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Defensive tackle Calais Campbell of the Arizona Cardinals.
The Buffalo Bills addressed some of their defensive line vacancies through the NFL draft, but could still have room for a veteran to help last season’s porous run defense.
The Bills largely addressed their pass rush in the draft, replacing some of their departures like A.J. Epenesa and Joey Bosa. SI.com’s Alex Brasky suggested the team could look to free agency to fill out their run defense, naming veteran Calais Campbell as a potential target.
Calais Campbell Still Playing at High Level
Brasky noted that the Bills could find a good fit with the 39-year-old Campbell, who is both strong against the run and able to generate pressure on opposing quarterbacks up the middle. He registered 6.5 sacks last season, which would have put him among the leaders on the Bills.
If Campbell has aspirations of winning a Super Bowl in what could be his final NFL season, there may be no better fit than the Bills, he added.
“While the Bills remain in a tight salary-cap situation, Campbell is a veteran player still chasing a Super Bowl championship, and perhaps he could find his best opportunity to do so with Buffalo,” Brasky wrote.
“Campbell has played 18 NFL seasons, and if the Bills were to bring him in, he would serve as a valuable resource for the team’s group of young defensive linemen, which includes 2026 second-round edge rusher T.J. Parker and fifth-round defensive tackle Zane Durant. Both players will join a relatively inexperienced group of Bills’ defensive linemen and Campbell is a former Walter Payton Man of the Year.”
The Bills have found success in adding veteran pieces to their defense in recent years. Linebacker Shaq Thompson had a stellar season in 2025, and veteran safety Jordan Poyer and cornerback Tre’Davious White — both returning to the Bills after brief departures — were also regulars on defense.
Bills Find Pieces for Jim Leonhard’s Defense
The Bills are shifting to a new 3-4 alignment under defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard, meaning the former edge rushers will now line up as outside linebackers. The Bills use their top pick on linebacker T.J. Parker, who is expected to compete for a starting role for 2026.
The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia said the Bills got a steal with Parker at the No. 35 overall pick.
“Parker checks a lot of the boxes the Bills go for in edge rushers, and what they are looking to do at the outside linebacker spot … This pick is right up Bills GM Brandon Beane’s draft alley,” Buscaglia wrote. “Parker enters into a Bills outside linebacker room that was clearly in need of depth, a potential long-term starter and a sizable investment in the draft.”
Buscaglia suggested the Bills will continue to utilize a heavy rotation of defensive linemen, a hallmark of former coach Sean McDermott, making Parker a key addition.
“The Bills added a completely necessary new piece to their brand-new defense for 2026 in Parker, and now have multiple pass-rushing assets to choose from on a weekly basis,” he wrote. “Parker has long-term starting appeal as a potential three-down player who defends the run well, and he brings some explosiveness they lacked, too.”
Nathan Dougherty is a sports reporter covering the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins. Previously he wrote for the Rochester Business Journal and served as the assistant editor of athletic trade magazines Coaching Management, Athletic Management and Training & Conditioning. He is based out of Rochester, New York, and loves everything football. More about Nathan Dougherty
