Plotting the Path to Bills' 53-Man Roster for 10 Rookies Before Training Camp

This year’s Buffalo Bills draft class has a chance to prove itself as the most important in the team’s history.

After changing head coaches and shifting to what is expected to be a more aggressive style on both sides of the ball, to what level the team’s group of 10 drafted rookies are able to acclimate to their NFL surroundings may be the difference in whether Buffalo sinks or swims as a Super Bowl contender this year.

Nothing short of a Super Bowl berth will be considered a success for the Bills, but in order to reach their ultimate goal, they must receive ample contributions from a number of rookies who have the opportunity to step into roles either as starters or first-line reserves in 2026.

The first that comes to mind as the most obvious is second-round edge rusher T.J. Parker. While he doesn’t have a clear path to obtaining a spot in the team’s starting lineup this season, he is guaranteed a roster spot and there is no doubt he will be a factor in the team’s plan to improve its ability to pressure opposing quarterbacks.

Parker finished his college career with 21.5 sacks over three seasons and the Bills are hoping his pass-rushing prowess will translate when the regular season kicks off against the Houston Texans on Sept. 13.

The question here is where the 6-foot-3, 260-pounder will fall in the pecking order. The Bills have a pair of starters in place with Greg Rousseau and Bradley Chubb, but beyond those two, it remains to be seen how the team’s group of other rushers will fall in behind them on the depth chart.

At this point, Parker’s primary competition for the third spot in the rotation appears to be Michael Hoecht, who continues to make progress on his way back from an Achilles injury sustained during a 2025 Week 9 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs. Hoecht was on a torrid pace before his injury last season and it will be interesting to see whether he or Parker winds up being used more on the edge this season.

Davison Igbinosun and Kaleb Elarms-Orr each closing in on starting role

While Parker will almost certainly [barring injury] not finish training camp in one of the top two spots on the depth chart, there are a couple of Bills rookies who are nearing a spot in the starting lineup. Both second-round cornerback Davison Igbinosun and fourth-round linebacker Kaleb Elarms-Orr could each wind up on the first-team defense at the end of camp.

Like Parker, both players’ spots on the roster are not in jeopardy. However, they are in a bit of a different spot than Parker, as both Igbinosun and Elarms-Orr will each have to spend the next month fighting for a significant role defensively.

It will be Igbinosun vs. 2025 first-round pick Maxwell Hairston for the CB2 job, while at linebacker, Elarms-Orr will look to overcome returning veteran Dorian Williams for a starting spot opposite Terrel Bernard.

It’s difficult to gauge which player has a better chance to rise to the occasion before the pads come on at training camp. With that said, based on Hairston’s and Williams’ respective performance last season, I’d give Elarms-Orr a slight edge over Igbinosun in each players’ individual quest to crack the starting lineup.

Jude Bowry and Skyler Bell will be key depth for the Bills

Aside from Elarms-Orr, the Bills’ other two fourth-round picks should each be important reserves at their respective positions. Jude Bowry was added as a potential replacement for former swing tackle Ryan Van Demark, while Skyler Bell is a pro-ready prospect that should immediately boost the wide receiver room’s depth.

Both players will have to unseat a few veterans if he is to be the first man off the bench for the Bills’ offense, but they won’t have any trouble making the roster. Buffalo has never moved on a from a draft pick selected in the first four rounds during that player’s rookie season since Brandon Beane’s time as general manager began.

Unknown future for Jalon Kilgore, Zane Durant

There is some variance in how things may work out for Buffalo’s two fifth-round picks, safety Jalon Kilgore and defensive tackle Zane Durant. Before the start of training camp, it doesn’t appear as if either player has much of an opportunity to become a significant member of their respective position groups.

At safety, the Bills signed veteran free agents C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Geno Stone, while they also brought back Damar Hamlin, which may make it difficult for Kilgore to carve out a role defensively. Durant is the fourth defensive tackle Buffalo has selected over the past three years, joining TJ Sanders, Deone Walker and DeWayne Carter, which has created a logjam of sorts in the trenches.

It would be somewhat of a surprise if either mid-round pick failed to make the roster, but it wouldn’t be shocking to see either player left off the team’s final 53. To stop that from happening, Kilgore must prove he is capable on special teams, where he had plenty of experience playing in college. Durant will have a taller task ahead, as he will have to fend off a few of the other team’s DTs, including Phidarian Mathis, Zion Logue and Tommy Akingbesote, all of whom are more well-sized and offer a differing skill set to that of Durant.

Tommy Doman Jr. will be a starter or cut after training camp

The team’s penultimate selection of the ’26 draft faces an interesting situation entering training camp. Doman Jr. will either make the team as the Bills’ new starting punter or be cut before the preseason is through.

Different from offensive and defensive players, NFL teams don’t often carry backups for their specialists. But if the seventh-round pick fails to crack the roster, he could be welcomed back to the team’s practice squad as a possible option in case something happens to veteran Mitch Wishnowsky.

Two Bills draft picks sitting on the roster bubble

I don’t see how there is any chance that Bills seventh-round offensive lineman Ar’maj Reed-Adams ends up cracking the roster out of training camp. Buffalo has too many other veteran options across the board and it’s unlikely Reed-Adams will be offered ample opportunity to outperform those the team has returning to the fold.

As a fellow seventh-rounder, it would appear, at least at face value, that cornerback Toriano Pride Jr. will also have a tough time earning a jersey at the end of camp. However, with the Bills having little in terms of depth at the position, the window is cracked open for him to slot in as an important reserve. Heck, given the current state of Buffalo’s group of cornerbacks, he might be a couple of injuries away from earning significant playing time.

For Reed-Adams to disprove my notion, he would have to rise above the likes of 2025 sixth-round pick Chase Lundt and 2025 fifth-round pick Tylan Grable, among others. Pride Jr.’s path to the roster is to beat out undrafted free agents Jordan Dunbar and Kani Walker, along with former UDFA Te’Cory Couch.

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