Buffalo Bills' Three Highest-Paid Reserves Put Brandon Beane In Crosshairs

Brandon Beane has made a few questionable moves that have caused a few backups to become the Bills' most costly players against the salary cap.

Buffalo Bills tight end Dawson Knox catches a pass during first half action against the Jets at home in Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Buffalo Bills are currently 24th in the NFL in available cap space, and there are a few moves in particular that have placed the team into the dire salary-cap situation they’ve been facing in recent seasons.

When you look at the Bills’ salary cap breakdown produced by Spotrac, a few player contracts stand out as the primary reasons why Buffalo finds itself with just $10.4 million in space before heading to training camp. Of Buffalo’s highest-paid players this season, three will hold reserve roles, creating an untenable financial situation that the Bills will be dealing with at least through next offseason, thus placing general manager/president of football operations Brandon Beane in the crosshairs of the fanbase for his poor roster management.

Dawson Knox, tight end

Buffalo Bills tight end Dawson Knox (88) reacts during the second half against the Jacksonville Jaguars in an AFC Wild Card Round game at EverBank Stadium. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Although Knox restructured his contract to reduce his 2026 cap hit from $17 million to $8.5 million, he remains with the seventh-highest cap hit of any player on the Bills’ roster. The 30-year-old was solid for Buffalo last season, but in a reserve role behind the team’s leading tight end, Dalton Kincaid.

Kincaid has claimed he is as healthy as he has ever been in his career during the team’s recent session of OTAs, and if he sees his snap count increase from the 38% share he was on the field for a year ago, that will limit the need for Knox in the lineup on a play-to-play basis, thus decreasing his value as a backup.

It was great that Knox was willing to rework his deal to help the Bills’ dire salary-cap situation, but his contract remains an albatross that Buffalo will be dealing with through at least the 2027 season.

Joshua Palmer, wide receiver

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Joshua Palmer (5) runs the ball against Baltimore Ravens cornerback Nate Wiggins (2) during the fourth quarter at Highmark Stadium. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Palmer’s $11.75 million cap hit is set to account for 3.9% of the Bills’ salary cap in 2026, a massive number considering the lackluster production he recorded a year ago. Palmer totaled just 22 receptions for 303 yards and was held without a touchdown in 2025 while recording the lowest yards-per-reception average since his second NFL season.

If Palmer doesn’t bounce back by contributing meaningfully to the Bills’ offensive effort, this will suddenly become one of Beane’s biggest free-agent signings of his career. And that could be difficult considering where he appears to sit on the Bills’ wide receiver depth chart, potentially beneath 2026 fourth-round pick Skyler Bell and former second-round pick Keon Coleman.

Michael Hoecht, Edge rusher

Buffalo Bills defensive end Michael Hoecht gets ready to move to another area to start a new drill at Bills Training Camp at St. John Fisher University in Pittsford. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Hoecht was solid in the six quarters that he was on the field a season ago. But a PED suspension followed by a torn Achilles marred his first season with the team. The Bills’ edge defender has the ninth-highest cap hit [over $7 million] on the team this year, and he must remain healthy and available, or this could be another bust of a free-agent signing.

Still, if Hoecht is to remain upright, he will be behind the likes of free-agent addition Bradley Chubb and presumably second-round pick T.J. Parker in the Bills' pecking order at edge rusher. Another rotational player making a whole lot of money.