Bills Key Offseason Dates to Remember: Rookie Minicamp, OTAs and Training Camp

It's been a busy offseason for the Buffalo Bills, who enter the 2026 campaign with a new head coach for the first time since 2017.

Sean McDermott, who went 98-50 in nine seasons and 8-8 in the playoffs, was fired after their second-round loss to the Denver Broncos. Taking over for McDermott is Joe Brady, who was promoted after spending the past few seasons as the offensive coordinator.

In addition to Brady moving to head coach, the Bills have a new coaching staff, including defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard, offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael, and special teams coach Jeff Rodgers.

Now that the coaching staff is in place, and the 2026 NFL draft is behind us, the Bills' focus will be on preparing for the new season. That said, let's check out their upcoming offseason dates.

Buffalo Bills Offseason Program: OTAs & Mandatory Minicamp Dates

Buffalo Bills cornerback Maxwell Hairston and Buffalo Bills cornerback Christian Benford. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Buffalo already held one voluntary minicamp, which took place the week before the draft. Players and coaches got together from April 20 through the 22nd for a few sessions. Next up will be their rookie minicamp, which will also include several players attending on a tryout basis. That begins on May 8, and then OTAs will be next. Here's a look at their key dates coming up.

Rookie Minicamp: May 8-9
OTAs: May 18–19, May 21, May 26–28, June 1–4
Mandatory minicamp: June 9–11

When is Buffalo Bills training camp?

Joe Brady goes over plays with Josh Allen during Buffalo Bills training camp at St John Fisher University. | Shawn Dowd / USA TODAY NETWORK / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Bills will once again head to Rochester for training camp this year, holding practices at St. John Fisher University. The dates for training camp have not been set, but they typically meet in late July.

As for the preseason, the NFL will kick things off with the Hall of Fame Game on August 6. The Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals will face off in Canton for that showdown. Buffalo, and the rest of the NFL, will have their first preseason game the following week.

Key things to watch during camp and the preseason will be how Jim Leonhard's defense operates. While he spent the past couple of seasons working with Vance Joseph in Denver, Leonhard has yet to be a defensive coordinator in the NFL. He's sure to bring some of the same concepts Joseph had with the Broncos, but will have his own spin on things.

Leonhard has preached versatility in his defense, and knows how to adapt his scheme to the talent available. While that leaves plenty of questions, these key offseason dates will give us a much better idea of what his defense will be.

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