One Position Bills GM Brandon Beane Should Consider Upgrading & Who's Available

General manager Brandon Beane was active this offseason. Not only was he a key part of the decision to move on from head coach Sean McDermott and turn to Joe Brady, but he also re-tooled the roster to fit their new defensive scheme.

The Buffalo Bills hired Jim Leonhard as their new defensive coordinator and the former Denver Broncos assistant favors more of a 3-4 front. That led to the addition of Bradley Chubb and T.J. Parker, who will serve as pass-rushing outside linebackers. They also saw Landon Jackson and DeWayne Carter bulk up for their new roles.

The Bills even added several new faces in the secondary including cornerbacks Davison Igbinosun and Dee Alford as well as safeties Geno Stone, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, and Jalon Kilgore. What they didn't do, however, was add much help at inside linebacker. Buffalo will lean on Terrel Bernard and Dorian Williams as the projected starters, but the depth behind those two is questionable.

Rookie Kaleb Elarms-Orr has turned heads during offseason work, but Buffalo could be putting a lot on the shoulders of the fourth-round pick out of TCU.

Perhaps Elarms-Orr turns into a quality starter, but it could take time for him to develop into that role. He may not be afforded that time since he's the primary backup behind Bernard and Williams at this point. With Williams already dealing with an injury during minicamp, Brandon Beane should probably consider adding another linebacker during training camp.

As players reported to training camp today, we wrote about 12 available Bills' free agents, including veteran linebackers Matt Milano and Shaq Thompson.

Which remaining free agents could the Bills consider?

Washington Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner reacts after a play against the Miami Dolphins. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The big names are mostly gone, but there are several free agents available who could be added on one-year deals. Here's a look at seven players Buffalo could target.

Bobby Okereke
Bobby Wagner
Matt Milano
Shaq Thompson
Jerome Baker
Amen Ogbongbemiga
Germaine Pratt

The most impactful could be Bobby Okereke or Bobby Wagner. Okereke was most recently with the New York Giants and had 143 tackles in 2025. Wagner recently turned 36, but was still a force for the Washington Commanders last year with 162 tackles.

Matt Milano and Shaq Thompson were both in Buffalo last year and should be in consideration, especially Thompson who played well down the stretch. Jerome Baker's best days may be behind him, but he could be a decent depth piece, as could Amen Ogbongbemiga, who could be a special teams stud as well. Lastly, there's Germaine Pratt, an underrated player who has had more than 100 tackles in three consecutive seasons.

Bills found LB help late in free agency this past season

Buffalo Bills linebacker Shaq Thompson intercepts the ball during the first half against the Jacksonville Jaguars. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Bills know that they can find help during the summer, which is something they did last year. Shaq Thompson was signed in June, well after free agency had calmed down.

Thompson played in 12 games, with six starts, and had 56 tackles with one sack. He especially stood out during the playoffs, with 13 tackles and an interception in two games, making it somewhat of a surprise that Buffalo has shown very little interest in bringing him back. That should change as the Bills would be wise to add Thompson on a one-year deal to bolster their depth.

Of the seven players listed above, Thompson makes the most sense. His familiarity with the team, coupled with his postseason performance, is why a reunion would make perfect sense.

Add us as a preferred source on Google