Bills Open OTAs: 10 Players to Watch

The Buffalo Bills were one of eight teams to open OTAs on Monday, bringing the team’s veterans and rookies together for the first time in Orchard Park.

With new head coach Joe Brady entering his first season as head coach, so many new players wearing the red, white and blue for the first time, along with several returning contributors fighting to cement their role on the team for the upcoming campaign, this will be one of the more intriguing OTA sessions we’ve seen in Buffalo in quite some time. Of the many prospects and veterans worth keeping an eye on over the next several weeks, 10 stand out above the rest, including a second-year cornerback.

Maxwell Hairston, Cornerback

Hairston was expected to lock down a starting role in his rookie season but was overtaken by Tre’Davious White to begin the year, largely due to a preseason knee injury Hairston sustained. As the season wore on, Hairston saw more and more time with the first-team defense, but another injury, this time to his ankle, kept him on the bench for the Bills’ most important games of the season during the playoffs.

This year, he has a clear path to being the team’s starter opposite incumbent Christian Benford, and it will be interesting to see if he can put his stamp on the position before the team hits the field for training camp this summer.

Davison Igbinosun, Cornerback

Davis Igbinosun — Davison Igbinosun (1) celebrates an interception during the first half of the Big Ten Conference championship game against the Indiana Hoosiers. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The only player currently on the Bills’ roster who may have a chance of unseating Hairston is one of Buffalo’s 2026 second-round picks. The Bills traded up for Igbinosun as general manager/president of football operations Brandon Beane identified cornerback as the team’s most significant need entering the offseason. Making the move up the draft board for a player with plenty of high-level collegiate experience should put some pressure on Hairston.

The Bills could also rotate at the position, as we saw with Hairston and White at times a season ago, which would present Igbinosun with a contributing role in his first season in the NFL. With that said, the former Ohio State Buckeyes CB will have to prove his worth during OTAs to receive an ample opportunity to win the job at training camp.

DJ Moore, Wide receiver

Moore was brought in as a potential savior of the Bills’ passing game, and he must deliver in his first season with the team. That starts at OTAs, where he must develop sound rapport with quarterback Josh Allen before the team heads for St. John Fisher University in July. Good news: it seems the two have already begun their work in that department, with Allen revealing the two are locker mates while addressing the media after Tuesday’s session.

“To see what works and what doesn’t,” said Allen of the duo's goals at this point of the offseason. “Just continuing to work on it and find ways that we can learn how to complement each other and just build that chemistry and camaraderie.”

Skyler Bell, Wide receiver

As I wrote previously, Bell should have a distinct opportunity to work his way ahead of both Keon Coleman and Joshua Palmer in the Bills’ pecking order at wide receiver this summer. Bell earned a receiving grade of 85.2 from Pro Football Focus this past season, ranking 34th of 679 players graded at the position. He seems pro-ready, and it will be exciting to see him prove that during OTAs.

“Being a reliable target and then my physicality,” said Bell to WIVB’s Josh Reed after Tuesday’s session regarding what he brings to the table. “Being able to get off press man and win after the catch.”

Bradley Chubb, Edge rusher

Chubb signed a hefty three-year, $43.5 million free-agent contract and will be expected to provide a significant boost for the Buffalo pass rush. During OTAs, his focus will likely be acclimating to a new system under first-year Bills defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard, whose multiple-front is expected to wreak havoc on opposing offenses.

The last time the Bills brought in a big-name edge rusher was last season, when the team signed Joey Bosa to a one-year deal. Things didn’t exactly work out, as Bosa burst out of the gates only to see his production wane as the season wore on. Chubb recorded 8.5 sacks a year ago, which would have led the Bills.

T.J. Parker, Edge rusher

The Bills selected Parker after they traded down three times, out of the first round. In doing so, Buffalo bypassed potential difference makers that had fallen to their original first-round pick at No. 26 overall. That heaps a load of pressure on Parker, who must live up to his early-second-round selection as soon as he takes the field in his rookie year.

It will be critical for him to establish himself as pro-ready as soon as OTAs to help set the stage for a monster training camp leading into the regular season. Buffalo needs Parker to become a big-time player for them in Year 1.

Michael Hoecht, Edge rusher

In a video posted by WGR 550 AM’s Sal Capaccio after Tuesday's practice, Hoecht can be seen doing wind sprints while wearing a helmet, which is a great sign given that he tore his Achilles tendon in November. Hoecht previously declared he would be able to return by early July. However, general manager/president of football operations Brandon Beane later stated that it may take a bit longer for Hoecht to return to near 100%.

Nevertheless, the brief glimpse of Hoecht was a positive sign, one that points toward a rapid return for one of the key pieces of Buffalo’s defensive front.

Terrel Bernard, Linebacker

Bernard signed a lucrative contract extension last offseason that will keep him with the Bills through the 2029 campaign. However, after a rough year in 2025 that was riddled with injuries, he could be close to losing his spot in Buffalo’s starting lineup.

As of this point, it’s expected that Bernard will line up next to Dorian Williams as one of the team’s two starters at inside linebacker. But if he isn’t careful, Bernard could have his job swiped by one of the team’s first-year pros.

Kaleb Elarms-Orr, Linebacker

Much like Bernard, Elarms-Orr is a bit undersized, which could mean he needs some seasoning during his rookie year. However, if he can prove during OTAs that he is ready to compete for a full-time role on defense, that would be a boon for the Bills, who could use an upgrade at the position based on what we saw from Bernard last season.

C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Safety

Gardner-Johnson is likely to serve as incumbent starter Cole Bishop’s running mate this season, as he was brought in amid a flurry of free-agent signings. Gardner-Johnson is a longtime veteran with plenty of playoff and Super Bowl experience.

He should be a welcome addition to the Buffalo secondary, given he can quickly develop meaningful chemistry with Bishop.

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