BUFFALO, N.Y. — The months that lay forward are fairly important for the Buffalo Payments.
The group’s new Highmark Stadium is within the closing months of considerable work and is about to open this summer season. New coach Joe Brady is simply over every week away from his first offseason exercises getting underway. On prime of all that, this can be a roster that also has main wants.
The Payments made acquisitions on the top of the free company interval (largely on protection), traded for large receiver DJ Moore and located methods to maintain heart Connor McGovern and tight finish Dawson Knox.
Nevertheless, there are nonetheless query marks.
Buffalo has seven picks to work with forward of the April 23-25 draft (ABC, ESPN, ESPN App). And one factor to remember is that president of soccer operations and basic supervisor Brandon Beane has a historical past of including free brokers after the draft, which aids with the compensatory decide components for subsequent 12 months.
The place does this roster stand, and what are the most important remaining questions? Let’s take a look at the positions to look at for the remainder of the offseason.
Offensive line
The Payments’ ultimate state of affairs was to deliver again McGovern or left guard David Edwards — with each set to hit free company — and that ended with McGovern returning on a four-year, $52 million deal. McGovern provides consistency, with 4 out of 5 starters from the previous two seasons returning.
However with Edwards signing with the New Orleans Saints, it leaves an open spot for the vital job of defending quarterback Josh Allen and maintaining the dominant speeding assault from final season going. Left guard, as left sort out Dion Dawkins has identified many instances, has been a rotating door with no Payments participant holding the place for greater than two seasons since Dawkins was drafted in 2017.
Alec Anderson is the main candidate for the function, however after Brady was employed, Beane stated he would herald competitors for an open offensive line place.
Inside offensive line assist has arrived in signing guard/heart Austin Corbett and heart Lloyd Cushenberry III to one-year offers. Corbett, who performed most of his snaps at proper guard, has not performed important left guard snaps since 2019 however has expertise there and at heart. Cushenberry brings veteran heart depth.
Buffalo additionally declined to match the supply sheet from the Minnesota Vikings for restricted free agent Ryan Van Demark, so depth at swing sort out past Tylan Grable and Chase Lundt is one thing to look at.
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Stephen A. reacts to DJ Moore’s commerce to Payments
Stephen A. Smith reacts to large receiver DJ Moore getting traded from Chicago to Buffalo.
Huge receiver
Sure, the Payments made the massive splash with the Moore commerce, and he is undoubtedly the highest receiver, however there is a want for one more to be added. The room consists of Moore, Khalil Shakir, Joshua Palmer, Keon Coleman and Trent Sherfield Sr., who just lately returned on a one-year deal, with Tyrell Shavers coming off a torn ACL, and Stephen Gosnell, Mecole Hardman Jr. and Jalen Virgil.
Whereas draft capital has already been used on the group by buying and selling a second-round decide for Moore, and even with the depth that Sherfield brings, there’s a case to be made for drafting a receiver in April — even with the Payments’ decide at No. 26 total. However they’re going to even have an opportunity to strike on Day 3 like they did with Shakir (fifth-round decide) in 2022.
Nostril sort out
With the group switching to a 3-4 base protection, there are uncertainties about how the group will line up. Deone Walker, going into his second season, may take over the nostril sort out function.
There is a hole within the present roster for extra gamers with measurement and who’ve strengths in opposition to the run. The draft may very well be a logical place so as to add right here.
Outdoors linebacker/edge rusher
The Payments have a stable group of veterans, together with the addition of Bradley Chubb in free company to go together with Greg Rousseau and Michael Hoecht. Getting after the quarterback is an space during which Buffalo has been looking for consistency for a variety of seasons. It ranked twentieth in 2025 with 36 sacks. So getting youthful is vital for each the roster and the cap scenario.
New defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard was a part of a Denver Broncos protection final season that recorded a league-high 68 sacks and had eight gamers with 4 or extra sacks. Whereas the Payments’ LB room has been added to, this place remains to be a powerful possibility within the first spherical.
Inside linebacker
In January, Beane famous that this “is trying like a superb draft for linebackers,” which could point out the Payments may inevitably tackle linebacker in April.
The Payments have already got Terrel Bernard, Dorian Williams and Joe Andreessen, however Bernard staying wholesome has been unreliable. Beane didn’t rule out the potential of Bernard enjoying inside or outdoors, saying he has the potential to do each, however he’s on the group’s roster as an inside linebacker.
Cornerback
How assured is the group in Maxwell Hairston going into his second season? The 2025 first-round decide performed in 11 video games, beginning in three. He had the ups and downs anticipated of a rookie however handled a number of accidents. He completed the season with 18 whole tackles, two interceptions and 5 passes defended.
In contrast to security and nickel, the place the Payments added C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Geno Stone and Dee Alford, the CB place has not really been addressed in free company. That leaves no important competitors on the roster for Hairston, who’s at the moment set to pair with No. 1 nook Christian Benford. With Tre’Davious White nonetheless a free agent, having one other veteran within the room may go a good distance.
