Buffalo’s Linebacker Room Has One Less Safety Net and That Could Matter

The Buffalo Bills spent 2026 like a team that knew exactly what it needed. They traded for DJ Moore. They signed Bradley Chubb, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, and Geno Stone. They promoted Joe Brady to head coach and brought in Jim Leonhard to run the defense. On paper, this roster looks built for a Super Bowl run in the new Highmark Stadium.

But there is a problem at the second level. And it might be the one thing that keeps this whole thing from working.

The Bernard Question

Terrel Bernard is still the guy in the middle. Nobody is questioning his instincts or his leadership. The question is whether he can stay on the field. Bernard has missed nine games over the last two seasons. That is a lot for a linebacker who doesn’t have a clear, proven backup behind him. The Bills have not confirmed any concern about his durability, but the tape and the medical reports don’t lie.

If Bernard goes down again, the fallback options get thin real fast.

Dorian Williams is expected to take a bigger role after mostly playing in specific packages. He has the athletic traits but not a ton of every-down experience. Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles is a veteran who has bounced around. Fourth-round pick Kaleb Elarms-Orr is a rookie who might need time. None of these guys has walked onto the field and forced the coaching staff to keep him out there for 60 snaps a game.

It is not a disaster yet. But it is a crack in what otherwise looks like a fortified roster.

Scheme Adjustments Coming?

Leonhard has a reputation for being creative with defensive backs. That matters here. The Bills might lean on three-safety looks more than they originally planned, just to cover up the lack of depth at linebacker. That sort of thing works until it doesn’t. It works until you face a team like Kansas City that can run the ball down your throat and force you into base personnel.

Buffalo fans saw that movie before. They do not want to see it again.

The optimistic view is that Bernard stays healthy and one of the younger guys takes a step. The pessimistic view is that the Bills invested heavily everywhere else and left themselves one weak link at a position that matters more than people want to admit. Either way, training camp is going to tell us a lot.

For now, the Bills are a contender with a question mark at linebacker. That is better than a team with no answers. But it is not nothing either.