The Buffalo Bills are transitioning to a new defense, and with that new defense comes new roles and responsibilities for the players on the unit. Linebackers, in particular, are undergoing significant change, as the team shifts from the nickel-heavy, even-front looks schemed by former head coach Sean McDermott into the odd-front stylings of new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard.
It may come as a surprise given the change that the Bills only added one linebacker through the draft, and they only brought
in three new linebackers in total over the offseason. That shows a tremendous amount of faith in the holdovers from last season to adjust to a new front, but it also gives me the impression that some of the new blood has a good shot at making the 53-man roster this fall.
In today’s installment of “91 players in 91 days,” we discuss the lone linebacker drafted by Buffalo this offseason.
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Name: Kaleb Elarms-Orr
Number: 52
Position: LB
Height/Weight: 6’2” 234 lbs.
Age: 22 (23 on 8/29/2026)
Experience/Draft: R; selected by Buffalo in the fourth round (No. 126 overall) of the 2026 NFL Draft
College: TCU
Acquired: Fourth-round draft choice
Financial situation (per Spotrac): Elarms-Orr signed his four-year rookie contract, which is worth $5,462,980 in total. For the 2026 season, he carries a cap hit of $1,155,745 if he makes the 53-man roster. There are $1,082,960 worth of guarantees on the deal, and that’s the amount Buffalo will carry in the form of a dead cap charge if they release him.
2025 Recap: Elarms-Orr had a huge season for the Horned Frogs, leading the team in tackles with 130. That included a Big Twelve-leading 70 assisted tackles. He also notched 11 tackles for loss, four sacks, and two pass breakups in 13 games. That includes a defensive MVP performance in the Alamo Bowl, where he totaled 11 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss in the win over USC. For his efforts this season, Elarms-Orr earned First-Team All Big Twelve honors. He scored an invite to the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine, as well, where he tested very well overall. He ran the forty-yard dash in 4.47 seconds and completed the twenty-yard shuttle run in 4.41 seconds. He benched 225 lbs. a total of 19 times, and he leapt 40” in the vertical jump and 10’4” in the broad jump.
Positional outlook: Elarms-Orr is the only player on the roster listed merely at linebacker, as all of the others either have an OLB or ILB designation. It’s most likely that he will line up as an inside linebacker in Buffalo’s defense, meaning that he’s in direct competition with Terrel Bernard, Dorian Williams, Joe Andreessen, Jimmy Ciarlo, Theron Gaines, Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, and Keonta Jenkins for both roster space and playing time.
2026 Offseason: Elarms-Orr has not only participated in offseason work, but he’s earned big praise for his early efforts. New defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard was very impressed, praising Elarms-Orr for his football IQ as well as his athleticism after voluntary workouts in May.
2026 Season outlook: With a new defense incoming, there are some question marks as to how players from the old regime fit into the new scheme. Granted, part of that old regime still exists in the form of most of the front office, but Jim Leonhard is not going to run the same defensive system as former head coach Sean McDermott. That means that there are roles to be won, and Elarms-Orr fits this new system well enough where he could sneak into the starting lineup sooner rather than later.
Buffalo is likely to use Terrel Bernard and Dorian Williams as its top two linebackers this season, but if one of those players struggles or is injured, it wouldn’t surprise me to see them turn to Elarms-Orr as the solution to any starting woes the team experiences. Sure, someone like Andreessen could earn more time, as well, but combining the fact that Elarms-Orr is a draft pick of the new coaching staff with the praise he’s received already, the tea leaves are telling us that he has a chance to break into the lineup sooner rather than later.
Bernard has missed plenty of time over the last two seasons, missing nine regular season games and a playoff game due to a litany of injuries. It’s not a stretch to assume that he’ll miss time again this season, and while we obviously wish him good health, the Bills have hedged their bets by bolstering the linebacker group with Elarms-Orr’s addition. We’re also assuming that Dorian Williams will come in and play well, and while he’s totaled 180 in 33 games (20 starts) over the last two seasons, there’s no telling how he’ll react to the new system. I think it’s going to go well for him, but he’ll have to show that he’s less of a liability in pass coverage, as he’s allowed five touchdowns and a 106 quarterback rating as the closest player in coverage over the last two seasons according to Pro Football Reference.
Kaleb Elarms-Orr is going to make the roster. The question is whether he’ll make an immediate impact on defense or bide his time on special teams before earning that time. I think that, in the ideal world, he builds his strength, confidence, and NFL knowledge behind Bernard and Williams before becoming a starter. The best laid plans of mice and men have been foiled for less, though, so all it will take for that “ideal” situation to change is one injury. Overall, this was a very good draft choice for the Bills.
