Buffalo Bills' Biggest Team Needs and Trade Targets Entering the 2026 NFL Season

The Buffalo Bills' latest quest to win their first Super Bowl is on the horizon, and the roster is quite robust entering the 2026 campaign.

That explains why they're the AFC favorite to reach Super Bowl LXI, but it doesn't mean there aren't weak spots. 

On the brink of Week 1, let's go over the four key areas of need on the roster while looking at potential trade targets at each position in the coming weeks and months.

Cornerback

AP Photo/Matt Durisko

Asante Samuel Jr.

On the Roster

Christian Benford, Maxwell Hairston, Dee Alford, Davison Igbinosun, Jordan Hancock

Why the Need?

Buffalo has a capable top trio in Christian Benford, Maxwell Hairston and Dee Alford, who gives the defense a reliable option in the nickel role.

The team should expect Hairston to develop in Year 2, but the depth chart could become vulnerable if his progress stalls or injuries strike.

Davison Igbinosun is a second-round rookie, while Jordan Hancock is realistically more of a safety who was limited as a fifth-round rookie in 2025. 

Potential Trade Targets

Deonte Banks, Asante Samuel Jr., Kelee Ringo

Banks has shown flashes of the talent that made him a first-round pick, but he has struggled to establish consistency with the Giants. A change of scenery could give him an opportunity to rebuild his value as a depth option in Buffalo.

Samuel is a proven veteran on a cheap one-year deal in Pittsburgh, but the cornerback-rich Steelers could bail on that if they aren't getting much use out of him or they find themselves selling ahead of the deadline.

Ringo is a natural perimeter cover man who is buried on Philadelphia's depth chart entering a walk year. 

Inside Linebacker

AP Photo/Adam Hunger

Ivan Pace Jr.

On the Roster

Terrel Bernard, Dorian Williams, Kaleb Elarms-Orr, Joe Andreessen

Why the Need?

The group has depth, particularly with rookie Elarms-Orr shining this summer and Shaq Thompson on the practice squad.

Still, Buffalo is expected to use 3-4 looks often, and Bernard and Williams project as replacement-level starters as the team moves on from the Matt Milano era.

Injuries are also a concern for both starters. 

Potential Trade Targets

Ivan Pace Jr., Patrick Queen

Pace is heading into a contract year in Minnesota, where he may be falling out of favor. He hasn't been himself since an awesome 2023 rookie season, but the ceiling remains quite high and a new setting could help.

Queen is another Pittsburgh veteran in a contract year who could become a trade piece for the Steelers if they fall out of playoff contention early.

Defensive Line

AP Photo/Justin Berl

Harrison Phillips

On the Roster

Ed Oliver, Deone Walker, T.J. Sanders, Greg Gaines, Landon Jackson, DeWayne Carter

Why the Need?

Oliver is solid when healthy, while Sanders and Carter offer capable interior support and Jackson provides developmental help off the edge.

Walker has promise on the interior but remains a work in progress, while the 30-year-old Gaines is not a player Buffalo should have to rely on heavily if injuries strike.

This unit is fine for now, but that could change quickly with an injury or unexpected slump.

Potential Trade Targets

Karl Brooks, Dante Stills, Harrison Phillips

Brooks is a rotational piece in Green Bay who may be losing ground in a crowded defensive-line group as he enters the final year of his rookie deal. He would make sense as a rental to bolster Buffalo's interior defensive-line depth if injuries thin the unit.

Stills is in a similar spot with the Cardinals, where he might not be part of the future beyond 2026.

Meanwhile, if the Jets find themselves struggling, it could make sense for Buffalo to attempt to bring back the 30-year-old Phillips amid a walk year. 

Wide Receiver

AP Photo/Ashley Landis

Tre Tucker

On the Roster

DJ Moore, Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, Joshua Palmer, Skyler Bell

Why the Need?

Many would argue wide receiver is not a need, and it barely makes this list after the addition of Moore.

That said, Moore is 29 and saw his yardage numbers drop off sharply in his final couple seasons with the Bears.

There's decent depth beyond that, but they're only keeping five players.

Potential Trade Targets

Tank Dell, Tre Tucker

In the case of Dell, we're thinking of a scenario in which he returns to health but finds himself out of favor in a receiving corps that also features Nico Collins, Jaylin Noel and the incoming Kayshon Boutte.

It might be tough to convince the Raiders to move Tucker, but he's a speed demon in a contract year who could put this offense over the top with the right supporting cast.

It's possible Las Vegas will shift its focus to Jalen Nailor, Jack Bech and the tight ends and take something for Tucker before the deadline.