The Buffalo Bills are looking to unlock opportunities for some of their current players, who can turn a solid season into a career year and be potential difference-makers between another playoff exit and a Super Bowl trip.
TE Dalton Kincaid has grown in importance to the passing game since being drafted by the Bills in 2023. Despite an injury-marred 2024 and a 2025 season with 39 catches for 571 yards and 5 touchdowns in 12 games, his ceiling is higher. With DJ Moore commanding the defense's attention on the outside and James Cook still a matchup problem out of the backfield, Kincaid should see cleaner looks over the middle.
CB Maxwell Hairston was drafted by the Bills in the first round to eventually start opposite Christian Benford. His flashes as a rookie, including 2 interceptions in 11 games, are the reason the front office was comfortable moving on from their veteran depth at corner. Hairston's athletic profile was the best in Buffalo's 2025 draft class, and if he can clean up the penalties and stay on the field, he potentially has the highest ceiling of any young defender in the building to make a second-year leap.
WR Keon Coleman has been a frequent story and question in the NFL surrounding the Bills' offense. After a rookie year that showed flashes of contested-catch dominance and a sophomore season that produced 38 catches for 404 yards and 4 touchdowns in 13 games, Coleman's 2025 was hurt by drops and inconsistency. However, he is 6-foot-4, physical after the catch, and has shown he can win on back-shoulder and contested routes.
DT T.J. Sanders was the big get of the Buffalo's 2025 draft class: a 6-foot-4, 297-pound interior penetrator from South Carolina who could give Ed Oliver a running mate and give Leonhard a defensive tackle who could two-gap, stunt, and disrupt. However, a knee injury happened, and Sanders played in 12 games and made 2 starts as a rookie. If Sanders is healthy in year two, he can be a missing piece that makes the front seven rotation sustainable across four quarters — and deep into January.
RB Ray Davis has a role that keeps expanding. As a rookie, he carried 113 times for 442 yards and 3 touchdowns. In 2025, with James Cook firmly established as the lead back, Davis handled 58 carries for 275 yards in 17 games, averaging 4.7 yards per carry. Using him as a short-yardage, third-down protector, and the back who keeps Cook fresh for the stretch run could be a significant way to meet that request as Davis enters his third season.
The Bills' 2026 roster features some new faces joining others looking to break through to the next level of play during the 2026 NFL season. These breakout candidates, including TE Dalton Kincaid, CB Maxwell Hairston, WR Keon Coleman, DT T.J. Sanders, and RB Ray Davis, are poised to make a splash and potentially change the course of the team's season.
Source: Yahoo Sports