Two Bills 2025 Draft Picks Who Could Be Traded Before Start of 2026 Season

A few Buffalo Bills players currently on the roster could wind up on the move to other teams via trade before the start of the 2026 season.

I previously made the case for the Bills to trade veteran left tackle Dion Dawkins before Week 1, but two other members of the team who may be on the trade block are 2025 draft picks, defensive tackle T.J. Sanders and defensive back Jordan Hancock.

The two second-year pros were initially believed to be big pieces of the Bills’ future when they were selected in last year’s draft, Sanders in the second round and Hancock in the fifth round. But after a year in the NFL and another rookie class being brought in this offseason, both players appear as if their spots on the roster are anything but guaranteed.

The Bills have a lot of options at defensive tackle and safety

During the draft, the Bills added players both at defensive tackle and safety, including fifth-round safety Jalon Kilgore at No. 167 overall and fifth-round DT Zane Durant at No. 181 overall. Buffalo also brought in two veteran safeties on the free-agent market, C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Geno Stone, along with re-signing Damar Hamlin to a one-year deal.

Additionally, former edge rusher Landon Jackson has put on a bunch of weight as he prepares to transition inside on the Bills’ defensive line to a 4i technique rather than outside where he played previously. Buffalo will also welcome back former third-round DT DeWayne Carter, who missed the entire 2025 season due to an Achilles injury.

There are a lot of cooks in the kitchen at both safety and defensive tackle, where Buffalo has loaded up on highly athletic players who possess skill sets that are a bit redundant to those of Sanders and Hancock.

Sanders and Hancock been made redundant

Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Ed Oliver (91) trains during Buffalo Bills Minicamp. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

For example, Sanders is a 6-foot-4, 297-pounder whose specialty is as a pass-rush first player. Durant is also a bit undersized, measuring 6-foot-1, 290 pounds, and made his bones getting after the quarterback during his time at the collegiate level. Both players are of similar build and style to Ed Oliver, who is listed at 6-foot-1, 287 pounds and is another player set to play an attacking 3-technique in first-year defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard’s new defensive system.

None of the three are the big, bruising style players that 2025 fourth-round pick Deone Walker is at 6-foot-7, 331 pounds. Although they didn’t attack a player that resembles Walker throughout free agency or the draft, perhaps the opportunity simply didn’t present itself. If the Bills are still in pursuit of additional depth in a nose tackle role, where Carter is expected to shift after joining Jackson in the weight room this offseason, they could likely flip Sanders and his untapped potential for a piece on the trade market if they so choose.

Sanders hasn’t shown much at this point of his young career, having recorded just 16 tackles and a sack while playing 44% of the Bills’ defensive snaps a season ago. Still, he was a highly sought after talent coming out of college and there are likely teams out there who would be looking to get their hands on the twitchy defensive lineman if the Bills feel they are too loaded at one position.

Elsewhere, Hancock and Kilgore have a lot of the same traits as highly athletic DBs. Hancock recorded an athleticism score of 85 at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, while Kilgore scored 79 in 2026. Both finishing inside the top six at their position, according to Next Gen Stats.

Neither player is likely to start at the safety position, where Gardner-Johnson is expected to join incumbent starter Cole Bishop, while Stone will be the backup and Hamlin will be third on the depth chart. With so many options available, that leaves Hancock more likely to serve as a reserve at nickel cornerback, where the team brought in Dee Alford through free agency on a three-year deal on Mar. 12 to replace former All-Pro Taron Johnson, who was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders on Mar. 11.

But without a clear path to a contributing role, Hancock could be placed on the trade block. It should be mentioned that various reports mentioned Hancock was in a red non-contact jersey during the Bills’ offseason workout program after undergoing an offseason medical procedure to repair a shoulder injury. Still, he is a young player with plenty of upside who could garner a small return if offered up to prospective teams.

This isn’t to say the Bills would get a significant return on either player at this point, but as things shake out over the next couple of months leading into Week 1 against the Houston Texans on Sept. 13, changes are coming and these are two players who may be involved in trade rumors down the road.

Add us as a preferred source on Google