{"id":848039,"date":"2026-04-01T22:21:21","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T22:21:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/848039\/"},"modified":"2026-04-01T22:21:21","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T22:21:21","slug":"four-things-we-learned-about-buffalo-bills-at-nfl-league-meetings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/848039\/","title":{"rendered":"Four Things We Learned About Buffalo Bills at NFL League Meetings"},"content":{"rendered":"

Brandon Beane and Joe Brady revealed plenty during their media appearances<\/a> at the annual NFL League Meetings in Phoenix this week.<\/p>\n

Among the items discussed, Josh Allen\u2019s health<\/a> was at the top of the list, as the Bills\u2019 franchise quarterback is set to be \u201cgood to go\u201d for Buffalo\u2019s offseason program. Beyond Allen\u2019s status, there was much more on the docket between the Bills\u2019 president of football operations\/general manager and head coach.<\/p>\n

Here are four things we learned from the Bills during the league meetings<\/a> in the desert.<\/p>\n

Important dates\"Josh<\/p>\n

Bills quarterback Josh Allen enters on crutches to a press conference at the Bills field house in Orchard Park on Jan. 29, 2026. He had minor foot surgery. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee\/Democrat and Chronicle \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/p>\n

The Bills plan to begin their offseason program<\/a> on Tuesday, Apr. 7, which is two weeks earlier than most other NFL teams are permitted to begin their training for the upcoming 2026 season. They can start\u00a0prior to\u00a0other organizations because they have a new head coach, whereas teams with a returning head coach can begin their program on Apr. 20.<\/p>\n

Additionally, the Bills will host their local pro day on Apr. 11, an event which will feature University at Buffalo linebacker Red Murdock, who may be one of the team\u2019s draft targets in a few weeks.<\/p>\n

Dorian Strong injury update\"Dorian<\/p>\n

Buffalo Bills cornerback Dorian Strong (43) after the game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. | Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

The Bills\u2019 former sixth-round pick sustained a frightening neck injury during the 2025 season and underwent what Beane termed<\/a> a \u201cspecialized surgery\u201d this offseason to repair the ailment. It remains unclear if Strong will be able to continue his playing career.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just in the healing phase right now,\u201d said Beane<\/a>. \u201cThere\u2019s not a lot of rehab to it.\u00a0It\u2019s just\u00a0kind of\u00a0see how it does.\u201d<\/p>\n

Strong\u2019s status could impact what the Bills elect to do<\/a> at the cornerback position over the next few weeks and months, as he projected well as a future contributor during his limited time on the field during his rookie year. However, if his medical condition forces him to hang up his cleats, Buffalo will need to pursue additional options on the boundary.<\/p>\n

\u2018Wide-open competition\u2019\"Alec<\/p>\n

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir (10) with offensive tackle Alec Anderson (70) after the game at Bank of America Stadium. | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

With the free-agent addition<\/a> of interior offensive lineman Austin Corbett, Beane is anticipating an all-out war for the left guard position left vacant by David Edwards\u2019 departure for the New Orleans Saints.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think there\u2019s going to be a good competition<\/a> at left guard,\u201d said Beane. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t want to give that to [Alec Anderson] or anyone else. You know, I would say because Alec\u2019s been here, you know, if we played a game right now, he knows the system and would probably be out there first. But between now and when we get pads on and all that, I think it\u2019ll be a wide-open competition.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tylan Grable, Chase Lundt and Sedrick Van-Pran Granger may factor into the positional battle in the trenches, but\u00a0it looks like\u00a0a starting role will come down to Anderson or Corbett this summer.<\/p>\n

Shift at punt returner?\"Joe<\/p>\n

Buffalo Bills head coach Joe Brady during the 2026 NFL Annual League Meeting at the Arizona Biltmore. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

One of the many considerations for the Bills entering the draft will be whether to select a player with punt-return experience. Buffalo has used its top wide receiver, Khalil Shakir, in that role the past two seasons, and Brady expressed his desire to change that.<\/p>\n

\u201cKhalil, as we know, is one of our best football players\u2014just like Josh Allen,\u201d said Brady<\/a>. \u201cWhen you\u2019re back there, and Josh takes a hit, or he runs, and he doesn\u2019t slide, I\u2019m getting the plays in a little late cause I\u2019m making sure he gets up. So, I feel that a little at times with Khalil. I\u2019d love for Khalil not to be back there. But Khalil is a team player and\u00a0whatever\u00a0he has to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

It would be wise to keep Shakir out of harm\u2019s way when it comes time for the special teams unit to take the field. The 26-year-old battled through\u00a0a number of\u00a0different bumps and bruises last season, and Buffalo should do whatever it can to ensure he remains on the field.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Brandon Beane and Joe Brady revealed plenty during their media appearances at the annual NFL League Meetings in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":848040,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2048],"tags":[215,214,53,2086,7,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-848039","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-buffalo-bills","8":"tag-bills","9":"tag-buffalo","10":"tag-buffalo-bills","11":"tag-buffalobills","12":"tag-football","13":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116331788780841128","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/848039","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=848039"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/848039\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/848040"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=848039"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=848039"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=848039"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}