The Buffalo Bills made several moves to upgrade their roster in the initial 2026 NFL free agency run. While there may be a few more moves around the margins, the majority of their signings are done, so we can now evaluate what they’ve done. So, let’s get right into the Bills' 2026 NFL free agency grades for every signing, including Bradley Chubb.
One thing to note before we jump into the Bills' 2026 NFL free agency grades is that the team’s biggest moves, acquiring wide receiver D.J. Moore, came via a trade. Initially, fans and analysts questioned giving up a second-round pick for Moore. However, with the Denver Broncos giving up a first for Jaylen Waddle—a relatively similar player—the deal now looks better for Brandon Beane and Joe Brady.
NFL free agency is the topic at hand, though, so let’s dive right into the Bills' 2026 NFL free agency grades for every signing, including Bradley Chubb.
EDGE Bradley Chubb
The big Bills 2026 NFL free agency signing is former Broncos and Miami Dolphins edge rusher Bradley Chubb. The soon-to-be 30-year-old has been an excellent pass rusher at times throughout his career. He has a 12.0 and an 11.0-sack season under his belt, and in 2023, he led the league with six forced fumbles.
Last season, he was solid on a bad Dolphins team, playing in all 17 games and delivering a respectable 8.5 sacks and 20 QB hits.
The problem with Chubb—and his three-year, $43.5 million deal—is that last season was the first time since his rookie year that he played in every game. Between 2018 and 2025, Chubb has missed a staggering 43 games in six seasons.
So, once again, the Bills will be paying and relying on an oft-injured pass rusher on the wrong side of 30, like Joey Bosa and Von Miller before that. If Chubb is the one who finally comes through for Beane, this is an A. If he once again gets hurt and fails to deliver for the Bills, it’s an F. That means for this grade now, we have to split the difference.
Grade: C+
DB Chauncey Gardner-Johnson
The thing you hear about Chauncey Gardner-Johnson is that he never would have worked under Sean McDermott.
The first reason is that Gardner-Johnson is best moving around and making plays, especially away from the line of scrimmage. Under McDermott, his slot corner, Taron Johnson, had to be a stout run defender at the line as well as a coverage man. The CGJ signing denotes a big change schematically from McDermott to new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard.
Secondly, McDermott’s locker room was known for being all kumbaya, filled with unselfish, high-character players. Gardner-Johnson can be disruptive in the locker room and is an absolute pest on the field. Several wide receivers have literally thrown punches at the DB after long afternoons across the line from him.
This means there may be big changes in the attitude of the Bills this season under Leonhard and Joe Brady, which may be a good thing. Everyone loves Josh Allen’s happy-go-lucky nice guy persona, but maybe a little a few more dawgs on the roster will give the team an edge they’ve been missing.
Grade: B+
CB Dee Alford
As mentioned above, Leonhard wants a different archetype at slot corner next season, and Dee Alford is that player. While CGJ will guard bigger tight ends and backs in the slot, Alford is a smaller, quicker corner who will take on the shifty slot receivers and backs.
Three years and $15.7 million is a fine contract for a starting player who will help Leonhard turn over the defense to his style, so this was an excellent pickup for the Bills in free agency. Also, at 28, Alford has growth potential to build on his career-high three interceptions last season.
Grade: A
S Geno Stone
Another day, anther d-back for the Bills, as they signed safety Geno Smith. The safety position is the biggest overhaul for the team on defense this offseason, so bringing in a veteran like Stone makes sense.
This is a veteran minimum deal for one year, $1.4 million, that brings in a sneaky-young 26-year-old who has started for the better part of the last three seasons on the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals.
That means, at best, Stone could be a starter next season. At worst, he is a good veteran depth piece and an excellent special teams contributor. There is really nothing bad about this deal at all.
Grade: A
QB Kyle Allen
Other than confusing people with his ALLEN 11 jersey, this is a completely fine signing. Kyle Allen has been with Buffalo before (2023), knows Josh Allen, and is a serviceable backup for a fraction of or even a full game.
The truth is, if the more famous Allen misses much more than that, the Bills' season is over anyway, so all you need here is a capable quarterback to keep the team afloat for a very short amount of time and a player whom Josh Allen likes and can help him prepare for games. Kyle Allen seems to check all these boxes.
Grade: B+
