The Buffalo Bills seem like they have a Super Bowl contender on paper — except at 1 position.
NFL.com’s Matt Okada singled out inside linebacker as the “biggest remaining roster issue” for the Bills headed into 2026, and there’s 1 NFC standout who could help the Bills for a relatively low price in a trade.
Minnesota Vikings inside linebacker Blake Cashman might be available in exchange for a Day 3 pick after Pro Football Focus NFL reporter Bradley Locker put Cashman on his list of the top NFL trade candidates just ahead of training camp.
Cashman had 144 tackles in just 13 games in 2025, and would come to the Bills in the final season of the 3-year, $22.5 million contract he signed with the Vikings in March 2024.
It was Cashman’s 3rd consecutive season with at least 100 tackles and his 3rd consecutive season in which he’s missed multiple games. He had 106 tackles in 14 games in 2023 and 112 tackles in 14 games in 2024.
“Once the centerpiece of Minnesota’s fabulous defense, Cashman could be on the move after a down year,” Locker wrote. “In 2025, Cashman didn’t look like the strong linebacker of the last two years. His overall PFF grade dipped from 72.0 to 63.6, punctuated by his 48.6 PFF coverage grade. Nevertheless, he was good as a downhill player with a 7.7% run stop rate and a 5.3% missed tackle clip. In light of Cashman’s decline as well as this being the final year of his contract, the Vikings drafted linebacker Jake Golday in the second round as well as extended Eric Wilson. That suggests that either he or Ivan Pace Jr. could have their days numbered in purple.”
Brutal Assessment of Current State at LB for Bills
From Okada’s purview, the Bills are a bit of a mess at inside linebacker, and Cashman’s salary for 2025 — $7.5 million — isn’t an insurmountable number for the Bills.
“Starters Terrel Bernad (63.2 percent) and Dorian Williams (44 percent) played the majority of snaps at the position in 2025, but neither was particularly productive or efficient in the middle of Buffalo’s defense,” Okada wrote. “Williams also dealt with an undisclosed injury during minicamp but is expected to return for training camp. The franchise drafted TCU product Kaleb Elarms-Orr in the fourth round, but he’s unlikely to be an immediate starter. There’s a chance the team brings back Matt Milano, who has missed 30 games over the last three seasons, or Shaq Thompson. Coming off a season in which Buffalo allowed the fifth-most rushing yards in the league, this unit could definitely use an upgrade.”
What Kaleb Elarms-Orr Brings to Table
Of that group, Elarms-Orr is by far the most intriguing because we don’t really know what we’ve got in him.
Elarms-Orr certainly has the size and speed of an ideal NFL inside linebacker at 6-foot-2 and 237 pounds, as well as running the 40-yard dash in 4.47 seconds at the NFL Scouting Combine.
He played the 1st 3 seasons of his college football career at Cal before transferring to TCU for his final 2 seasons, including a breakout year in 2025 with 130 tackles, 11 TFLs, and 4.0 sacks on the way to being named All-Big 12.
“Elarms-Orr is a well-built linebacker with above-average athleticism but problematic instincts,” NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote in his pre-draft evaluation. “He has the speed and athleticism to get to the football from sideline to sideline. However, he frequently struggles with recognizing blocking schemes and too often loses track of play development. He’s rangy but average in zone coverage, with talent as a blitzer worth continued exploration. He will need improved processing but should dial in as a backup with a full-time role on special teams.”
Bills Trade Pitch Fixes ‘Biggest Roster Issue’ With NFC Star