a starter come Week 1. Now, the outside linebacker position is a little bit more different because not only did the Bills move some of their edge rushers from last year more outside, but they also brought in players like Bradley Chubb, Mike Danna, and T.J. Parker.
However, the inside linebacker room is a unit that fans are going to be watching, and ESPN's Mike Clay recently listed this unit as one to watch for this season.
Fans must be on close lookout for Bills' linebacker room in 2026
Clay recently broke down each positional group going into this season, separating them by best, worst, and one to watch for in 2026. The Bills’ off-ball linebacker room is intriguing simply because of the different defensive philosophy under Jim Leonhard, as compared to what Sean McDermott ran for nearly a decade.
"Terrel Bernard remains the team's top LB, but he has battled injuries (nine total games missed) and ineffectiveness (poor Pro Football Focus grades) in each of the past two seasons. Running mate Dorian Williams has generally been a situational player, but he might need to play an expanded role this season. Fourth-round rookie Kaleb Elarms-Orr and special-teamer Joe Andreessen are his primary competitors for snaps. Due to its LB situation, Buffalo could lean a bit more on three-safety looks in the post-Sean McDermott era." said Clay.
Buffalo's defense is set to look way different than what it has been in the past. Now, that could be a great thing and based on what the defense has looked like in the last two preseason games, The linebacker room in the middle of the defense has one true starter in Terrel Bernard, but then it's up for grabs after that.
Joe Andreessen is a solid special teams player who can step in on the defense in the short-term if needed. However, it's expected that either Dorian Williams or Kaleb Elarms-Orr will be the one playing alongside of Bernard.
The Bills have one more preseason game to play this coming Thursday back at Highmark Stadium, and it's one more chance to see what works for Jim Leonhard and figure out who will be running out on the field as a starter next to Bernard in Week 1 when the Bills go to take on the Houston Texans in September to open up the season.
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