Who the Buffalo Bills Must Re-Sign in Free Agency and Who They Can Pass On

As the Buffalo Bills are amid OTAs, there remains a long list of former Bills players who are still on the open market as free agents.

There are a few obvious candidates that the Bills should consider re-signing, and a few who have no business being brought back by the team in 2026. Among them are a longtime special teams standout and veteran defensive player, one of whom could provide increased competition at an important position entering the upcoming campaign and the other who the Bills shouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole.

Re-sign kicker Matt Prater

After the Bills cut bait on Maddox Trujillo earlier this offseason, Buffalo’s only kicker on the roster is expected starter Tyler Bass. However, general manager/president of football operations Brandon Beane made it clear after the draft that the team expects to carry two kickers when they head to St. John Fisher University later this summer.

“We wanted to go to camp with two punters,” said Beane after the Bills selected P Tommy Doman Jr. in the seventh round. “That’s our plan: two punters, two kickers.”

If that comment holds, Prater would be a great option to bring in and compete with Bass for the starting role. He isn’t a long-term option, but at the very least, the Bills should check in with him to see if he can once again be used if things go awry with Bass for the second straight season.

Earlier this offseason, Bass renegotiated his contract to clear $1.92 in salary cap space. It would now cost the Bills just $2.5 million in dead cap to move on from Bass. Buffalo has $10.4 million in available cap space, according to Spotrac.

Prater would be entering his 20th NFL season if he were to return after converting 90% of his field goal attempts in 2025, his best mark since 2015. Bass has never made more than 87.5% of his field goal attempts, doing so in 2021, with his latest campaign in 2024 returning an 82.8% conversion rate.

Don't re-sign defensive tackle DaQuan Jones

Jones is 34 years old and probably past the twilight of his career. He could be looking at retirement this offseason. There’s no chance the Bills should consider re-signing the 12-year pro.

Despite playing in 12 games for the Bills last season, Jones recorded just 22 tackles, a career low for a season in which he played 12 or more games. The Bills still appear to need a run-stuffing force to add to their defensive line rotation, but the 6-foot-4, 320-pound DT’s days of clogging up the middle appear to be over. And with Buffalo set to deploy a new multiple-front defense under first-year coordinator Jim Leonhard, there are more adequate options available both on the roster and free-agent market for the Bills to plug into that role.

The Bills have drafted four defensive tackles over the past three seasons, including fourth-rounder Deone Walker, who is expected to be the team’s top nose tackle, taking over for Jones in that regard this season. Buffalo could still use the depth, but between his age, waning production, and the other free-agent options available, it’s a recipe for Buffalo to move on from an aging player.

Whereas Prater could help sustain an important position, Jones’ presence would create a logjam at a position where the Bills have made a significant effort to get younger in recent seasons. Re-signing Jones is a no-go for me.

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