Wednesday, Sep 9th
Thursday, Sep 10th

Buffalo Bills 2026 Preview

WRITTEN BY: HILOW
Coaching/Philosophy/Scheme Changes ::
  • Offense: Joe Brady moves from offensive coordinator to head coach, while the team hired former Broncos senior offensive assistant Pete Carmichael Jr as its new OC. Brady has already confirmed he will continue to call offensive plays moving forward.
  • Defense: Hired former Broncos assistant head coach and defensive pass game coordinator Jim Leonhard to be the new defensive coordinator.
Personnel Changes ::
  • Traded for WR D.J. Moore, sending a second-round pick to the Bears.
  • Signed veteran DE Bradley Chubb, S C.J. Gardner-Johnson, S Geno Stone, CB Dee Alford, and C Lloyd Cushenberry in free agency.
  • Focused heavily on defensive depth and offensive line depth through the draft, also taking WR Skyler Bell in the fourth.
  • Traded CB Taron Johnson to the Raiders.
  • Lost OG David Edwards, FB Reggie Gilliam, DB Cam Lewis, S Darnell Savage, OT Ryan Van Demark, and QB Mitchell Trubisky via free agency.
  • Released WR Curtis Samuel, S Taylor Rapp, and CB Dane Jackson ahead of free agency.
Schedule ::
  • Divisional Games (6):
    • Dolphins x 2, Patriots x 2, Jets x 2
  • AFC West (4):
    • Chargers, Chiefs, @Broncos, @Raiders
  • NFC North (4):
    • Lions, Bears, @Packers, @Vikings
  • Ravens, @Rams, @Texans
Bull Case ::

The bull and bear case for the Bills are going to be fairly abridged because most of the interesting discussions to be had involve how we interpret what we’ve seen from this team and apply it moving forward, which will be done in the final section.

The Bills have one of the top offensive lines in the league, when healthy, one of the top quarterbacks in the league, one of the top pure rushers in the league in James Cook, and play calling continuity with the promotion of former quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator Joe Brady to head coach. There are legitimate reasons to be excited about an offense that has finished third or higher in scoring in five of the previous six seasons, finishing a “disappointing” sixth in the lone outlier in that sample. Mike Clay currently has the Bills projected for 26 passing scores and 26 rushing scores, marks that I can get behind considering what this team has accomplished in recent seasons.

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The Full Breakdown Awaits

The bear case is just the beginning. Behind the gate, you’ll find detailed expectations for every key fantasy-relevant player on this roster, from the quarterback tier down through a crowded pass-catcher corps, plus specific draft strategy advice and projected value calls that could reshape how you build your roster this summer. It’s completely free to read.