The Buffalo Bills added 10 draft picks and 12 undrafted free agents to their roster in recent weeks around the 2026 NFL Draft.
While Buffalo may not have made a massive splash with their rookie additions, the Bils brought in players who could have an early impact in September.
Here are Bills Wire’s four rookies who could earn starting snaps in Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season:
Davison Igbinosun
Buffalo’s second second-round selection, cornerback Davison Igbinosun, will be on the front line to challenge Maxwell Hairston for opening day reps. Igbinosun is viewed as a quarterback who has some technique issues to clean up. The Ohio State product was trending in the right direction, displaying solid cornerback play and reducing his number of penalties drastically over his final two seasons for the Buckeyes.
Hairston has the inside track to start the season as CB2 for Buffalo. However, there’s one comment that keeps sticking out to me from the offseason. Buffalo’s General Manager, Brandon Beane, revealed that cornerback was one of the biggest priorities for the team. Buffalo went out of their way to draft an athletic cornerback, one who will add depth to the position, but also challenge for the spot opposite Christian Benford
WR Skyler Bell
Buffalo drafted Skyler Bell in the fourth round of this year’s draft. Bell has the versatility to play in multiple spots on the field. While Buffalo has Joshua Palmer and Keon Coleman as perimeter options ahead of Bell at this point in the offseason, it’s not far-fetched to see the rookie move up the depth chart.
Palmer was underwhelming in this first year with Buffalo, while Coleman’s lack of reliability has placed his roster spot in question. Bell has the route-running acumen and speed to create separation and become a reliable option for Josh Allen.
P Tommy Doman
Anytime a team commits a draft pick to a punter, it means the team is looking for an upgrade at the position. Buffalo’s incubmant, Mitch Wishnowsky, was 28th in the league with an average of 45.3 yards per punt.
Doman has experience with kickoffs, so that is a plus in the eyes of Buffalo’s special teams unit. Doman can take some pressure off Tyler Bass, who is returning from injury, with kickoff duties.
FB Jackson Acker
Acker is the UDFA who has the best chance at not only making the roster in the fall, but starting for Buffalo in Week 1. The Bills allowed Reggie Gilliam to test free agency, and he bolted to divisional rival New England. Acker’s only competition is free agent Ben VanSumeren. VanSumeran has played in 21 games over the past three seasons, including playing in only one game for Philadelphia last year.
Gilliam played a career-best 235 snaps last year. In addition, the Bills ran 78-percent of the time when Gilliam was on the field, according to Ryan Talbot.
Buffalo has been happy with the offense, and there’s little reason that the team will make massive changes to their playcalling scheme next year. This will involve a fullback to lead the way for James Cook.
This article originally appeared on Bills Wire: 4 Bills rookies most likely to start in Week 1 in 2026?
Reporting by Justin DiLoro, Bills Wire / Bills Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
