{"id":909854,"date":"2026-06-04T15:12:24","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T15:12:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/909854\/"},"modified":"2026-06-04T15:12:24","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T15:12:24","slug":"5-bills-players-who-improved-the-most-during-2025-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/909854\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Bills players who improved the most during 2025 season"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 2025, Buffalo<\/a> finished 12-5 and again bowed out short of Super Bowl LX, but the year was not without improvements. Several Bills<\/a> elevated their play, and that tape is part of the foundation that new head coach Joe Brady and his coaching staff are building on in 2026. Based on PFF grades<\/a> and snap data, here are the five Bills<\/a> who improved the most as the season wore on.<\/p>\n

Cole Bishop<\/a>, S\"Jacksonville<\/p>\n

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (3) can only watch as Buffalo Bills safety Cole Bishop (24) intercepts the ball on the last play of the game in an NFL football AFC Wild Card playoff matchup, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla.<\/p>\n

Bishop’s sophomore jump is the single cleanest “most-improved” story on the roster. He went from\u00a0358 defensive snaps as a rotational rookie to\u00a0896 in 2025<\/a>, posted a\u00a070.8 overall PFF grade (23rd of 98 qualifying safeties), picked off\u00a0three passes, broke up\u00a0four more, and landed on PFF’s Top 101. For a second-round pick that the Bills needed to hit on for immediate contribution, his becoming a full-time starter\u00a0by year two has validated that selection.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Greg Rousseau<\/a>, EDGE\"Jan<\/p>\n

Jan 17, 2026; Denver, CO, USA; Buffalo Bills defensive end Greg Rousseau (50) pressures Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) during the third quarter of an AFC Divisional Round playoff game at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

The contract paid in 2024 was always a bet on the trajectory. In 2025, Rousseau cashed it. An\u00a086.4 PFF grade (8th of 115 edge defenders),\u00a055 pressures, and a Top 101 nod make him, statistically, one of the ten best edge rushers in football. Rousseau is on the verge of breaking through to the next level, and 2026 will help show whether lining up differently in Jim Leonard’s defense will unlock that for him.<\/p>\n

James Cook III<\/a>, RB\"Dec<\/p>\n

Dec 14, 2025; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Buffalo Bills running back James Cook III (4) runs for a touchdown against the New England Patriots during the second half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Cook spent the offseason being more outspoken than normal about his value while campaigning for a new deal. The tale of the tape in 2025 suggests the new contract he was given was well worth it.\u00a01,621 rushing yards,\u00a012 touchdowns,\u00a0307 carries, and a Top 101 finish. He is now the offense’s most reliable non-Allen producer, and the workload the Bills handed him was reflective of the level of commitment the team made in that new pact.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Dalton Kincaid<\/a>, TE\"Dalton<\/p>\n

Dalton Kincaid #86 of the Buffalo Bills scores a touchdown in the first quarter of the game against the Miami Dolphins at Highmark Stadium on September 18, 2025 in Orchard Park, New York.<\/p>\n

After two seasons of “potential,” Kincaid put it on the field: an\u00a081.9 PFF grade \u2014 3rd of 37 qualifying tight ends<\/a>,\u00a0571 receiving yards,\u00a0five touchdowns, and a\u00a014.6 yards-per-reception average that led the position. The fifth-year option got picked up in May 2026; If he keeps his trajectory and stays healthy, it’ll look like a great deal. In the passing game, Kincaid was the seam threat\u00a0Joe Brady\u00a0has been trying to unlock since the Diggs trade.<\/p>\n

Dion Dawkins<\/a>, LT\"Nov<\/p>\n

Nov 16, 2025; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Dion Dawkins (73) celebrates Josh Allen\u2019s first quarter touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Highmark Stadium.<\/p>\n

Aging tackles don’t usually post a career-best pass-block grade. Dawkins did. A\u00a073.9 overall, 81.5 pass-block grade \u2014 7th of 89 qualifying tackles<\/a>\u00a0on\u00a0957 snaps, the most stable left-side line in the AFC East. With a\u00a02026 cap charge of $24.8M and a void year hitting in 2028<\/a>, the Bills needed Dawkins to play to the contract. He co-led the team in penalties with Spencer Brown<\/a>, and his contract is notably a bigger chunk of the cap at the moment, alongside players like Allen and Ed Oliver<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on Bills Wire: 5 Bills players who improved the most during 2025 season<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In 2025, Buffalo finished 12-5 and again bowed out short of Super Bowl LX, but the year was…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":909855,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2048],"tags":[215,214,53,2086,1737,1714,13664,12776,7,13685,102084,12228,6,121844,20572,3025],"class_list":["post-909854","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-buffalo-bills","tag-bills","tag-buffalo","tag-buffalo-bills","tag-buffalobills","tag-cole-bishop","tag-dalton-kincaid","tag-dion-dawkins","tag-ed-oliver","tag-football","tag-greg-rousseau","tag-james-cook-iii","tag-joe-brady","tag-nfl","tag-several-bills","tag-spencer-brown","tag-the-bills"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116692487041625209","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/909854","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=909854"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/909854\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/909855"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=909854"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=909854"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=909854"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}