If we are picking the shakiest position group for the Buffalo Bills, there are plenty of candidates for the No. 1 spot.
Inside linebacker might take the crown, especially coming off a season in which the Bills’ top 2 leading tacklers were safeties Cole Bishop (85 tackles) and Jordan Poyer (75 tackles).
There might be an answer from the Bills’ not-so-distant past if they’re willing to trade with a divisional opponent and bring back inside linebacker Tyrel Dodson, who started 16 games and had 129 tackles for the Miami Dolphins in 2025.
Dodson spent the 1st 5 seasons of his career with the Bills from 2019 to 2023.
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox put Dodson at the top of his list of players who should be on the trade block. In this scenario, the Bills probably could get Dodson back by giving up a Day 3 pick.
“Logical trade chips are few and far between for the Miami Dolphins, who already gutted their roster this offseason,” Knox wrote on August 10. “However, Miami could look to move linebacker Tyrel Dodson as part of its rebuilding effort. Dodson started 16 games this past season and racked up 129 tackles, five sacks, and 10 tackles for loss. He’s also set to carry a cap hit of only $3.7 million on the final year of his contract, which would make him very attractive to cap-tight teams … if the Dolphins’ plan is to phase out Dodson over the next year, trying to maximize his value with a preseason trade would make a ton of sense.”
The Dolphins certainly look ready to usher Dodson out the door — and the 2026 season is almost certainly a wash for them as they play with an NFL-record $179.2 million in dead cap space.
Not only that, but the Dolphins seem to have already moved on from Dodson — on paper at least — by locking up Brooks with a 3-year, $48 million contract extension and selecting 3 more inside linebackers in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Dodson Began Career With Lengthy Suspension
Dodson, 6-foot and 237 pounds, went undrafted out of Texas A&M in 2019 and began his NFL career with a lengthy NFL suspension — a 6-game ban after he was arrested for domestic violence and eventually pled guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct charges.
After spending 4 seasons primarily as a backup and on special teams, Dodson became a starter in 2023 after an injury to Matt Milano forced him into the lineup, with Pro Football Focus grading him out as the most-improved player on the roster.
Dodson signed a 1-year, $4.2 million contract with the Seattle Seahawks before the 2024 season, then signed a 2-year, $6.5 million contract with the Dolphins before the 2025 season.
Bills Might Have Rookie Starter at Inside Linebacker
The Bills selected inside linebacker Kaleb Elarms-Orr in the 4th round (No. 126 overall) after he earned All-Big 12 honors at TCU in 2025.
Elarms-Orr, 6-foot-2 and 237 pounds, put on a show at the NFL Scouting Combine by running the 40-yard dash in 4.47 seconds along with a 40-inch vertical leap and 10-foot-4 broad jump.
All of that put together — plus a rugged training camp – could see Elarms-Orr land in the starting lineup early in his career.
“The Bills addressed a major position of need with Elarms-Orr, adding to an inside linebacker group that had yet to be addressed this offseason,” ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg wrote in April. “He’ll bring significant speed, an important part of Leonhard’s defense. He ran a 4.47-second 40-yard dash at the combine, second fastest among linebackers, and had 130 total tackles in 2025, most in the Big 12. He also has experience playing special teams, but he very well could compete for a starting role and be a valuable part of this defense for now and the future.”
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