Bills Should Spend $10 Million in Salary Cap Space on Two Veterans at Needy Positions

The Buffalo Bills enter 2026 training camp with $10 million in salary cap space and a few remaining roster needs that could be addressed with a few free-agent signings late in the offseason.

Cornerback is a significant issue, as a lack of depth sticking out like a sore thumb with rookies reporting to camp on Tuesday. The Bills could also use a boost at linebacker, where an apparent offseason injury to Dorian Williams has created a potentially disastrous situation.

Brandon Beane has put Buffalo in a tricky spot, as the Bills’ president of football operations/general manager left the team with limited room to work with throughout the past several months, which didn’t allow the team to fill the depth chart with reasonable options as thoroughly as it has in past seasons. To avoid the bottom falling out at either CB or LB, Buffalo should consider bringing back Tre'Davious White and Shaq Thompson, two former Bills who I have been pounding the drum for all offseason long.

However, if they don’t feel Thompson is a fit for their new defensive scheme, and if they’re unable to reach a deal with White, there are a couple of other options out there worth considering, including 36-year-old veteran Bobby Wagner.

Bills should consider signing Bobby Wagner

The 14-year pro played all 17 regular-season games for the Washington Commanders in 2025 and finished fifth in the NFL in tackles with 162 on the year.

Wagner's a bit long in the tooth, but proved a year ago that he’s got plenty left in the tank, recording 4.5 sacks, which would have been third-most among Bills defenders a year ago. He also earned a Pro Football Focus overall defense grade of 78.6, which was ninth-best among the 88 players graded at his position.

He’s not getting any younger, and I think I would still prefer Thompson given he has already meshed well with the Bills' locker room and his expected low cost on the open market. Still, Wagner would be well worth the risk if the Bills decided to pull the trigger and offer him somewhere close to the $7.6 million he is projected to make in terms of average annual value, according to Spotrac.

He would fit in nicely within first-year defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard's new defensive scheme, which will feature an odd-man front. The Bills lack adequate experience beside incumbent starter Terrel Bernard, but could solve that issue by bringing in Wagner, the 2025 Walter Payton Man of the Year.

Adoree’ Jackson isn't the deal addition, but would improve Bills’ depth

Adoree' Jackson is a name to consider at cornerback, as the 30-year-old cornerback spent the 2025 season with the Philadelphia Eagles, playing 14 games, including 10 starts. He struggled at times but finished the year with 11 passes defensed, which would have been the most among Bills coverage men a year ago, while he also recorded an interception.

His ball hawk percentage, which measures how often a defender is able to disrupt a pass while being the nearest defender to its target, was 15.7%, the best mark of his career, according to Next Gen Stats. He tied a season-high with a couple of PDs against the Bills in Week 17.

Beyond his coverage ability, an added benefit of signing Jackson would be his history as a punt returner, a position that is up for grabs entering training camp. While he has recorded just six total punt returns since 2019 and his last return came in 2022, he returned 50 punts over his first two professional seasons in 2017 and 2018.

The Bills have used Khalil Shakir as a punt catcher of sorts the last two seasons, and while Jackson may not offer the same level of speed and athleticism that he possessed as a youngster, he could likely fill Shakir’s shoes in that role, given the team wants to preserve the health of its star wide receiver.

Buffalo should still try to work something out with White, but if he goes elsewhere or makes a surprise decision to retire, Jackson could be a low-cost option at a projected $1.8 million in average annual value.

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