A key component of salary cap and roster management is looking forward to expiring contracts and starting to lay the foundation for the next off season.
The 2025 draft ended on April 26th, and on April 27th scouts began to scour their areas and start to make plans for who they’re going to go see and when.
Who will the Bills be looking to sign to a contract extension? Who will they be looking to replace through the draft? Let’s take a look at the top candidates.
Offensive Line
The Bills have 5 offensive linemen on expiring contracts going into the 2025 season. These include:
- Starting C – Conor McGovern
- Starting LG – David Edwards
- 6th OL – Alec Anderson
- Backup LT – Ryan Van Demark
- Backup G – Kendrick Green
Conor McGovern and David Edwards are the obvious candidates for extensions, but it may require some cap gymnastics to get both back.
The Bills are currently projected to have around 10 million dollars in cap room at the start of the 2026 season if that were to start today. That include money they’ll need to resign players and pay draft picks.
McGovern is 28 and has a current cap hit of 9.3 million dollars. A 3-year contract would lock up the starting center position until McGovern is 31, the same age as Mitch Morse when the Bills allowed him to hit free agency. It may also allow Beane to reduce his cap number to a number lower than what it is in 2025, but any future years added will reduce the salary cap available next year.
David Edwards is in a similar situation. In 2023, he served as the 6th OL, earning many snaps as a big TE after Joe Brady took over as OC. When Mitch Morse hit free agency, David Edwards stepped into the LG position and had a fantastic year as a LG. The Bills love to have continuity at the OL position to provide that safety net and keep the mojo working for Josh Allen and the run game to produce. Edwards only carries a cap hit of 4.9 million on a very team friendly deal, but he reportedly will look to secure a lucrative contract during his prime years. The Bills may not be able to afford him.
Alec Anderson has been operating in the 6th lineman that is basically it’s own position. He saw 27% of snaps, reporting as eligible as a big TE and was extra beef on rushing downs. Defenses were often overmatched and didn’t have the personnel to be able to deal with these packages. If David Edwards hits free agency, expect Alec Anderson to step into the LG spot and a new contract to match.
Ryan Van Demark has been rising up the ranks since he arrived and is a favorite depth LT. Tackles are premium positions in the NFL, so we will have to see if he finds a market, but with Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown as the firmly entrenched starters, Van Demark’s ceiling on this roster will remain as a quality backup. He may look for more playing time elsewhere.
Kendrick Green is currently mired in a camp battle trying to win a spot on the roster. With draft picks as his main competition, I wouldn’t be surprised if Green ends up being a one-and-done.
CB
- Tre’Davious White
- Dane Jackson
- Cam Lewis
- Ja’Marcus Ingram
Tre’ is back! Whether he’ll start or not is a totally different question. The savvy veteran and core culture piece, Tre’s relationship with the Bills coaching staff and knowledge of the system is invaluable. He’s back on a one year deal and is expected to compete for the starting spot opposite Christian Benford, but with the Bills selecting Mad Max in the 1st round, Tre’s role might be reduced to a coach on the field who can play in a pinch. Whether he returns again next year or not remains to be seen, but if he does, it will likely be similar to Micah Hyde’s role was in 2024.
Dane Jackson suddenly finds himself in a surprisingly deep competition at CB, given that the Bills only returned 1 starter from last year. He is now competing with Dorian Strong and Tre’ for a spot on the roster at outside CB. His high floor and competent replacement level performance has plenty of appeal for a team with deep playoff run aspirations. However, with his low ceiling and competition with rookie draft picks, Extending him next year may not be as big of a concern as making the 53 man roster this year.
Cam Lewis has been a bright spot as a UDFA out of University of Buffalo. His versatility and intelligence has allowed him to understand the system and perform competently as a backup at two positions, nickel CB and safety. He also has been a core special teamer in every season he has been on the roster. This year he faces stiff competition in rookie draft pick Jordan Hancock who has a very similar skill set, but a dramatically better athletic profile. If Cam doesn’t win that role , he might end up being a long time practice squad candidate in future years.
Ja’Marcus Ingram has been very well thought of by McBeane. He’s long been thought of as next man up, but the influx of new talent at outside corner means he’ll have to prove that he gives the team a much better chance to win. If he is able to, it will mean that he has elevated his game enough to be rewarded with a contract extension in 2026, but it seems more likely that he is headed to the practice squad.
Safety
- Darrick Forrest
- Damar Hamlin
The Bills will have some decisions to make at safety in 2026. If all goes well, some combination of Taylor Rapp, Cole Bishop, and Darrick Forrest lock up the safety positions in 2025.
Darrick Forrest has huge upside in this defense and could be on a career arc that would match Jordan Poyer’s, as I’ve written before. If he takes over a spot, he becomes a high priority extension candidate in 2026.
Damar Hamlin is a good replacement level player who did not find an appealing market in free agency in 2025. Looking ahead to 2026, the Bills could let him explore free agency again next off-season or bring him back on a vet minimum deal.
Defensive Line
This is a position group where anything could happen this year, but some starters from 2024 are unsigned beyond this year. The Bills’ seem to be preparing for this eventuality and could even preempt these moves by putting these players on the trade block to make room for the young talent drafted this offseason.
- Joey Bosa
- A.J. Epenesa
- Larry Ogunjobi
- Daquan Jones
Joey Bosa is the stud pass rusher signed to replace what Von Miller was going to be for the Bills before his injury. Joey is still a beast, but signed only a one year deal as he is likely looking to win a championship and then finish his career with a team closer to family. He could end up falling in love with Buffalo and deciding to stick around, but it is likely he is one and done in Buffalo with 2026 free agency being too attractive to pass up.
A.J. Epenesa has been a good edge defender for the Bills. A second round pick four years ago, A.J. lost about 35 pounds to fit the prototype of what the Bills wanted him to be. He came into the league as a 3-4 long-armed 6’4” DE out of Iowa, but at the Bills’ request changed his body to accentuate his rushing ability and speed around the end. With Landon Jackson and Michael Hoecht already signed long term, A.J. will likely have a hard time finding his way back and the roster, should have a premium second contract coming his way from another team in free agency, unless Beane works his trade magic again and manages to snag a low draft pick in return.
Larry Ogunjobi has a great upside for the Bills having had his best seasons as a 4-3 3-technique. His greatest challenge in returning to the Bills in 2026, probably has nothing to do with his ability, but with the roster composition this year. He has positional flexibility enough to rotate with Ed Oliver, but he can also swing over to the A gap and play the 1-tech on clear passing downs. The trouble for Larry is that the Bills just organized his replacements with T.J. Jackson and Deone Walker, both of whom the Bills will hope can take steps forward and learn quickly in their rookie seasons. I expect Michael Hoecht to take reps inside at DT also, so Larry could have a big role as the seasoned vet, but could be a long shot for a contract extension and will likely see the free agent market again in 2026.
Daquan Jones is the aging veteran that the Bills are hoping to upgrade from. He filled a vital role last season, commanding almost 50% of snaps, all of them in the A gap, but appears to have lost that burst and interior pass rush that made him valuable to the Bills in years past. He is the 2nd highest paid DT on the Bills making 9.4 million this year, but that might work against him in a contract extension as he likely plays elsewhere in 2026, if he’s not traded in 2025.
Notable Mentions
RB James Cook is the biggest name on the Bills’ mind with an expiring contract in 2026. Unfortunately, he does not play a premium position in the NFL and Brandon Beane tends not to overpay for premium positions. In interviews this past week, he mentioned that when you have to pay Josh Allen, you have to sacrifice at other positions. Look for Ray Davis to take over as the primary ball carrier in 2026, with a rookie to be drafted in a support role.
LB Matt Milano is about to join the long list of Bills’ players who we loved while they were here, and were saddened to see go after injury derailed their prime years (Tre’Davious, Von Miller, Aaron Jones come to mind). Matt has been great, but all signs point to him wanting to have his options open entering 2026.