Bills Fans' Biggest Worry Shared by Analyst Who Thinks Buffalo Should Have Taken Bigger Swing

The Bills improved this offseason, but it's fair to question how significantly they've bolstered their roster.

Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane walks onto the field prior to the game between the Miami Dolphins and the Buffalo Bills at Hard Rock Stadium. | Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

One of the most significant questions facing the Buffalo Bills entering the 2026 season will be whether the team took a big enough swing in free agency and the draft.

After trading out of Round 1 of this past weekend’s 2026 selection process, many viewed the Bills’ decision as “same old Bills”. That group included analyst Robert Mays, who wondered on a recent episode of The Athletic Football Show, if Buffalo should have done more to push its current roster over the hump toward Super Bowl contention.

While acknowledging that the Bills have done a reasonable job filling a few roster holes this offseason, Mays also expressed his view that Buffalo could have brought in more “juice”, particularly on defense, since their 2025 season ended abruptly in the divisional round for the fourth time in five seasons.

“It was really just Bradley Chubb,” said Mays. “So Bradley Chubb has to carry that mantle as the guy who’s going to make this thing feel different, outside of whatever scheme changes happen. And I just don’t know if I love that being the place that we landed with this team on that side of the ball.”

The point is valid, as outside of Chubb, Buffalo brought in adequate veteran contributors in safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, nickel cornerback Dee Alford and two second-round picks in T.J. Parker and Davison Igbinosun. But there wasn’t the massive move many were hoping for out of a team that appeared to be a few big pieces away from being a clear-cut championship favorite this fall.

Missing piece

Miami Dolphins linebacker Bradley Chubb (2) leaves the field following a game against the New Orleans Saints at Hard Rock Stadium. | Rich Storry-Imagn Images

Beyond the aforementioned players, Buffalo also made a significant trade for DJ Moore to boost their passing game. But again, there wasn’t much more to speak of in terms of big-time talent acquired over the past several months.

In the eyes of many, the missing piece for the Bills this offseason was a run-stuffing defensive tackle. However, rather than sign one in free agency or draft one, Buffalo remains without a true answer at that position entering the 2026 season.

On Thursday, the Bills’ AFC rival, the Baltimore Ravens, signed veteran DT Calais Campbell, whom I previously mentioned as a nice fit for Buffalo. Another veteran remains available, as D.J. Reader has been a hotly discussed potential addition by fans and media alike.

The offseason isn’t finished, as there is still some time for Buffalo to add supplemental pieces to improve its roster before kicking off in Week 1. With that said, to Mays’ point, the needle-moving prospects have all been swallowed up by other teams, leaving Buffalo to pick at the scraps, including a few of their own free agents who were on the team a season ago.

It would be unfair to completely diminish the work general manager/president of football operations Brandon Beane has done to make the Bills a better team entering 2026. But it’s fair to wonder if he did enough to make Buffalo a clear-cut Super Bowl contender.

Time will tell.

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