Bills coach confirms suspicion about one of Buffalo’s biggest training camp position battles
One of the Buffalo Bills’ biggest training camp position battle storylines was confirmed this week.
Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard confirmed on Tuesday that there’s an open competition at linebacker.
One of the defensive rookies who’s generated the most buzz across all NFL training camps has been Bills linebacker Kaleb Elarms-Orr, a fourth-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Elarms-Orr, a former TCU standout, has flashed multiple times in camp, and he’s viewed as someone who can be an impact player in the NFL. But how much opportunity will he actually get as a rookie behind Dorian Williams? That’s been one of the big questions this summer.
While it’s still too early to answer that question, we at least know that Elarms-Orr is going to have a real chance to force his way onto the field based on Leonhard’s comments on Tuesday.
“He plays fast,” said Leonhard when asked about Elarms-Orr. “He plays physical. The athleticism always pops with him, and the physicality. He’s going to be a great player. I think it’s an awesome battle going on between him and Dorian. Dorian played great as well. So just continuing to grow
“This is where the preseason games and the joint practices are huge because you get comfortable going against the same offense every day, and now all of a sudden you get a different offense. You’re starting to have to see different things or communicate different schemes. That’s the best part about linebacker play, and it’s always the hardest in the preseason when you’re not doing a full week of game planning. You’re just showing a day or maybe day and a half of film, and then you’re going in there and asking them to execute and make calls and make adjustments. It’s always difficult on those backers, but I thought it was pretty clean. There wasn’t a whole lot of chaos going on within the game, and hopefully we continue to see that. I like the way that group is competing, and they know that there’s kind of open competition.“
Williams has played in 50 games over the last three seasons for the Bills. He’s the incumbent in this battle.
But at the same time, this is a new defensive system under Leonhard, and it seems clear that the player who performs the best in preseason action will win the job. Williams isn’t being guaranteed anything.
The good news for the Bills is that it sounds like both players are rising to the occasion. It’s a good “problem” to have.
