ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- The Buffalo Bills' offseason changes have been lopsided.
The first indication came with the promotion of former offensive coordinator Joe Brady to head coach. He will also continue to call plays in the role.
Most of the offensive starters remain under contract. The team re-signed center Connor McGovern. The new projected starters on offense will be wide receiver DJ Moore and whoever wins the battle at left guard, primarily between Alec Anderson and Austin Corbett. The 2026 NFL draft brought a young receiver in the fourth round -- Skyler Bell -- and two backup offensive linemen.
By comparison, the turnover on defense has been significant.
Many of the defensive players remain in the wake of Sean McDermott's firing. But the roster has a few new veterans and is younger in terms of depth, something that president of football operations and general manager Brandon Beane acknowledged. A handful of veterans from last year's team remain free agents -- linebacker Matt Milano, cornerback Tre'Davious White and defensive ends Joey Bosa and AJ Epenesa.
For the second year in a row, the Bills used a majority of their draft picks on defense, using six of their 10 picks on the unit.
"We thought we needed kind of like last year, more youth. We look for some speed, some size, just some versatility," Beane said on Saturday. "An infusion of some youth on the defensive side of the ball was something that after we got through free agency ... we felt like there were more opportunities to compete at either starting roles or key backups on the defensive side of the ball. We also felt like there was enough depth in some of those positions in the draft."
Many of those defensive players are projected to be backups to start their careers. Instead of moving up for a player in the first round, Beane went into the draft prepared to move back -- prioritizing building out the roster to address weak spots rather than making a draft-day splash to address a position in an eye-popping way. Over a month before the draft, the team made its biggest offseason move by trading for Moore, giving up a second-round pick to get him.
"When you start the offseason with a trade for DJ, we were sitting there, and I know we ended up getting two second-round picks, but it was like, 'Hey man, that second round might be a while,'" Brady said. "But the whole time it's like, 'Don't forget, we got DJ Moore.'"
The team decided before the draft that, based on the talent available and the draft capital, the best move to address receiver was to trade for Moore.
The Bills traded seven times during this draft, one shy of matching the most since 1990, per ESPN Research. The trades moved the Bills down the draft all but one time. The only time the Bills traded up was to address what Beane said he felt coming into the draft was the biggest hole on the roster -- cornerback.
After selecting Clemson outside linebacker/edge rusher T.J. Parker with pick No. 35, Beane got "antsy" and moved up to select Ohio State cornerback Davison Igbinosun at No. 62. The team also addressed the position in the seventh round with Missouri's Toriano Pride Jr.
Beane said that he felt last year's outside cornerback group was their deepest collection during his tenure. But the group has been hit hard by injuries. Beane admitted his prioritizing the position is partly due to scars from the past two playoff runs when the team was forced to depend on backup corners.
"You go through the season of what happened to us, and you get in the playoffs in the big games, it's a passing league, and you're gonna face the top quarterbacks, the top playcallers. And those guys on an island get tested," Beane said. "And I truly felt like we needed to get better there."
Veteran Christian Benford and 2025 first-round pick Maxwell Hairston, who had multiple longer-term injuries last season, are the projected starters at cornerback. Dorian Strong, a 2025 sixth-rounder, is also on the roster, but his availability is uncertain following neck surgery.
The team leaves the draft with room for a veteran corner.
Outside of that, the draft bolstered defensive depth -- notably with fourth- and fifth-round picks TCU inside linebacker Kaleb Elarms-Orr, South Carolina safety Jalen Kilgore and Penn State defensive tackle Zane Durant. All three will have a chance to make the roster and make significant contributions this season.
Postseason woes extended beyond the cornerback position for the Bills.
Buffalo recorded one sack in its two playoff games last year (pressure rate dropped from 36% during the regular season to 29% in the playoffs). The Bills also allowed 5.1 yards per rush last season, third most in NFL, and while adding Durant is a step to addressing the depth up front, defensive tackle is another position where the team could still use veteran depth.
Beane specifically noted DeWayne Carter and Landon Jackson will compete for a spot up front. Bringing in veteran free agents in the coming weeks is still likely for the team.
The real question, unanswered until games are played, is whether the resources invested will be enough -- especially in the playoffs.
