The Buffalo Bills are off to a 3-0 start, and a fourth-year linebacker is off to a great start.
Buffalo is coming off a comeback win over the Los Angeles Chargers at home. The Bills trailed 10-0 after the first quarter and had five turnovers in the game but were still able to rally for the win.
The Bills will host the New England Patriots on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET in Week 4 NFL action.
Dorian Williams a Key Starter for Buffalo Bills
The Bills drafted Kaleb Elarms-Orr in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, and many thought he would eventually be the starter opposite Terrel Bernard.
However, Williams, who is in his fourth NFL season, is playing well, and Bills analyst Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic believes he could end up getting even more snaps.
“Fourth-year inside linebacker Dorian Williams has been quietly surging over the last two weeks. He was good against the Detroit Lions in Week 2,” Buscaglia wrote. “Then in Week 3, he was one of the best players on the field, period. Something has clicked with Williams, and he’s offering them legitimate ability in all situations. He’s the best run-defending inside linebacker they have; he’s got better size than Bernard to get off blocks, outstanding athleticism to get sideline-to-sideline, and, most of all, his coverage reps have improved over the last two games.
“The Bills should keep Williams out there as a staple of their defense until he proves otherwise. If Williams’ surge continues through the rest of the season, the Bills will need to ask themselves two questions. The first: do they need to try and re-sign Williams as their long-term starter at will linebacker? And the second: if they do, is Elarms-Orr’s eventual path to the starting lineup in place of Bernard at Mike?”
Williams stayed on the field for some obvious passing downs, which implies the Bills are trusting him more. So, it could be a major development for his future, as he could be someone Buffalo tries to re-sign.
Buffalo Defense Started to Put it Together
The Bills have a new-look defense, and they struggled through two weeks.
Yet in Week 3, the Bills’ defense started to put it all together, and head coach Joe Brady was thrilled.
“I’m so proud of the defense… they kept us in the game,” Brady said. “… All ball game, their backs were against the wall, and they did a good job of handling it.”
The Bills are starting to get comfortable in the system, and Buffalo believes this past week could be the turning point.
“We gave up 62 points in the first two games, so to only give up 16 [on Sunday], that’s a big step toward where we’re trying to go,” safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson said. “It wasn’t really dependent on what the offense did [on Sunday]. We were focused on what we could do as a defense.”
Buffalo is a 6.5-point favorite at home against the Patriots.
Buffalo Bills 4-Year Linebacker Major Update on Future Amid Hot Start