Where Bills’ roster stands heading into playoffs: position-by-position breakdown
The Bills have turned their attention to the Jaguars, and will have to navigate some depth issues on both sides of the ball.
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Ty Johnson is among the healthy stable of running backs the Bills have as the postseason begins. Jason Miller / Getty Images
In what was likely the last Buffalo Bills home game ever played at the old Highmark Stadium, the Bills sent it out in style. A 35-8 blowout victory over the New York Jets, with the Bills’ backups playing the vast majority of the game, officially ended their 2025 season with a 12-5 record. The Bills enter the playoffs having won five of their last six games and an 8-3 record since their bye in Week 7.
As nearly every person in attendance lingered after the game, taking in one last long look at the place they and the Bills have called home for 53 years, it was one final moment of serenity before the quick-paced grind that is the NFL playoffs began to take hold.
Bills head coach Sean McDermott has been incredibly candid in his adoration for the stadium, the fan base and the history of the franchise, but after the game — even after taking in a never-forget-it type of moment — he knew it was time to go to work.
“I’m already there. … My wife would tell you I’m pretty good at compartmentalizing things,” McDermott joked. “That’s where my head is already right now, is ready to put in the work to get ourselves ready to go to play our best football. That’s what this time of year, that what it takes. You can’t beat yourself, you gotta play good, solid football, and we’ll have a big challenge ahead of us here.”
The Bills are back in the postseason for the seventh straight season and the eighth time in nine years. With the Los Angeles Chargers’ loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday, the Bills claimed the AFC’s No. 6 seed and will begin their playoff journey against the AFC South-winning Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Jaguars haven’t been to the playoffs since 2022, but even though the Bills have been playing postseason football for years, they aren’t overconfident.
“Playoff experience, it helps a little bit just because of the nerves and things like that. But when it comes down to it, we’ve got to make the plays,” cornerback Tre’Davious White said. “I feel like we have the group to do that. We’ve been clicking on all cylinders here. So I just feel like going into the playoffs, we’ve got some momentum going for us.”
As the Bills prepare for their battle with the Jaguars, and the likely case that they’ll have to win three straight on the road to get to the Super Bowl, here is a deep dive into the state of their roster heading into the playoffs.
Quarterback
If there’s someone on the Bills who could have used a week off, it was their superstar quarterback. Josh Allen has been nursing a foot injury for the last two weeks, and knowing they could no longer win the AFC East in Week 18, the Bills responded accordingly and kept Allen on the sidelines for all but the first offensive snap of the game. With that play, Allen kept his consecutive starts streak, now at 135 games including playoffs, alive. Allen stayed off the foot in practice for much of the week, and with almost two full weeks without playing a game, he’ll be as rested and healthy as possible at this point in the year. If there’s one thing to keep an eye on at quarterback, it’s whether one with some Bills experience becomes available at some point this week, and can be signed to the practice squad. The Bills would prefer to have a third arm, both for practices and in the event of a catastrophe with injuries to both Allen and backup Mitchell Trubisky.Running back
Although James Cook had to sweat it out before claiming the NFL rushing title on Sunday night, the Bills completed their plan to have Cook fresh and available for the postseason. Cook is undoubtedly their most important non-Allen offensive skill player, and all of his backups are also healthy. Third-down back Ty Johnson had a quick injury scare Sunday but returned to the game and should be good to go next week, while Ray Davis, who is used sparingly when Cook is healthy, had a 174-yard performance.Wide receiver
The Bills made a pretty clear statement Sunday about who they believe to be their most important receivers. Brandin Cooks, who arrived in Week 13, was a healthy scratch, though that marks just how important he has become to the offense. Khalil Shakir did not play at all while Tyrell Shavers saw some special teams work and played one offensive snap. Meanwhile, the trio of Gabe Davis, Joshua Palmer and Keon Coleman played 95, 85 and 84 percent of the offensive snaps. Coleman didn’t stand out, so signs are pointing toward him being a healthy scratch when the playoffs begin, with Palmer and Davis rounding out the game-day group.Tight end
The tight end group is an overall strength, featuring three players with complementary skill sets. The Bills made a concerted effort to get third-year tight end Dalton Kincaid some work against the Jets, giving him the entire first quarter in which he caught three passes. Kincaid had missed the previous game due to injury, along with Weeks 11 through 13. He isn’t an every-down player this season, but in obvious passing situations he’s a key component of the Bills’ attack because Allen trusts him. The rest of the group, Dawson Knox, Jackson Hawes and Keleki Latu, are all healthy after Sunday’s game, with Knox playing only three snaps and Hawes getting pulled early in the third quarter. If the Bills need a spot on their 53-man roster, Latu is a candidate to be waived and later brought back on the practice squad.Offensive line
The Bills successfully got through the Jets game unscathed on their offensive line, with all four of their reserve linemen getting meaningful reps and every starter but O’Cyrus Torrence getting the week off. Right tackle Spencer Brown did briefly have to enter the game when Tylan Grable suffered a finger injury, but Grable returned to the game after three missed snaps. The Bills have enjoyed a mostly healthy season from their offensive line for a third straight season, with the starting five collectively missing only four games. All five had an excellent 2025 season and will be a significant key to the length of the Bills’ playoff run.
The Bills held defensive end Greg Rousseau out of the regular-season finale against the Jets.Gregory Fisher / Imagn Images
Defensive end
The Bills weren’t playing any games with this group on Sunday. Because of multiple season-ending injuries, they made Joey Bosa and Greg Rousseau inactive against the Jets. The starting duo has looked strong down the stretch as the defense has continued to improve. A.J. Epenesa will be their most dependable backup, and from there, the Bills will need to decide which of their deep roster and practice squad options will fill out their rotation. Sunday against the Jets likely served as an audition for the role, with special teams player Javon Solomon and recently signed practice squad player Matthew Judon each playing nearly 70 percent of defensive snaps. Those two, along with practice squad player Andre Jones Jr. will be the likely considerations. Waiving Latu in exchange for a practice squad defensive end is a logical move this week.Defensive tackle
The most pressing question about this group is the potential return of starter Ed Oliver, who played in only three games this season and has been on injured reserve since Week 9 with a torn biceps. Oliver made an impact from the three-technique position in his three games, and the Bills have left the door open to a playoff return. Oliver had a slight setback during the rehab process, requiring a minor knee scope procedure late in the year, though the Bills said there was a chance he’d meet their original return-to-play target. Oliver would be a huge boost to the group and would shift DaQuan Jones back to his more natural one-technique position.After re-injuring his calf, Jones has missed the last two games and his status will be in question heading into the Jaguars game. The rest of the room is now fully healthy. Rookie one-technique starter rookie Deone Walker will play a critical role as long as Oliver is unavailable. Rookie three-technique T.J. Sanders started in place of Jones each of the last two games and has played well. Jordan Phillips and Larry Ogunjobi are their reserve three-technique options, with Phidarian Mathis as a one-technique they can use. It remains to be seen if the Bills make four or five defensive tackles active to begin the playoffs.