2025 Bills position review: Linebackers

Feb. 10, 2026, 8:45 a.m. ET

The Buffalo Bills ended their 2025 campaign feeling like an opportunity had been missed. Buffalo put together another strong season, ending the year with 12 wins. However, losses to New England, Miami, and Atlanta doomed the Bills, causing them to drop from the top of the AFC East standings for the first time in five seasons. 

The Bills season, once again, ended heartbreakingly. Buffalo could not finish the job in the AFC Divisional Playoff Round, falling to the Denver Broncos in overtime. 

Buffalo started their offseason with a bang, firing head coach Sean McDermott after nine seasons at the helm. Owner Terry Pegula highlighted McDermott’s inability to get the team to the Super Bowl as a primary reason for moving on from arguably the franchise’s second-best coach behind Marv Levy. 

This series of articles will explore each positional group ahead of free agency. This edition will focus on the Bills linebacker group.  

Season Review

The injury bug bit the Buffalo linebacking corps. Buffalo’s base defense, with two linebackers, relied on the complementary skills of Matt Milano and Terrel Bernard. Both Milano and Bernard played in 12 games each, and the lack of time on the field, combined with injuries, suppressed the production from the duo. There were moments where the pair looked like the dominant duo that fans wanted to see. However, these moments were fleeting. 

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A big surprise was Shaq Thompson. Buffalo struggled against the run multiple times this year. This forced the Bills to use a 4-3 scheme, and Thompson provided some much-needed power. 

Joe Andreessen and Dorian Williams provided depth and were core special teams contributors for Buffalo. 

ContractsDorian Williams–through 2026Joe Andreessen–through 2026Jimmy Ciarlo–through 2027Keonta Jenkins–through 2027Terrel Bernard–through 2029

Pending free agents:

Important StatsMatt Milano–67 total tackles, 3.5 sacks, 7 tackles for lossDorian Williams–65 total tackles, 1 tackle for lossTerrell Bernard-65 total tackles, 1 interception, 7 tackles for lossShaq Thompson–56 total tackles, 1 sack, 6 tackles for lossJoe Andreessen–35 total tacklesBig Question

How will Jim Leonhard’s scheme change the look of this unit? 

Leonhard will most likely shift this unit to a four-man base group. With this in mind, the Bills will need to find a new complement to Bernard in the middle of the line. Milano has been a massive part of the Buffalo defense over the past nine seasons. However, with the Bills cap crunch and Milano’s availability issues, it’s apparent that Buffalo will need to find the next generation of linebacker to replace the 2022 All-Pro. 

In addition, the outside linebacker position will be an intriguing one to follow. Will any of the current defensive ends slide into an outside linebacker role? That will be the case for some of the players under contract. Leonhard will be creative with getting the most out of these players. 

Draft status

There’s a strong chance that Buffalo addresses the linebacker position early in the draft. It wouldn’t be surprising if the Bills added multiple linebackers throughout the draft. 

One name that’s popping up in multiple mock drafts is Georgia’s CJ Allen. Allen is a consistent, hard-working middle linebacker who simply makes plays. He might not be flashy, but he will make the right decision on the field. On film, Allen is impressive. He doesn’t make many mistakes, and he has the acumen to be part of the next generation of defensive leaders for Buffalo.