New Bills' Safety Amani Hooker Headlines Four Key Players to Watch vs. Jets

The current AFC East leader will look to advance to 8-1 on the season when the team squares off against New York on the road at MetLife Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Oct. 18, 2021; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Former Tennessee Titans' safety Amani Hooker (37) takes the field before a past NFL game against the Buffalo Bills at Nissan Stadium. | USA TODAY Sports

The Buffalo Bills have had anything but a normal week at the office over the last several days.

Coming off Monday’s primetime road win over the Minnesota Vikings, general manager Brandon Beane quickly sent shockwaves throughout the fanbase and the NFL on Tuesday afternoon when he was able to finally strike a deal for Tennessee Titans’ safety Amani Hooker.

And, now they find themselves having to face yet another road matchup—this time against a scrappy divisional opponent in the New York Jets—on short rest in order to move to 8-1 for the first time since the 1991 season.

Oct. 12, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Buffalo Bills' players celebrate after defeating the Los Angeles Rams in overtime at SoFi Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

But, given that several experts expect Buffalo to cruise to victory at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, it should be no problem for first-year head coach Joe Brady’s squad . . . right?

Well. that’s certainly what Bills Mafia would like to see happen.

So, with that in mind, here are four Bills’ players that everyone must keep an eye on who could allow fans to have a stress-free Sunday of football in a mere matter of hours.

S Amani Hooker

Former Tennessee Titans' safety Amani Hooker (37) celebrates an interception in a game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Titans at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

As mentioned above, the move Brandon Beane made for 28-year-old veteran safety Amani Hooker—the NFL’s current co-leader in interceptions—certainly perked the fanbase up prior to Tuesday’s trade deadline, as it was a transaction many have been clamoring for since what seems like the start of September.

And, with that in mind, it appears that fans won’t have to wait very long as both Hooker and head coach Joe Brady have confirmed that the defensive back will play against the Jets this weekend.

Although his snap count hasn’t been set in stone, there’s no telling how much of an impact he can have on defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard’s unit moving forward.

He’ll be a key player to watch because the Bills are undoubtedly counting on him to be a playmaker for a defense that has just six interceptions through eight games this season. 

Dec. 22, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Former Tennessee Titans' safety Amani Hooker (37) intercepts a ball meant for Indianapolis Colts' tight end Drew Ogletree (85) during the first quarter of a past NFL game at Lucas Oil Stadium. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

It’ll be interesting to see if he can get his hands on any passes from New York’s veteran quarterback Geno Smith . . . or “Eugene Smith”, which is what Brady referred to him as this week.

It won’t be easy, though, as Smith has only thrown three interceptions all season long, and the Jets are actually tied for sixth in the NFL in turnover differential at +3.

OLB Bradley Chubb

Sep. 17, 2026; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills' veteran outside linebacker Bradley Chubb (9) celebrates a sack during the first half against the Detroit Lions at the new Highmark Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Buffalo Bills have had a rough time this fall in terms of getting meaningful contributions from their defensive additions from this offseason.

Whether it be nickel cornerback Dee Alford’s early struggles in the slot, rookie pass-rusher T.J. Parker being practically non-existent on the stat sheet, or the recent release of verbose veteran safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Beane’s outlook from this offseason’s investments is turning out to be fairly bleak.

And, chief among those “swings-and-misses” on the defensive side of the ball appears to be 30-year-old outside linebacker Bradley Chubb, who is on pace for just three sacks this season despite being named a captain at the end of training camp.

Moving forward, though, that needs to change, and the Bills must start seeing some sort of production from Chubb opposite of sixth-year veteran Gregory Rousseau, who is known to disappear from time to time despite currently being on pace to break his career-high in sacks.

Oct. 4, 2026; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills' outside linebacker Bradley Chubb (9) pressures New England Patriots' quarterback Drake Maye (10) during the second quarter at the new Highmark Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

A lack of pass rush has been a hindrance for Buffalo in years of the past, particularly in the playoffs, so it’s imperative that the team start getting more bang for their buck from Chubb as the calendar creeps toward December.

This week will be a perfect opportunity for the former top-five pick to get back into the groove of things, though, as the Jets are one of the worst teams in the league at protecting the quarterback, which is evidenced by the fact that they’ve given up the fourth-most sacks in the NFL through nine contests with a total of 28.

WR Keon Coleman

Buffalo Bills' wide receiver Keon Coleman (0) makes a catch in front of Detroit Lions' cornerback Rock Ya-Sin (23) during the second half of a game at the new Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y., on Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Although new veteran wide receiver D.J. Moore appears to be rebounding fairly well from his early-season struggles with a shoulder issue, the Bills still need more of a threat opposite of him on the boundary.

And, despite third-year wideout Keon Coleman appearing to be on an upward trajectory this year, his production has somewhat plateaued over the last four games (9 rec., 87 yds, 2 TDs) after he put together an exceptional performance against the New England Patriots at Highmark Stadium in Week 4 that consisted of raking in six catches on seven targets for 116 yards and one touchdown.

The Bills will need more of the latter moving ahead toward the toughest part of their schedule, especially when teams begin to try and key on Moore.

New York will provide a good test in Week 10 for Coleman and Co. behind the team’s preferred No. 1 option, though, as the Jets boast the league’s fourth-best passing defense in terms of total yards allowed per game (197.8 YPG).

RT Tylan Grable

Oct. 18, 2026; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Buffalo Bills' offensive tackle Tylan Grable (68) gets in his stance during the first quarter against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Last week, third-year swing tackle Tylan Grable was tasked with protecting quarterback Josh Allen’s blindside in place of the previously injured left tackle Dion Dawkins.

Now, entering Sunday, Grable will likely be on the right side replacing Spencer Brown, who is listed as doubtful with an ankle injury.

If Brown is unable to go, then it’ll mark the third straight start for Grable, who also received the starting nod on the right side when Brown was unable to suit up against the Ravens coming out of the bye week due to a back ailment.

Needless to say, Grable will be an important player to watch once again this week against the Jets, even though he has proven himself to be quite capable thus far in limited starting action.

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