The Buffalo Bills are trusting the process. General manager Brandon Beane has been getting busy through the first wave of free agency, kicking off the offseason in a big way. He’s proven more than willing to be aggressive at this stage to bring the city its first-ever Lombardi Trophy.

From extensions, restructures, trades, and free agent deals, Buffalo’s roster is going to look quite different from 2025, and for good reason. The Bills were one bad call away from an AFC Championship game, and the team has no desire just to run it back.

Let’s evaluate what the Bills have done so far in the offseason and free agency periods.

Traded for the Chicago Bears WR DJ Moore

Without a doubt, the biggest splash the Bills made this offseason was giving quarterback Josh Allen a true No. 1 option in the offense. Fans had been clamoring for the team to make a move at wide receiver, and that’s exactly what Buffalo did in the early stages of the offseason. Sending over a late second-round pick that’s honestly closer to a third-round pick is a huge win in my books.

Originally, I had the deal graded far worse, but after sleeping on it, I really like this move for Buffalo and what it means for the offense moving forward.

Grade: A

Signed CB Dee Alford

Buffalo needed to find a replacement for nickel cornerback Taron Johnson after the organization had released him. The Bills wasted no time bringing in Alford to fill that role. The four-year cornerback has played for Atlanta his entire career and has been on the field for over 2,000 total snaps.

It’s an underrated signing for the Bills, as Alford didn’t show up in A to Z Sports’ top-100 free agent rankings at all, despite the stellar play from the cornerback in Atlanta.

Grade: B

Signed QB Kyle Allen

Another day, another key roster hole filled by the organization in free agency. After Mitch Tribusky went to the Tennessee Titans, Buffalo needed to find a backup quarterback. Fortunately, they were able to land a player who is familiar with the organization and a friend of No. 17.

Allen spent the 2023 season with the Bills but didn’t attempt or complete a single pass. The eight-year veteran has a 7-12 record and has gone 442 for 707 for 4,753 yards, with 26 touchdowns and 21 interceptions. His most recent stint with the Detroit Lions saw him attempt two passes.

Grade: B-

Re-signed P Mitch Wishnowsky

Buffalo is running it back with Wishnowsky. Make no mistake, though, the punter position is by no means locked down. I fully expect the team to bring in some competition for training camp. For right now, it’s Wisnowsky’s job to lose.

Since Week 5, his punts were returned only 28.9% of the time, which was the third lowest in the NFL, and he was ninth in average hangtime at 4.44 seconds. The 6.3 yards per return against him was fourth-best in the NFL.

Grade: B

Signed EDGE Bradley Chubb

Chubb was, without a doubt, the biggest splash the Bills made during the free agency period. The Super Bowl was a perfect example that championships are won in the trenches, and this move signals Buffalo’s attempt to beef up that position group once again.

The addition of Chubb gives Buffalo another legitimate threat off the edge and immediately raises the floor of the defensive line heading into a pivotal season. Pairing him with the existing talent gives Leonhard more flexibility to generate pressure without constantly dialing up blitzes.

Grade: A

Signed S C.J. Gardner-Johnson

Buffalo has a starting safety to pair alongside Cole Bishop. This isn’t Sean McDermott’s Buffalo Bills anymore, and this move was further proof that it’s Joe Brady’s team. Gardner-Johnson probably isn’t a player that Buffalo would have taken under McDermott, but there’s a new sheriff in town.

Gardner-Johnson bounced around the alignment in 2025, playing 166 snaps in the box, two as a free safety, and 340 in the slot during his time with the Bears. If Gardner-Johnson can bring the same edge and playmaking ability he showed during his best stretches, this could quietly end up being one of the better under-the-radar additions of the offseason

Grade: B+

Signed S Geno Stone

We all know by now the stories surrounding Stone and his inability to tackle efficiently. He stayed on the field as a starter for his experience at IQ at the position, but he isn’t a single-high type of rangy safety. Stone will only be 27 this season. In his last three seasons, he’s played in every game and has 13 interceptions, 19 passes defensed, and 253 tackles. He’s reliable, stays healthy, and provides meaningful depth to that room.

I’m not looking at this in the light of Stone being a starter, rather a guy that can come off the bench when needed, who also has some chops in the special teams game. In his career, according to Pro Football Focus, he has over 1,000 snaps as a special teamer, adding a Swiss-Army-Knife-type aspect to the signing.

Grade: B-

Re-signed OL Connor McGovern

This was one move that I didn’t have on my bingo card heading into the offseason. There were reports that both sides weren’t even talking, leading up to McGovern re-signing with the Bills. Nevertheless, Buffalo locked up their starting center for the foreseeable future on a relatively team-friendly deal that gives the organization another huge win heading into 2026.

Continuity along the offensive line matters, especially when you’re protecting a franchise quarterback like Allen. McGovern proved he could anchor the middle of the line, and keeping that stability in place gives Buffalo one less major question mark heading into a pivotal offseason.

Grade: A

Re-signed OL Alec Anderson

With Anderson and McGovern re-signing, the writing was on the wall that Buffalo was going to move on from David Edwards. Anderson was actually one of the first dominoes to fall, and it could wind up being one of the most underrated signings of the entire offseason.

Anderson played in every game in 2025 and started six times over the past two seasons. He played in all 17 games in each of the past two seasons. He’s as reliable as they come. He’s played center, guard, and offensive tackle while creating displacement on combo and angle drive blocks. Allen has to be thrilled with the team’s decision to bring Anderson back.

Grade: B+

Restructures, restructures, and more restructures (and one extension)

Buffalo was sitting near the bottom of the league in available cap space, and we always knew that there would be restructures coming down the pipeline. Beane knows how to navigate the salary cap, as Buffalo quickly became cap compliant when it needed to.

• Restructured DT Ed Oliver’s contract
• Restructured OL Spencer Brown’s contract
• Restructured K Tyler Bass’s contract
• Restructured QB Josh Allen’s contract
• Extended TE Dawson Knox to a three-year deal

Notable departures

• CB Taron Johnson traded to the Las Vegas Raiders
• FB Reggie Gilliam signed with the New England Patriots
• QB Mitch Tribusky signed with the Tennessee Titans
• G David Edwards signed with the New Orleans Saints
• WR Curtis Samuel released
• CB Dane Jackson released
• S Taylor Rapp released

Buffalo got a big win in getting anything for Taron Johnson. The team had reportedly released him, but just a few days later, it was confirmed that a trade to the Las Vegas Raiders was in place. Getting something for nothing is always a big win in our book.

As for the departures, Buffalo lost a few good ones. Gilliam was the glue that held the team together on offense and was one of the most underrated aspects of the league’s No. 1 rushing attack. Seeing him go to a division rival just stings, but that’s just the name of the business. Tribusky went to the Titans, but Buffalo quickly found their backup, and the Bills were just priced out of the David Edwards sweepstakes, with him finding a new home with the New Orleans Saints.

In one day, Buffalo released a few less-than-desirable talents from the roster. Samuel, Jackson, and Rapp all performed below average for Buffalo, allowing the team to try to bolster those positions. Already in free agency, Buffalo has found a starting-caliber safety to replace Rapp, a cornerback to replace Jackson, and a wide receiver to replace Samuel—a busy couple of days at One Bills Drive.

Buffalo Bills News

One of the biggest questions facing Bills’ new wide receiver DJ Moore has just been answered in a big way

Bills Mafia didn’t have to wait long to get an answer.

Adam Zientek