Most Concerning Developments From Bills Mandatory Minicamp

With the Buffalo Bills mandatory minicamp came plenty of tidbits of info regarding the team and its latest quest for a Super Bowl championship.

Among the list of items revealed in Orchard Park last week were a few critical injury updates that could impact the team’s performance in the first year under new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard.

Both safety Cole Bishop and linebacker Dorian Williams missed minicamp due to their respective injuries, with Bishop’s revealed as a knee ailment and Williams’ believed to be lower-body injury. Bishop underwent an offseason medical procedure to repair his injury, while the nature of and genesis of Williams’ injury remain unclear.

Both players are significant pieces of the Bills’ defense, with Bishop coming into his own as one of the team’s top defenders in 2025, while Williams was expected to step into a starting role entering his fourth season in the NFL. However, due to their setbacks, questions remain regarding their viability for training camp.

A competition coming for the Bills at linebacker

Buffalo Bills linebacker Dorian Williams (42) tackles New York Jets quarterback Tyrod Taylor (2) in the fourth quarter at Highmark Stadium. | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

That would spell bad news for Williams in particular, as rookie fourth-round pick Kaleb Elarms-Orr came on strong in Williams’ absence, which spanned the entirety of the team’s offseason program, including OTAs from May 18 to June 4 and minicamp from June to 11. Williams has previously started 22 games during his three years in the NFL, but he has never taken the reins as a bona fide starter for the Bills. And he may have trouble locking down that role once again this season.

Along with Elarms-Orr challenging him for the job, there’s a chance Buffalo could reach out to one of its former veterans, Matt Milano or Shaq Thompson, who both remain free agents. I wrote previously how the Bills’ offseason could still take a major turn if they were to bring in one of those players.

Elarms-Orr is a capable player, but you would like to see experience step into that role in a critical campaign for the Buffalo defense. Williams appeared to be that guy until he was sidelined. Now, questions remain.

Bishop is a catalyst for the Bills’ defense

Buffalo Bills safety Cole Bishop (24) and cornerback Taron Johnson (7) react during the second half against the Jacksonville Jaguars in an AFC Wild Card Round game at EverBank Stadium. | Melina Myers-Imagn Images

It is increasingly crucial that Buffalo get Bishop back on the field sooner rather than later. He led the team in tackles with 85 and was second on the Bills in passes defensed with seven.

Additionally, the Bills added three new safeties this offseason, including signing free agents C.J. Gardner-Johnson to a one-year deal worth up to $6 million on Mar. 12 and Geno Stone to a one-year, $1.4 million pact. For Bishop to get on the same page with his new running mate, which is expected to be Gardner-Johnson, the team needs him to be healthy come training camp, which is expected to begin on July 29.

Another concern at Bills minicamp is the CB2 competition

Elsewhere, it’s not a good sign that 2025 first-round pick Maxwell Hairston has yet to lock down a starting role entering his second professional season. Injuries thwarted his progress in his rookie year, forcing him miss six regular-season games and a couple of postseason contests.

As a result, the Bills traded up to select second-round CB Davison Igbinosun in the 2026 NFL Draft, which has presented a true positional battle for Hairston entering the team’s time at St. John Fisher University later this summer. Hairston received a Pro Football Focus coverage grade of 68 in 2025, which was solid, ranking 34th among 114 players graded at the position. He came away with two interceptions and forced three pass breakups. Still, there is plenty to work on in terms of developing the consistency needed to thrive in a starting role at the professional level.

Igbinosun is expected to be a bit more of a physical player than Hairston proved in Year 1, so we’ll see how this plays out. But at the end of the day, the former 30th overall pick of the draft should have planted his flag by now.

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