“You always got to have that fire burning within yourself,” he said.
Brady expects that Williams will “be ready to go” for training camp, which could mean there’s a competition at hand for who will start alongside inside linebacker Terrel Bernard.
But even if Williams’ experience gives him the edge, Elarms-Orr will still be involved, both on defense and special teams. Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane described Elarms-Orr as an “arrow-up player” the day the Bills selected him.
“We like what he’ll bring,” Beane said at the draft. “We think he’ll be a good fourth-down player, too, for (special-teams coordinator) Jeff Rodgers.”
The Bills also can get creative on defense with Elarms-Orr, throwing three linebackers on the field for certain packages, as they did more often last year than in years past. While it’s now Leonhard at the helm, the new defensive coordinator has spoken often about utilizing players’ unique skillsets to attack the opposing offense. Elarms-Orr could get in the mix this way, too.
After two seasons as a swing tackle, Alec Anderson is competing against veteran Austin Corbett to become the Bills’ starting left guard.
Other rookies are sure to make an impact in the 2026-27 season as well. The Bills invested plenty of draft capital at a premium position for rookie outside linebacker T.J. Parker. Wide receiver Skyler Bell could break out. And Davison Igbinosun adds depth if anything happens at cornerback.
But it is Elarms-Orr’s traits that have him best primed to get involved quickly.
“As a player, I try to pride myself on versatility, just being an all-around player: fast, physical, relentless, always around the ball,” Elarms-Orr said. “Very sideline to sideline, I could blitz. I mean, I just try to be a three-phase linebacker, try to affect the run, pass, and affect the quarterback, so I probably say my versatility is that I pride myself on.”