Orchard Park, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - My 2026 "State of the Bills" series continues with a look at the inside linebackers:
Under contract:
- Terrel Bernard
- Dorian Williams
- Kaleb Elarms-Orr
- Joe Andreessen
- Keonta Jenkins
- Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles
- Jimmy Ciarlo
- Theron Gaines
This is the spot on the roster where there might be the most clear-cut, open competition for a starting job. We know Terrel Bernard will be starting at one spot, but it remains to be seen who will line up next to him.
Bernard signed a multi-year contract extension last offseason, and enters his fifth year with the club.
Injuries hampered his 2025 campaign, as Bernard missed five games and wasn’t quite as effective as we had seen in the past when he was on the field. At 6-foot-1 and 224-pounds, Bernard may be much more suited to play in Jim Leonhard’s new defense as a 3–4 inside linebacker than he was as a true 4–3 middle linebacker. It may allow him to stay healthier and, by extension, be more effective overall.
Dorian Williams, entering the fourth and final year of his rookie contract, finally has a pathway to becoming a full-time starter on this defense. He’s mainly been a core special teams player, and has filled in as a starter due to injuries ahead of him.
Williams has ascended nicely as a defender, even leading the team with 117 total tackles two seasons ago when he started 11 games. It will be fun to watch the competition between him and fourth-round draft pick Kaleb Elarms-Orr out of TCU.
Elarms-Orr can go sideline-to-sideline. He’s fast and can track down ball carriers. He can also be an effective blitzer.
General manager Brandon Beane, head coach Joe Brady, and Leonhard have all spoken highly of what they’ve already seen from Elarms-Orr in OTAs. If he can carry that over into training camp, he has a great opportunity to step right in as a starter from Day 1.
Lurking right next to both Williams and Elarms-Orr is Lancaster native Joe Andreessen, another player who projects to be a better fit in the new scheme than the previous one.
Andreessen has done everything needed to stay on an NFL roster since making the club on a tryout basis out of rookie minicamp in 2024. He’s been a core special teams player over that time, leading the team and even finishing second in the entire league last year with 21 total special teams tackles. He logged the most special teams snaps on the Bills last year with 78.57%, but has also filled in a few games on defense the last couple of seasons due to injuries.
He now enters the third and final year of his first NFL contract, looking to make his biggest leap to put him in position for another deal in Buffalo or elsewhere next year.
Keonta Jenkins may have been on the path to making the initial 53-man roster last year, but had an injury late in training camp. He ultimately wound up on the practice squad and being elevated for three regular season games.
Jimmy Ciarlo was a much talked about storyline when he showed up late in training camp last season, and wound up making eye-popping plays in the preseason. He impressed enough to make the practice squad, but was ultimately released and later in the year joined the Miami Dolphins' practice squad.
At the end of the season, the Bills brought him back on a Reserve/Futures contract to compete for a spot this year, where he’ll have a full offseason to show what he can do.
Just a couple weeks ago, the Bills signed veteran linebacker Demetrius Flanigan-Fowles, who spent the 2025 season with the New York Giants, and originally entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the San Francisco 49ers in 2019. He then played five seasons in San Francisco, and has played in 83 career games, including 10 starts in the league. He’s been primarily a special teams player throughout his career, but did collect 33 total tackles last season with the Giants, including three tackles for loss and a sack.
He’s a good veteran to have in the room at camp and competing for a spot at a position with younger players.
Following this year‘s draft, the team signed Theron Gaines as an undrafted free agent out of Tennessee Tech. He’s a former defensive lineman who transitioned to linebacker in college.
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