From rookie minicamp to Joe Brady’s new tactical systems, track the critical milestones as a revamped roster and ten draft picks gear up for the 2026 season.
They call it the offseason, but let's be real. Football season never really ends. And for the Buffalo Bills, they're getting ready to get right back on the field to prepare for the 2026 season.
After a month of voluntary workouts, the Bills are about to head into the portion of the spring that actually starts shaping the 2026 season. With Joe Brady in place as head coach and new systems being installed on both sides of the ball, this is the first real stretch where things begin to come together.
That starts with rookie minicamp on May 8 and 9. This camp will include all 10 of the Bills' 2026 draft picks, along with undrafted free agent signings and camp invites. The team is even giving former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Jermaine Burton a tryout to see what he can offer.
After rookie minicamp, the next time the entire team comes to Orchard Park will be later in the month.
Organized Team Activities (OTAs) run from May 18-19, 21, 26-28, and June 1-4. After OTAs comes the final mandatory minicamp from June 9-11, giving the coaching staff one last extended look at the roster before the summer break and tougher roster decisions start to take shape.
Once that’s done, things slow down briefly. The Bills won’t be back on the field again until training camp at St. John Fisher University, continuing a long-standing tradition in Pittsford. This will be the 25th straight year the team holds camp there, with practices expected to begin in the final week of July, when competition ramps up and position battles begin to sort themselves out.
As far as games go, the NFL preseason officially begins on August 6 with the Hall of Fame Game between Carolina and Arizona. The Bills will play the following week, marking the first real chance to see how all of those offseason changes translate once they’re lined up against another team.
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