One Beloved Bills Player Is Being Forgotten in Battle for Linebacker Job

With plenty left to be decided at linebacker before the Buffalo Bills take the field in Week 1, one player who has been forgotten about in the race for a starting job is Joe Andreessen.

The Bills’ beloved hometown kid has latched on with the team he grew up rooting for, solidifying a roster spot the past two seasons. Now, the next step is for Andreessen to make his play for a more significant role.

With new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard installing a new, attack-style defense, there’s no telling what he will ask of his group of linebackers. And if Terrel Bernard and Dorian Williams aren’t the answers Buffalo is looking for, it may go searching elsewhere, which could lead the team to insert Andreessen at the top of the depth chart.

First-year head coach Joe Brady has continuously expressed his desire to create competition at every position heading into the 2026 season. And with the Bills electing not to sign a veteran free agent at LB this offseason, perhaps there are plans for Andreessen to stick his nose into a potential positional battle this summer.

Buffalo Joe making a push?

Buffalo Bills fullback Reggie Gilliam tackles New England Patriots running back Treveyon Henderson from advancing during second half action at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park on Oct. 5, 2025. Coming in to help Gilliam is Buffalo Bills linebacker Joe Andreessen. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

While he only played 10% of the Bills’ defensive snaps a season ago, Andreessen fared well when he was on the field, according to Pro Football Focus, which gave him an overall defense grade of 68.1. That was second-best among Bills linebackers, behind Shaq Thompson.

The former undrafted free agent has also served as a special teams standout the past two seasons, which has helped him hone his skills at the NFL level. If given an increased opportunity as an off-ball linebacker in Leonhard’s new 3-4 base defense, Andreessen could take the next step as a pro.

He has three starts under his belt to this point in his career, so he isn’t wholly inexperienced. He’s also been a tackling machine when given his chances since entering the league in 2024, totaling 61 tackles the last two years despite his limited snap share.

The Bills have three other undersized options in Bernard, Williams and 2026 fifth-round pick Kaleb Elarms-Orr. With Andreessen standing 6-foot-1, 232 pounds, he isn’t exactly the prototypical NFL linebacker. However, with the Bills electing not to pursue a big-bodied defender to place at the center of their defense could point toward a certain style of player they’re looking for, and Andreessen is right up that alley as an explosive, high-IQ player.

Add us as a preferred source on Google