The Buffalo Bills once again enter training camp with Josh Allen as their starting quarterback. Still, the burning question every year is: what changes did general manager Brandon Beane make to the rest of the offense to surround Allen with better playmakers for him to throw to?
Another question we would ask is how new head coach Joe Brady will perform in Year 1 after being promoted to replace former head coach Sean McDermott, whom owner Terry Pegula fired. With all these questions being thrown around, the Bills do indeed have answers as they will look to show off their newly revamped offense under new offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael, Jr.
Let's take a look at how the Bills' 2026 roster compares to the 2025 roster.
Will Bills' 2026 roster be better than their 2025 roster?
Thinner in backup quarterback room
While Josh Allen will still be the starter going into 2026, the backup quarterback room this year looks worse than it did in 2025. Last year's backup, Mitch Trubisky, will now be backing up Cam Ward and the Tennessee Titans, as he agreed to a two-year deal worth $10.5 million. That is a solid deal for a reputable backup quarterback in the NFL.
While third-stringer Shane Buechele returns to the room in 2026, the Bills brought in a familiar friend for Josh: former Carolina Panthers and Detroit Lions reserve quarterback Kyle Allen.
Kyle Allen previously had a one-year stint with the Bills, backing up Josh Allen in 2023, when current head coach Joe Brady took over as interim offensive coordinator after Ken Dorsey was fired following a 24-22 home loss to the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football.
Still, losing Trubisky really hurts the team if something were to happen to Josh this year. Both Kyle Allen and Buechele are players who could win a few games, but neither could carry the team to the Super Bowl if Josh were hurt for a long stretch of the season.
Big gap at fullback to replace after losing Reggie Gilliam to AFC East Rival
While the running back room is still ready to go with 2025 rushing champion James Cook, as well as Ray Davis and Ty Johnson returning, the Bills will have to figure out in training camp who will replace Reggie Gilliam as the team's new starting fullback.
Gilliam was an undrafted free agent out of the University of Toledo in 2020 and enjoyed a solid six-year stint as the Bills' tough-nosed fullback, helping them in various ways on offense.
He could catch passes out of the backfield for fullback screens and block for Cook in heavy personnel groupings, but his calling card was helping No. 17 of the Bills get those tough first-down yards during their version of the "Tush Push Play".
But the reality is the Bills couldn't afford to pay Gilliam the 3-year, $12 million contract the Patriots were willing to fork over due to salary cap problems. That means the Bills now reset the fullback market, starting with either former Wisconsin Badger fullback Jackson Acker or former Philadelphia Eagles fullback Ben Van Sumeren.
While the Bills made a financially smart move by deciding to move on from Gilliam, his immediate impact will be missed out there in 2026 as it was in 2025.
Receiver corps should be light years better than in 2025
The Bills made a statement to the rest of the league that they meant business about trading for a No. 1 wide receiver and another slot receiver to their 2026 room that they lacked in 2025. The trade acquisition of D.J. Moore from the Chicago Bears made sense, as Brady already knew Moore from their days with the Carolina Panthers.
Not only do they reunite, but giving up only a second-round pick for a proven wideout who has put up 1000+ yard seasons in the past could be a steal for the Bills if he and Allen can find that chemistry together this season.
Adding Skyler Bell where they did in the 2026 NFL Draft was great value near the top of the fourth round.
He is a quick-twitch receiver with solid speed; he shines both in the intermediate screen game and on the deep ball. Bills fans know how much Brady loves the screen game, and having Bell for that is just the icing on the cake.
Running it back with improved tight end group
The Bills' tight end room in 2025 was exceptional, as all three tight ends played as a unit and helped the entire offense finish top-five.
While Dawson Knox and Dalton Kincaid continue to work hard, toughness is the name of the game for last year's rookie tight end, Jackson Hawes.
Hawes is a jack-of-all-trades tight end: he is big and powerful enough to block in 12- and 13-personnel, and he can also catch the rock for a big athlete at his position.
The versatile tight end did not have to play fullback in 2025, but he could line up at the position in 2026, as he played goal-line fullback in 2024 while at Georgia Tech. Look for the Bills' tight end unit to be even better in 2026 despite not making any more additions to the group.
Regression from offensive line
This may surprise Bills fans in 2026, as 2025 saw the second year in a row that the offensive line maintained continuity and played well as a five-player unit. This year, the Bills will return four of the five starters from 2025, as David Edwards left to join the New Orleans Saints in free agency.
Also, swing tackle Ryan VanDemark left to join the Minnesota Vikings, allowing the Bills to draft Jude Bowry out of Boston College.
While the Bills were able to retain most of the continuity among the starting offensive line, the reality is the Bills still don't have a clear answer at left guard, which will take a training camp battle between Austin Corbett and Alec Anderson.
Plus, Dion Dawkins had his worst season as a Bill in 2025 and at 32 years old, he's not getting any younger.
The offensive line may take a step back from 2025 to 2026, only to take another step forward from 2026 to 2027.
Overall, look for the offense to take massive steps forward from 2025 to 2026, driven by additions to the receiving core and the retooling of the left guard position on the offensive line, as well as improved coaching from Joe Brady and offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr.
Add us as a preferred source on Google