2026 NFL Free Agency: Buffalo Bills Mock Offseason

You’re probably getting sick and tired of hearing this, but . . . NFL free agency is just around the corner.

Or, if you’d like to sing about it, “it’s just around the riverbend!’”

Sorry, I’ve admittedly been watching a lot of Disney movies with my 2-year-old daughter lately. Pocahontas, anyone?

Anyways, many across the league have been patiently awaiting the official arrival of the new league year that begins on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. ET, which is luckily a whole 24 hours earlier than last year’s start of March 12th, and fans within the Bills Mafia Fambase are no different in terms of their palpable anticipation of next week’s opening festivities.

And while it’s certainly been an interesting offseason already due to the unexpected firing of longtime head coach Sean McDermott — coupled with the promotions of Joe Brady and Brandon Beane — there’s nothing quite like the excitement that comes about with the beginning of a new league year and the trickling stream of new players that flows onto the roster as the calendar slowly wanes toward the beginning of another regular season.

It’s like Christmas morning for some, and the possibilities of what could be are oftentimes better than the reality of what your team ultimately winds up doing.

That’s what makes the NFL so intriguing — anything could happen . . . or it couldn’t — you just never know.

So, now that we have the NFL Scouting Combine in the rear-view mirror, as it came to a close at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, yesterday, this article will try to give an idea of what Brandon Beane and company could have up their sleeve this offseason when things get kicked off early on next week. 

Buckle up and get ready for the (hopefully enjoyable) upcoming ride into the 2026 NFL season.

Buffalo Fambase Mock Free Agency for 2026

This exercise will not be touching on players that the Buffalo Bills will bring back from their own crop of upcoming free agents or what they’ll be doing in the draft — that will come later on as we get closer to the end of April — instead, this piece will speculate on who the incoming players might be from the free agent pool and trade market in the coming days and weeks. 

As of the time this was written, the Bills have already brought back offensive lineman Alec Anderson and defensive lineman Phidarian Mathis to one-year deals, while also recently re-signing safety Sam Franklin, who was a special teams ace for Buffalo last season when he racked up 13 tackles in menacing fashion on coverage units.

Trade 2026 3rd-round pick and 2027 conditional 5th-round pick to Chicago Bears for Wide Receiver D.J. Moore 

This name may come out of left field for some, but it makes a lot of sense when you actually sit down and think about it from both sides — especially considering how timid President of Football Operations and General Manager Brandon Beane actually is when it comes to pulling the trigger on a trade, despite what he’d like you to think by his posturing through various media outlets like The Pat McAfee Show where he’s continually boasting about his “aggressive” demeanor. 

Back in reality down here on Earth, however, Beane has really only been ultra-aggressive once in his tenure as general manager, which of course was when he sent a first-round pick to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for Stefon Diggs, and that worked out great for Buffalo even in spite of the rocky ending.

Diggs was exactly the type of alpha receiver that quarterback Josh Allen needed at that time.

And while he’s certainly proven he’s capable of doing more with less since Diggs’ departure, that’s not a good recipe for success.

The point is to give your MVP quarterback as many weapons as you can, not as many obstacles to overcome as possible.

So, with all that said — enter wide receiver D.J. Moore, who is currently with the Chicago Bears.

A former 2018 first-round pick out of the University of Maryland, Moore has played for the Bears since 2023 when he was traded by the Carolina Panthers along with a slew of other draft picks in order to obtain the rights to the number one overall pick that year, which would ultimately turn out to be quarterback Bryce Young.

The 6-foot, 203-pound wideout has amassed 608 receptions for 8,213 yards and 41 touchdowns in his career on top of adding 510 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

Head coach Joe Brady and Beane talked at length about having receivers that can play any position this week while working media row at the combine, and Moore certainly fits the bill of having inside/outside flexibility given his build and sensational speed.

Add in the fact that the Bills thoroughly scouted Moore ahead of that 2018 draft — which was coincidentally when they ultimately selected quarterback Josh Allen — along with the wideout’s previous history as a Carolina Panther (joking … slightly), and it seems all too perfect of a fit for a Buffalo-Moore pairing.

The receiver will turn 29 in April, but that shouldn’t scare anyone. The Bills need to win now, and Moore can help do that for the next few seasons at the very least.

Under contract through 2029, Moore carries quite a large cap hit next season at $28.5 million according to Spotrac, but that number can easily be dropped down through a restructure or extension.

The Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, native has seemed disgruntled at times with his current quarterback Caleb Williams and is coming off the worst statistical season of his career in terms of catches (50) and receiving yards (682), so a change of scenery could make sense for a player that is just one year removed from back-to-back 95-plus catch seasons and who has had four seasons with at least 1,100 receiving yards in his career.

Do it, Brandon. 

Plan B: Sign former Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans or former Green Bay Packers wide receiver Romeo Doubs to a free-agent deal. 

Sign Safety Reed Blankenship to a 2-year deal

Looking at the safety market and the Bills’ current situation at the position, the idea of signing Reed Blankenship to pair with Cole Bishop in the back-end of Jim Leonhard’s new defensive system just seems like a match made in heaven.

An undrafted player coming out of college like Leonhard was during his playing days, the versatility and experience that Blankenship provides coming from Philadelphia would allow Bishop to be unlocked even more heading into his third season in the secondary. 

Add in that the 6-foot-1, 203-pound former Middle Tennessee State standout is still just 26 years old and also shouldn’t cost top dollar on the open market, and the idea just keeps sounding better and better.

For his career, the Alabama native has piled up 308 tackles, 23 pass deflections, and nine interceptions in four seasons during the regular season, as well as 44 tackles, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, one tackle for loss, and one pass deflection in eight career playoff games.

Plan B: Depending on their price, sign former Kansas City Chiefs safety Bryan Cook or Seattle Seahawks safety Coby Bryant to a free-agent deal.

Sign EDGE Kwity Paye to a 3-year deal

This is a move that would be a bit of a “big swing” for Brandon Beane outside of any trade that he may make.

Still somewhat relatively young — turning just 28 years old in November — and possessing a first-round pedigree, Paye hasn’t lived up to the expectations that come with being a top pick in Indianapolis, but he hasn’t been a total bust either. He just hasn’t been as dominant as you might expect from a former 21st overall pick. 

However, despite that notion, he’s certainly been a fairly decent player and may just need a new home to settle into before his true potential is finally unlocked.

With a stout build at 6-foot-3, 265 pounds, Paye would have to find his fit within Jim Leonhard’s new hybrid 3-4 scheme, but there’s plenty of intrigue surrounding a player that has posted 30.5 sacks in five seasons, including back-to-back seasons in 2023 and 2024 with at least eight sacks.

For that reason, his price tag probably won’t be cheap, but the investment may be worth it in the long run.

Plan B: Sign former Las Vegas Raiders EDGE Malcolm Koonce, Cincinnati Bengals EDGE Joseph Ossai, or Tennessee Titans EDGE Arden Key to a free-agent deal.

Sign Offensive Guard Isaac Seumalo to a 2-year deal

This signing will all depend on whether 2025 starting left guard David Edwards will be back with the Buffalo Bills next season or not.

Edwards has been a solid fixture along Buffalo’s offensive line the past two seasons, starting all 38 games that he has appeared in since the beginning of 2023 after signing a very modest deal to be a reserve offensive lineman with the team in 2022. 

However, given Edwards’ durability and solid play in the past two years, the former Wisconsin Badger may be in line for a hefty new contract in just over a week.

If the Bills are unable to retain his services for a price that is to their liking, then they may be on the lookout for a replacement player next season to come in and compete with Alec Anderson, who has been the team’s sixth offensive lineman in the past two seasons and who just signed a one-year deal to remain with the team in 2026.

That player could be none other than former Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles guard Isaac Seumalo, who has been in Pittsburgh since signing a three-year, $24 million contract back in 2023.

Possessing tremendous size at 6-foot-4, 303 pounds, Seumalo has been a steady player ever since entering the league as a third-round pick of the Eagles out of Oregon State in 2016, and he’ll likely be looking for at least one more bite at the free-agent pie come time for the new league year to begin.

A key reason why this could be a good free-agent marriage between Seumalo and Buffalo?

Well, it’s rather simple — not only is guard going to possibly be a key position of need, but the Hawaii native was under the tutelage of the Bills’ new offensive line coach, Pat Meyer, for the last three years across state lines with Pittsburgh.

Hopping the Pennsylvania border for the first time in his career and landing in nearby Buffalo, New York, could be an easy decision for the offensive lineman if the money is right.

Plan B: Sign former Cleveland Browns offensive guard Wyatt Teller or Miami Dolphins guard James Daniels to a free-agent deal, or bring back David Edwards.

Sign Linebacker Kaden Elliss to a 2-year deal

Much has been made this offseason about the idea of bringing former University of Wisconsin and Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Leo Chenal on board to Buffalo to help integrate defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard’s system amongst the players more quickly next season, but the fact of the matter is — he just may be too pricey.

Chenal is still just 25 years old and could conceivably strike a fairly large contract on the open market in a little over a week, so fans might want to prepare themselves for the possibility of the former Badger forgoing the chance to reunite with Leonhard in order to secure as big of a “bag” as he can in free agency.

With that said, start remembering the name Kaden Elliss. 

A former seventh-round pick out of the unheralded University of Idaho in 2019, Elliss has just as much versatility and blitzing ability as Chenal has, but may come at a fraction of the price due to his age as he will turn 31 in July.

And while that may deter some, Elliss could be the perfect stopgap option for Buffalo should they decide to double dip at the position somewhat early in the draft.

A captain during his time with the Atlanta Falcons over the past few seasons, Elliss has displayed solid tape and is a tenacious player who lays it all on the line.

Having racked up over 100 tackles in each of the past three years, including 107 combined tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 10 quarterback hits, six pass deflections, three-and-a-half sacks, and one forced fumble in 2025, Elliss would likely become a fan favorite amongst the Bills Mafia rather quickly if he’s brought in during free agency.

Plan B: Sign Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Leo Chenal or Minnesota Vikings linebacker Eric Wilson to a free-agent deal.

Sign Defensive Lineman Neville Gallimore to a 1-year deal

After starting his career as a third-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys in 2020 out of the University of Oklahoma, the Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, native has bounced around the league a little bit after the first four years of his career.

Since 2024, Gallimore has been with the Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Rams before settling in with the Indianapolis Colts last season, a year in which he posted a career-high in sacks (3.5) and tackles for loss (4) while starting eight times in 17 games played — the second most starts he’s ever had in a season. 

For that reason, Gallimore may be in line for a bit of a larger pay day this offseason compared to the one-year, $1.3 million dollar deal he signed with Indianapolis heading into 2025, but the amount shouldn’t be something that would scare off Buffalo in their pursuit of the versatile defensive lineman.

Plan B: Sign Detroit Lions defensive tackle D.J. Reader or Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle David Onyemata to a free-agent deal.

Sign Defensive Lineman Roy Lopez to a 1-year deal

Nose tackle Roy Lopez isn’t a flashy name by any means, but he’s the exact type of player that Buffalo could use in the middle of its new 3-4 scheme heading into 2026.

Seen as a heavy load to handle with his 6-foot-2, 312-pound frame, Lopez can be a lane clogger that eats up double teams and would help free up other defensive linemen like Ed Oliver and Greg Rousseau to make more impact plays along the defensive front.

Although he started zero games with the Detroit Lions, Lopez had previously started 50 of 63 games in his previous first four years in the league with the Houston Texans and the Arizona Cardinals.

Despite his lack of starts with the Lions, Lopez was still fairly effective in his role as he posted 30 combined tackles, five quarterback hits, and four tackles for loss in 17 games.

The former sixth-round pick likely won’t cost much, and bringing him on board to help hold up the middle of Jim Leonhard’s defensive front would make a lot of sense.

Plan B: Sign New England Patriots nose tackle Khyiris Tonga to a 2-year deal. *This would actually be my preferred move over Lopez, but I have a feeling he’ll be back with the Patriots in ‘26.

Sign Linebacker Jack Sanborn to a 1-year deal

Much like Leo Chenal, linebacker Jack Sanborn played under the Buffalo Bills’ current defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard from 2018 to 2021 when Leonhard held the same title at the University of Wisconsin.

Sanborn was an integral part of the Badgers’ defense during his collegiate career, racking up 230 combined tackles, 29 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks, and four interceptions while biding his time in Madison, Wisconsin, before entering the NFL in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Unfortunately, Sanborn went undrafted that year before being picked up as a UDFA by the Chicago Bears in May of 2022, where he would eventually spend the first three seasons of his career before joining the Dallas Cowboys on a one-year deal in 2025.

Sanborn has never been a full-time starter in the league — with 10 starts for Chicago in 2023 being the most of his career — but, he’s still managed to be a contributor throughout his first four seasons, tallying 198 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, six pass deflections, and four-and-a-half sacks since entering the league.

With that said, Sanborn has proven he’s an NFL-caliber player — he just needs an opportunity.

Buffalo could theoretically provide just what he’s looking for, and the former Badger could provide Buffalo with another “teacher on the field” to help other players along in this new defensive system.

A cheap, one-year deal makes all the sense in the world here, especially if the Bills strikeout on a higher-priced linebacker early on in the free-agency process.

Plan B:Sign either Denver Broncos linebacker — Justin Strnad or Alex Singleton — or Dallas Cowboys linebacker Logan Wilson to a free-agent deal.

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Editor’s babble: Thanks to John Green for his terrific contributions to our blog. You can also find John on X @JGreen_PRsports.