Bills LB Kaleb Elarms-Orr's Expectations in Rookie Year Spell Bad News for Dorian Williams

The Bills rookie linebacker has his sights set on claiming a starting role in Year 1 of his professional career.

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

Kaleb Elarms-Orr isn’t wasting any time and that spells bad news for Dorian Williams.

The Buffalo Bills’ fourth-round rookie linebacker is pushing to become a starter immediately to begin his NFL career. If he achieves the ultimate goal that he’s set for himself in Year 1, that would likely mean Williams being left in the dust in the race to lock down a first-team role entering the 2026 campaign.

“I wanna be the starter Week 1,” said Elarms-Orr to WHEC’s Ian Mills at Bills OTAs. “I wanna earn it. I wanna be a guy that comes in and earns everybody’s respect and the coaches’ respect. Not only the respect, but the trust, the ability to be the guy Week 1.”

Elarms-Orr’s selection was one of the Bills’ most impressive of the 2026 Draft. His athleticism is off the charts, as displayed by his lofty 9.92 relative athleticism score [RAS], while his high football IQ also impressed scouts during the selection process.

And not only scouts, but Elarms-Orr’s new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard.

“I think he’s in the right spot the majority of the time,” said Leonhard at Bills OTAs. “He’s got a really good feel for the game.”

Get ready for an all-out competition at training camp this summer.

Watching the chips fall in the Bills’ linebacker room

TCU Horned Frogs linebacker Kaleb Elarms-Orr (3) rushes the line during the game between the TCU Horned Frogs and the SMU Mustangs at Amon G. Carter Stadium. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Williams has performed admirably in a reserve role since the Bills drafted him 91st overall in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Over his three NFL seasons, he has played 50 games with 22 starts, recording overall defense grades of 55.3, 61.6 and 55.2 from Pro Football Focus.

However, that was under a previous regime, and it’s unclear how the Bills feel Williams fits into the new 3-4 base defense that Leonhard’s unit will deploy. Leonhard previously stated Williams is expected to have a “huge impact” on the Bills’ defense. But it remains to be seen if that will be as a starter or in a more familiar role as a backup.

There’s also Terrel Bernard to consider in this conversation, as the team’s incumbent starter is coming off the worst season of his career, during which he was besieged by injury. Based on his performance a year ago, he should also be fighting for his job.

However, from what we’ve heard from the Bills this offseason, it appears they’re set to move forward with their captain as one of their two starting inside linebackers in 2026. Whether that’s a wise choice, we’ll see.

Buffalo could also potentially bring in a veteran free agent to the competition. Still, it does seem now as if it will be Williams vs. Elarms-Orr for the other first-team role alongside Bernard.

And if the rookie finds an early spark, Williams could be once again on the outside looking in on this positional battle.