6 Things Buffalo Bills Are Dying to Learn at NFL Combine

The NFL news cycle never rests, as it continues with the Scouting Combine this week in Indianapolis.

After hiring a new head coach, the Buffalo Bills have plenty of holes to fill this offseason, with wide receiver, defensive line and offensive line among them. That will mean the focus of the Bills' front office and fresh coaching staff will be spread thin at this year’s pre-draft event, which is set to run from Tuesday, Feb. 24, through Sunday, Mar. 1.

What exactly are they hoping to find out? Here are six things that Bills president of football operations Brandon Beane and new head coach Joe Brady will be looking out for over the next several days.

Brandon Beane, Joe Brady — Brandon Beane, president of football operations and general manager for the Buffalo BIlls, and head coach Joe Brady take turns answering questions during Brady's introductory press conference. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Head coach-GM dynamic

Tuesday is the first time since Brady’s introductory press conference that he and Beane will meet the media, as the two get set to make critical personnel decisions over the next several weeks and months. During the previous presser, we learned a bit about how the team’s new leadership duo expects to work in “alignment” with one another. At the combine and throughout the draft process, the Bills will continue to develop that dynamic as they prepare for the 2026 season.

New pieces

With the Bills hiring first-year defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard, there will be many personnel changes across all levels of the defense. At the combine, Beane, Brady and company must identify a host of young talent to pick from that fits what the team’s new DC is looking for in Leonhard’s fresh, aggressive style unit he hopes to deploy this season.

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Clemson defensive end T.J. Parker (3) has been linked to the Bills through various mock drafts this offseason. | Ken Ruinard/Greenville News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Edge rusher and linebacker are two particular areas of need that should garner plenty of Buffalo’s focus this week in Indy.

Wide receiver help

There is no bigger offseason need for this team than the wide receiver position. Following a dreadful 2025 campaign from its group of outside pass catchers, the Bills must search high and low through the draft, free agency and perhaps even via trade, to boost their WR corps and set the passing game up for increased success moving forward.

Bills wide receivers accounted for just 52.9% of the Bills' total yards receiving in 2025, which is a paltry percentage for an offense led by a former MVP at quarterback. That number needs to increase significantly in 2026.

Potential backup

With Mitch Trubisky becoming a free agent in a few weeks, the Bills could very well lose their backup quarterback to another team. If that turns out to be the case, it may behoove them to consider the draft as a way to find their future QB2.

Trubisky is good friends with Josh Allen, which is something the Bills have valued in their second and third-string QBs over the years. With that said, they are in a tough spot against the salary cap and may be looking for a more inexpensive option, as Trubisky is projected to make $4.4 million on the open market.

Buffalo did bring back Shane Buechele on a reserve/futures deal, so it does have some insurance at QB in that respect. However, during the combine, they should determine whether a young option more suitable than Buechele could be available in the late rounds of the draft to help solidify the position at a low cost.

Raw talent

When searching for young talent to fill other, more impactful roles through the pre-draft process, the Bills should have their eyes set on players with potentially game-changing ability. For far too long, Buffalo has played it relatively safe in the draft, failing to take the risks needed to bring in players with the talent to develop star power down the road. That must change moving forward.

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Greg Rousseau had a solid year with seven sacks and a quarterback pressure rate of 14.6%, per Next Gen Stats. Adding his running mate with a Day 1 pick is an exciting proposition, one the Bills will strongly consider while eyeing prospects at the scouting combine.

Next best

On that same note, Beane needs to take a few big swings in this draft in an effort to find the team’s next big thing alongside Allen. James Cook came on strong as the NFL’s leading rusher in 2025. Cook finished the year with the most yards rushing over expected (+358) and highest yards per carry average (5.2) of qualified ball carriers.

Still, the offense was missing something. Specifically, a young budding star to pair with its superstar quarterback to transform the Bills’ aerial attack into a high-flying act.

That's something they must identify, and quickly, before things kick into high gear this spring.