The Buffalo Bills’ roster will look much different in 2026.

After dismissing Sean McDermott, Buffalo’s next head coach will have to navigate through the team’s roster. He and the front office will determine which free agents need to return and make some tough decisions regarding players who may not be playing up to their contracts.

Below is a detailed look at Buffalo’s estimated cap space, draft picks and potential targets, pending free agents and bubble players, via Spotrac.

Estimated cap space

Buffalo has moves that need to be made. As it stands, Spotrac estimates the salary cap to be a shade over $304 million in 2026. With that number in mind, the Bills enter the offseason $7 million over that threshold.

Releases, trades, cap conversions and restructures will help Buffalo free up cap space to address some of their biggest needs in free agency. Still, the team is in the bottom-third of the league in terms of estimated cap space entering the offseason.

Draft Picks

Brandon Beane and the Bills need to hit a few home runs in this year’s draft. The team enters the offseason with seven draft picks. Buffalo’s first pick will be at No. 26 overall. Here’s a look at the team’s picks going into the offseason.

Round 1 (No. 26 overall)Round 2Round 3Round 4Round 5Round 7 (via NYJ)Round 7 (via DAL)

Biggest needs: Wide receiver, linebacker, safety, offensive line and edge rusher

Buffalo cannot draft for need, but upgrading their wide receiver room needs to be their main priority this offseason. The position needs to be addressed via trade, free agency or trade.

Draft rankings will change over the next few months, but wide receivers with late-first round grades include Washington’s Denzel Boston, Georgia’s Zachariah Branch and Texas A&M’s KC Concepcion.

FREE AGENTS

Buffalo has a few key agents set to hit the market. Connor McGovern and David Edwards, both starters, are set to hit the market. Keeping one or both may be the Bills’ top priority in free agency.

There are several other contributors on both sides of the ball set to hit the market as well. Buffalo’s coaching staff could look much different from top to bottom, depending on who they hire, so some players from the old guard may be moving on.

Here’s a look at Buffalo’s full list of unrestricted free agents (18 players total).

G David EdwardsC Connor McGovernFB Reggie GilliamLB Shaq ThompsonLB Matt MilanoCB Tre’Davious WhiteED Joey BosaED A.J. EpenesaDT DaQuan JonesDB Cam LewisS Jordan PoyerS Damar HamlinS Sam FranklinQB Mitch TrubiskyK Matt PraterP Mitch WishnowskyDL Larry OgunjobiCB Darius Slay

Free agent that must come back: Connor McGovern

Buffalo will have a new offensive line coach, so the coach may want to bring in some new blood on the offensive line. It’s hard to envision many players out there that would be as good as McGovern, however. Bringing back the center would ensure that the Bills’ offensive line would have at least four of its starters return from 2025.

3 CUT CANDIDATES VIA SPOTRAC

WR Curtis Samuel: This seems like an easy one to start with for the Bills. Samuel has struggled to stay healthy in his two seasons with the Bills. He is set to have an $8 million salary in 2026. Releasing Samuel in early March would free up over $6 million in cap space.

This one seems like a no-brainer.

TE Dawson Knox: Some tough decisions need to be made for the Bills and a real conversation needs to be had on Dawson Knox. Knox is still a fine player, but he has not played up to his contract. Buffalo could roll with Dalton Kincaid, Jackson Hawes and Keleki Latu as their top-three tight ends before having to make any other moves at the position in 2026. By releasing Knox, the team can free up a little over $10 million in cap space.

K Tyler Bass: Buffalo can free up close to $3 million in cap space by moving on from Tyler Bass.

After missing the entire 2025 season, Buffalo was able to get by with Matt Prater. Buffalo has not received a great return on investment with Bass’ contract, so cutting ties and exploring free agency or the draft may be the best move for the team.

Interview with Mike Ginnitti of Spotrac

Matt Parrino and Mike Ginnitti run through some potential moves that the Bills could make this offseason to improve their roster.