The Buffalo Bills have a knack for finding talented rookies in free agency, including local product Joe Andreessen who turned a rookie minicamp tryout into a spot on the active roster last season.
The team could have another success story this year, with an outlet predicting it will be a different linebacker who makes the final roster in Buffalo despite going undrafted.
Bills Find Star in Keonta Jenkins
Bleacher Report’s Brett Sobleski identified one undrafted free agent from every NFL team likely to make the final roster, pegging Virginia Tech linebacker Keonta Jenkins as the candidate with the Bills.
Sobleski noted that Jenkins had 19.5 tackles for a loss over the last two seasons with the Hokies, but fell off the NFL draft radar due to his in-between size for the linebacker position.
“Keonta Jenkins is a classic ‘tweener after playing the star position in the Virginia Tech Hokies defensive scheme,” Sobleski wrote. “He played near 220 in that role, which should lend well to him moving into the box full time and making a complete conversion to linebacker.”
Sobleski noted that the Bills haven’t done much work at linebacker, passing over the position both in free agency and during the NFL draft.
“Despite Matt Milano’s extensive injury history, the Buffalo Bills didn’t sign or draft a linebacker to improve the team’s depth, even as a precaution,” Sobleski wrote. “Jenkins could easily slide into a sixth linebacker role, while serving as a core-four special-teamer early in his professional career.”
The Bills focused heavily on defense in the NFL draft, but spent all of their attention at the other two levels. The team added talent on the defensive line and in the secondary, including Kentucky Maxwell Hairston as their first-round pick.
Hairston said he hopes to become a versatile player for the Bills.
“I feel like I’m so versatile that I can come out, play man, or I can play zone, I can play off-man, I can play press-man, I can disguise,” Hairston said. “So, I’m happy to just be able to go into an organization with a beautiful scheme that will allow me to get the ball back.”
The Bills addressed a number of other positions in undrafted free agency, adding players across positions to fill out the preseason roster to 90.
Bills Address Future of Their Linebacking Corps
The Bills have already made a big move for the future of their linebacking corps, signing Terrel Bernard to a four-year extension earlier this offseason. Bernard finished the 2024 season with 104 tackles, two interceptions, five tackles for a loss, one sack, and three passes defensed.
As the team’s official website noted, Bernard also had a knack for coming up big in the most important moments.
“The captain of the defense showed just how dependable he was during the 2024 season as he made multiple game-changing plays,” the report noted. “During Buffalo’s AFC Divisional game against Baltimore, Bernard forced a fumble with just under nine minutes to go in the fourth quarter. Buffalo’s offense turned the takeaway into points as they kicked a field goal on the next drive to extend their lead to eight points, which helped seal the victory.”
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