Dorian Williams' Injury Raises Intrigue Surrounding Bills Upcoming Positional Battle

The fourth-year pro will compete with a rookie this summer for a starting role at the linebacker position.

Buffalo Bills linebacker Dorian Williams (42) leaves the field after a game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Highmark Stadium. | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

The Buffalo Bills haven’t even hit the road for training camp and they’re already working through an injury sustained by one of their key players.

Before the Bills opened mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, head coach Joe Brady revealed that linebacker Dorian Williams is dealing with an injury which has kept him off the field throughout the start of Buffalo’s offseason workout program.

“Dorian, he did get injured,” said Brady. “But Dorian’s handling everything the right way and he’ll ready to go and I’m excited for him.”

Brady wouldn’t confirm whether Williams’ injury occurred during the offseason or if it was a lingering issue from the neck ailment he sustained upon a big collision on the opening kickoff against the Denver Broncos in this past season’s divisional round playoff game.

“Dorian’s in a great headspace,” said Brady. “I know he’s excited for training camp.”

Brady also didn’t confirm whether Williams would indeed be ready when the team hits the road for St. John Fisher University in mid-July. But that does appear to be the Bills’ hope.

“We have a great plan for all these guys,” added the Bills’ head coach. “There’s been some guys that have practiced then haven’t. But Dorian’s getting a lot of reps, a lot of mental reps.”

The injury to the Bills linebacker presents an even greater opportunity for a Bills youngster to step in and swipe a starting job from Williams before the team takes the field in Week 1 against the Houston Texans.

A Bills positional battle upcoming

Buffalo Bills linebacker Dorian Williams (42) walks the field before the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Williams’ absence to begin OTAs opened the door for rookie LB Kaleb Elarms-Orr to receive ample reps alongside incumbent starter Terrel Bernard over the past several weeks. While all signs point to Bernard continuing in his role as a first-teamer and team captain, Williams and Elarms-Orr will undergo what seems set to be an all-out competition for the other starting slot.

Elarms-Orr was selected by the Bills with the No. 126 overall pick in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft and has an impressive athletic profile that projects him as an exciting piece of first-year defensive coordinator Jim Leonard’s new multiple-front defense. The 22-year-old recorded an athleticism score of 86 at the NFL Scouting Combine, which was second among all linebackers tested, according to Next Gen Stats.

Williams has been with the Bills since the team selected him in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Over his three seasons in Buffalo, he has recorded 50 games played, including 22 starts. He finished with 63 tackles, two passes defensed and a fumble recovery in 2025, a year after he led the team in tackles with 117 during the ’24 campaign.

It remains to be seen who will finish the offseason in a position to start for the Bills when they open the season on Sept. 13. But with Williams remaining sidelined to open. minicamp, the intrigue surrounding this training camp competition has been raised considerably.