Buffalo Bills

Buffalo is squeezed nearly leaguewide, with cap room ranked 28th this season and $47.0M in dead money, but the next phase of contention depends on spending discipline now.

13 contracts expiring

Madden Tools Analysis

Five starting spots have weak depth behind the starter.

Buffalo holds eight picks in the upcoming draft including six first-rounders spread across this cycle, giving the front office exceptional resources to fill gaps or trade up for premium talent.

• Acquired: Round 7 from Raiders, this draft

The roster's top strength is the quarterback and offensive skill talent anchored by a 99-overall Allen, while strong safety is the weakest spot with a starter ranked 26th leaguewide.

• SSmedium

  C.J. Gardner-Johnson starts at 75 overall, ranking the position 26th among starters leaguewide, making this the clearest upgrade target on defense.

• WILLmedium

  Dorian Williams holds the starting spot at 74 overall, ranking 24th leaguewide, and the depth behind him offers little insurance.

• CBlow

  Christian Benford and Maxwell Hairston give Buffalo a competent starting pair, but the overall depth ranks 19th leaguewide and could thin quickly.

• REDGElow

  Bradley Chubb starts at 78 overall and is entering the late stage of his career, so developing T.J. Parker behind him is a priority even though depth ranks fourth leaguewide.

• RGlow

  O'Cyrus Torrence is the starter at 75 overall, ranking the position 23rd among starters, and the backup depth sits 22nd leaguewide.

• WRlow

  DJ Moore and Khalil Shakir form a capable top two, but the starter rank sits 21st leaguewide and Joshua Palmer's potential release would thin the room further.

• 75Joshua PalmerWRJoshua Palmer sits third on the depth chart behind Moore and Shakir, and releasing him frees $7.5M against just $4.3M in dead money, making him a logical cap casualty to address tighter positional needs.Frees $7.5M · $4.3M dead
• 75Michael HoechtLEDGEMichael Hoecht is third on the left edge depth chart behind Rousseau and Danna, and his release frees $4.6M while carrying only $2.4M in dead money.Frees $4.6M · $2.4M dead
• 60Kyle AllenQBKyle Allen is the backup quarterback at 60 overall and releasing him frees $1.4M against a minimal $500K in dead money with virtually no roster impact.Frees $1.4M · $500.0K dead
• 66Alec AndersonLGAlec Anderson is the second-string left guard at 66 overall, and cutting him frees $1.6M against $850K in dead money, offering modest cap relief with little depth-chart cost.Frees $1.6M · $850.0K dead

Buffalo hands you the most important asset in franchise mode, a 99-overall Josh Allen, and builds a legitimate contender around him. James Cook III at 93 overall gives the offense a dynamic backfield piece, Greg Rousseau at 88 is a young Superstar edge rusher who can anchor the defense for the next half-decade, and Cole Bishop at 23 is developing into a Star-trait free safety. The cap is tight, with room ranking 28th this season and projected to rank 30th next season, and dead money sitting at $47.0M, so early roster decisions matter. Dion Dawkins remains an excellent left tackle but is entering the later stage of his career, meaning left tackle succession must be addressed within the next two seasons. Bradley Chubb on the right edge is in a similar window, but T.J. Parker at 21 with a Star trait is already on the roster as his heir apparent. A medium need at safety and linebacker is the most pressing structural gap, but the offensive firepower and defensive front are strong enough to compete while those spots are upgraded. Three first-round picks over the next three years give the front office flexibility to accelerate the timeline on any remaining holes.

The Buffalo Bills were founded in 1959 as a charter member of the American Football League (AFL), beginning play in 1960, owned by Ralph Wilson and named after an earlier All-America Football Conference franchise that honored frontiersman Buffalo Bill. The team's early glory came under quarterback Jack Kemp and head coach Lou Saban, who won back-to-back AFL Championships in 1964 and 1965. When the AFL merged with the NFL in 1970, the Bills joined the NFL, and the 1970s were defined by running back O.J. Simpson, who in 1973 became the first player to rush for over 2,000 yards in a season. The franchise's defining era arrived under head coach Marv Levy from 1986 to 1997. Powered by a Hall-of-Fame core, quarterback Jim Kelly, running back Thurman Thomas, wide receiver Andre Reed, and defensive end Bruce Smith, the Bills won four consecutive AFC Championships and reached four straight Super Bowls (XXV-XXVIII) from the 1990 through 1993 seasons, a feat unmatched in NFL history. They lost all four, most agonizingly Super Bowl XXV on Scott Norwood's "Wide Right" field goal. This era also produced "The Comeback," the January 3, 1993 wild-card game in which backup QB Frank Reich rallied Buffalo from a 35-3 deficit to a 41-38 overtime win over the Houston Oilers, the largest comeback in NFL postseason history. After Kelly retired, the Bills endured a 17-year playoff drought (2000-2016), the longest in major North American pro sports at the time. The drought ended in 2017, the first year under head coach Sean McDermott. The 2018 drafting of quarterback Josh Allen transformed the franchise into a perennial contender, with five straight AFC East titles (2020-2024) and Allen's 2024 NFL MVP award. Yet repeated playoff heartbreak, including a string of losses to Patrick Mahomes' Chiefs and the 2025 overtime Divisional defeat at Denver, led to McDermott's firing after the 2025 season and the promotion of Joe Brady to head coach.