Four Second-Year Bills Players With Most to Prove at Training Camp

With Buffalo Bills training camp set to begin on July 29, we are about two months away from the team solidifying its roster for the 2026 season.

As we enter Year 2 for the 2025 draft class, there are a few players who must prove their worth at St. John Fisher University in order to cement their roles entering the upcoming campaign. That group is headlined by T.J. Sanders, who will have to take a step forward if he hopes to become a key cog in the Bills’ defensive line rotation.

Buffalo has drafted seven defensive linemen over the past three years, creating a large group of prospective talents vying for a few key positions in the pecking order.

Sanders, selected with the No. 41 overall pick in the second round, was a bit disappointing in his first season in the NFL, finishing with just 16 tackles and one sack and a dismal quarterback pressure rate of 5.2%, according to Next Gen Stats. However, he will have another opportunity to display his development at camp in a few weeks.

Maxwell Hairston will try to fend off Davison Igbinosun

If you would have told me at the start of last season that Hairston would have yet to lock down a starting role on the Bills’ defense, I would have been stunned. After a year filled with injuries, the second-year cornerback will now square off with Buffalo’s 2026 second-round pick for a spot opposite Christian Benford, the team’s incumbent start at boundary cornerback.

Hairston earned a solid Pro Football Focus coverage grade of 66.7, which was 22nd-best among 114 graded cornerbacks. However, he left plenty to be desired in run support, earning a 43.3 run defense grade from PFF. That was 101st among the 114 players graded at his position.

Igbinosun plays a physical, aggressive style and it will be interesting to see if he can beat out the team’s former first-round pick during training camp.

Landon Jackson attempting a position change

The Bills’ former third-round pick has already been forced to change positions entering Year 2, as he has put on about 25 to 30 pounds this offseason in hopes of shifting inside to a 4i alignment, which is on the inside shoulder of the opposing offensive tackle.

That will be a distinct change for Jackson, who was drafted at No. 72 overall as an edge rusher. However, after failing to earn a game day jersey consistently during his rookie season, which ended early due to a season-ending knee injury, Jackson’s spot on the 2026 roster is anything but guaranteed.

Jordan Hancock suddenly amid a logjam at safety

Hancock underwent offseason shoulder surgery and has donned a red non-contact jersey throughout the Bills’ offseason workout program. To make matters more dire for the second-year pro in terms of his pursuit of a roster spot is the fact that Buffalo signed veteran safeties C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Geno Stone while re-signing Damar Hamlin in free agency.

Additionally, the Bills drafted Jalon Kilgore with the No. 167 overall pick in the fifth round of the 2026 draft, creating additional competition for Hancock, who may have to prove he can play nickel cornerback to stick around on Buffalo’s roster.

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