It's the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. This is James Yarko from Locked On Bucks, and I want you to imagine for a moment you're watching the big game at a buddy's house. Everyone's having a good time, and you get a call that someone tried to break into your home. In a second, everything can change. That's why there's ADT. ADT's security systems helps keep your home safe 24-7 with the most company-operated monitoring centers in the industry. And the ADT Plus app keeps you in control the whole time. Don't leave your home wide open during an emergency. When every second counts, count on ADT. Visit ADT.com or call 1-800-ADT-ASAP. Hey, everyone. This is Ross Jackson, one of the hosts of the Locked On Podcast Network. Thank you for being here because your support means everything. everything. And if you're looking for another way to support the show that you love while getting something awesome in return, check out the everyday or club. You get ad free episodes of your favorite locked on show access to a members only group chat for fans of your team. And you can even jump into the national chats and talk about whatever's happening across the league. Tap the everyday or club link in the show notes to learn more. the Buffalo Bills have a bunch to sort out at the linebacker position and I have plenty of ideas for players they could bring in to help I'll share those with you right now on Locked on Bills you are locked on Bills your daily Buffalo Bills podcast part of the Locked on Podcast Network your team every day. What's up, Bills Mafia? It's Joe Marino, author of the Herd Mentality Substack, co-host of the Locked On NFL Scouting Podcast, co-host of the NFL First Read Podcast, and I'm your host of Locked On Bills. Locked On Bills is a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network and the number one sports podcast network. Want to thank you for making Locked On Bills your first listen every day and a big welcome and shout out to our everydayers. You know who you are. Those of you who never miss a single episode, I appreciate you all being here very, very much. Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Use your profit boost on an NBA future and get entered for your chance to win a trip to the NBA finals. Play your game with FanDuel, the official sports betting partner of the NBA. Well, folks, welcome in. Today, we are breaking down free agent linebacker options for the Bills in free agency. We've done this for almost every primary need for the Bills to this point. We've covered wide receivers, centers, left guards, defensive linemen, edge rushers, and today is linebackers. Early next week, we will get to safeties, and I just want to present different options that make sense to me for the Bills to consider. Now, when I say linebacker, I mean stack off-ball linebackers, not edge rushers, not outside linebackers, linebackers that will play off the ball. And the Bills only have three returning linebackers, Terrell Bernard, Dorian Williams, and Joe Andreessen. I think there are fair questions about all three of them and reasons to be intrigued. With Terrell Bernard, we've seen him perform at a good level for this defense in the past. He was successful in a 3-4 scheme in college at Baylor, but obviously the injuries last year really took away from Terrell Bernard and he needs to bounce back and he needs to bounce back under very different circumstances than what he's played into this point in the NFL. For Dorian Williams, I'm very intrigued. I want to see him obviously take a step, but I think there's potentially a big role for him in this defense, but obviously he hasn't been a full-time player yet for the Bills. And then Joe Andreessen, I think he projects very well to this defense, but obviously he's not been a full-time player in the league. So there's a lot to figure out with the players that are returning, not to mention you have some very meaningful expiring contracts here in Matt Milano and Shaq Thompson. I doubt either one is back. Maybe you could talk yourself into Shaq Thompson as a player who's had success in this type of a scheme. And I thought he was probably the Bills' best linebacker last year, but do the Bills want like go down that path or bring in some different ideas, you know, with Matt Milano, I think he's better suited for a four, three outside linebacker role. I'm not going to say he couldn't do it, but you know, he's not necessarily the type of player that I feel like the bill should continue rolling with given his age and injury history. And so one of the questions that I think you might have about this entire linebacker conversation is, you know, just how many are the bills going to roster under Sean McDermott, they would roster six off ball linebackers. I think that it will be less. I think the Bills will probably roster four. The two defenses that I think will most resemble what I believe the Bills want to get done are the Broncos and Rams. And those two teams last year both carried four linebackers on their initial 53-man roster. And that's kind of the number that I have in my head for the Bills. So obviously, they're going to need competition and at least one more rosterable player to go with Bernard, Williams, and Andreessen, but I don't exactly know how the Bills view that current cast of characters, and I don't want to assume anything here in terms of who's safe, who's not safe, how many they're going to bring in, but they will need more players than currently exists. So I'm excited to break down these options for you. We will get into players that are a little risky that the Bills could sign. We'll talk about some veterans that are very savvy, but not very, you know, guys that you would consider to be long-term answers. And then there's the just right bucket. And I want to start with the just right bucket because there's a good mix of players that I think fit that have ties to the Bills coaching staff that also resemble kind of the type of investment I think the Bills should make at this position. So let's get into the just right options and we'll start with Leo Chanel. from the Kansas City Chiefs. He turns 26 in October, 6'3", 250 pounds. In terms of salary estimations, pro football focus says $6 million a season. Spot rec says $4.6 million a season. In 2025 with the Chiefs, he played in 14 games on the field for 53% of snaps, 58 tackles, two sacks. He had a shoulder injury in week 15 that kept him out for the rest of the season. The appeal here is that he's a versatile player, has terrific size, terrific athleticism, and there's just a lot that he can do. He's a good downhill player against the run. He can cover, he can blitz, and he's a guy with familiarity with Jim Leonard They were together at Wisconsin for the entirety of Leo Chennault career and I just feel like there a very clean projection to how he could factor into this Bill's defense. And so the concern here would be that he's never been a full-time player in the NFL. The Chiefs played three linebackers and Nick Bolton, Drew Tranquil, and Leo Chanel. And then there was some years where it was Willie Gay, but they played three linebackers And Leo Chennault has only once in his career played more than half the snaps in games he was active for. So as a rookie, he played 23% of snaps. Then the next two seasons, he played 41% in each of them. Then last year, 53%. So this isn't a player that's been a full-time guy yet in the NFL. But the bottom line here is it feels right. I love the combination of age, cost, size, athleticism, and the clean projection that he should be to Jim Leonard's defense. So Leo Chennault, one of my favorite ideas. Another one of my favorite ideas is Caden Ellis, who played last year and the last several seasons with the Falcons. He turns 31 in July. He's 6'2", 240 pounds. The salary here could be a little tricky. Pro Football Focus estimates $12 million a season. SpotRack says $8.9. So this could be a little bit out of the Bills price range, but we'll see. Typically, linebacker contracts come in lower than where a lot of the projections fall. In 2025, he played in 17 games on the field for every snap, 107 tackles, three and a half sacks. The appeal here is that, well, Caden Ellis is a baller. If you've watched him through the years, you know he's a good football player. And I think if Leo Chennault played every snap for Kansas City, this is what I think you get. You get Caden Ellis. That's why I think the salary estimations are double the amount. He's played every snap for the Falcons the last three years, essentially. He's versatile. Very good rush linebacker, but can play downhill, can cover a little bit. I think he would give you that true Mike linebacker that you're looking for for this style of defense. The concern here would be the cost. I do worry that he's a little out of the Bills price range and more than what the Bills should probably invest into this position. But I love him. One of my favorite players in the league, and he'd be fun to root for in Buffalo. And I think he kind of gives you that all-around skill set that the Bills need at the position. Let's talk about Justin Sternod of the Denver Broncos. So there you go, a guy that's been with Jim Leonard for the last couple of years. He turns 30 in August. He's 6'3", 235 pounds. Pro Football Focus estimates $4 million a season. SpotRex says $3.8 million a season. So you can see this is a very reasonably priced player based on kind of what the Bills need to invest in this position. In 2025, he played in 16 games on the field for 55% of snaps, 58 tackles. four and a half sacks. The appeal here is that he's familiar with Jim Leonard. He's been flashy and productive in a part-time role for Denver. He's versatile. You love the downhill, the blitzing. He can run. He can play in space a little bit. Just has been part of a linebacker group where he's kind of been the third guy and a little bit like Leo Chennault. So that's, I guess, the concern is he's been a part-time player. And really for the first three seasons of his career, he wasn't very much involved in the defense. Now, the last two, that changed quite a bit. So you could say that he's ascending in some ways, but again, never has really been a full-time player. So he might be the right type of investment for the Bills. Familiarity with Leonard, low cost, you're pretty comfortable with the all-around skill set, and it could be a very clean projection as well. One more player I'll mention here in segment one is Alex Singleton, also of the Denver Broncos. He's a little older. He turns 33 in December, 6'2", 240 pounds, pro football focus and spot rack, say four and a half million a season. In 2025, he played in 16 games on the field for 98% of snaps, had 135 tackles. The appeal here is that he's a physical and urgent player, excellent downhill run defender, experience with Jim Leonard. The concern here is coverage. You know, he's not a super rangy dynamic coverage player. He'll be a little limited in that capacity. And he's a little older. He does turn 33 in December, but, uh, on a one year type deal to come in and present a player that's familiar with Leonard that, uh, can help really get the entire locker room acquainted with the style of defense and expectations for a guy that has been in it, I think will be helpful. So, uh, not a bad idea for like a one year type of option, But really, I like all three of those options. Leo Chennault, Caden Ellis, Justin Stranod, Alex Singleton. And there's more options that I'd like that I'll tell you about here in just a moment, including a couple more players that are very well connected to the Bills coaching staff. So we'll explore them and a whole lot more next. Folks, be sure to stick with me. Welcome to the five-hour energy flavor draft with 18 different flavors to choose from, including new options like confetti craze, fruity rainbow, or cotton candy. There's something for everyone. Well, the draft board is set. The flavors are ready, and I've got the number one pick for the five-hour energy flavor draft, and my number one choice is berry. You get that big, bold berry flavor. It's slightly sweet and very fruity. It's that classic mixed berry flavor with notes of raspberry and blackberry. It's smooth. It's sweet, but not overly sugary, so that's my number one pick, but don't sleep on the strawberry banana. It's that classic combination that consistently delights. It's the five-hour energy shots. They give you a boost with zero sugar. Find your new favorite flavor of five-hour energy shots available online at fivehourenergy.com or Amazon. All right, let's get into more options at linebacker that feel logical to me based on who the player is, the cost, the fit. Got two players here that I want to discuss that also have very close ties to the Bills coaching staff. Next up is Micah McFadden. Played last year and really his entire career with the Giants to this point. He turns 26 in January, or he turned 26 in January. 6'2", 232 pounds. Salary projections here are very modest. SpotRack says 2.4 million. Pro Football Focus says 1.3. In 2025, he only played in one game. Had a foot injury in September that required a Liz Franck surgery. So he missed basically all of 2025. But the appeal here is the player that he was ascending into his first three seasons. Excellent downhill player. Very good run defender. Very good blitzer. John Igarugwu, who's the Bills inside linebackers coach now, was the inside linebackers coach for the Giants the last four years. So all of Micah McFadden career has been spent under Igarugwu who is now the Bills inside linebackers coach So that familiarity will be helpful He a good downhill physical player The concern is that he coming off of a foot injury You do want to see him grow in coverage He's an athletic player, so I don't think he has limitations in terms of athleticism. But you want to see that part of his game expand. But ultimately, he could be the right mix of youth, cost, familiarity, and upside. And a player that I was really enjoying his development until, of course, he only played in one game this past season. So it could be, like I said, the right mix of cost, youth familiarity, and upside. One more player that has ties to the Bills coaching staff is Jack Sanborn. Last year with the Cowboys, his first three seasons with the Bears. Turns 26 in July, 6'2", 234 pounds. Pro Football Focus doesn't have a contract estimate here. SpotRack says $2.1 million. In 2025, he only played in six games. He had a groin injury that ended his season. So that's something to be mindful of. But the appeal is that he was with Jim Leonard at Wisconsin for the entirety of Sanborn's career. Smart, tough and instinctive player. I think anyone who's ever watched Jack Sanborn, whether that's with the Bears or at Wisconsin, you know, he's smart, tough and instinctive. the concern is that he's not really been an every down player. He's coming off of an injury. He's a modest athlete. He's got short arms. There's limitations here, but as an early down player that you can maybe platoon with Terrell Bernard and bring Terrell Bernard in for more of the long and late passing downs, I think that could be a good kind of combination there. So I'm curious to see how the Bills attack this, if that's what they want to do, if they want two guys that play all the snaps if they want to mix in a few different skill sets you know that'll be interesting to find out but Jack Sanborn can certainly fill the role of an early down player so the bottom line is he's a familiar inexpensive easy role to project the question that I would have is do you kind of already have this player in Joe Andreessen but obviously the big difference there is Jack Sanborn has been indoctrinated with the fullness of a Jim Leonard defense. So that would give him an edge over Joe Andreessen. So those are some of the guys that just kind of feel right. They're logical to me. There's ties. The player they are is pretty clear with how I assume it would fit into this defense. Those players, again, Leo Chennault, Caden Ellis, Justin Sternod, Alex Singleton, Micah McFadden, and Jack Sanborn. Now, the next few players I want to get into are players that I would say are a little risky. Now, they've performed at a high level, but for one reason or another, there's a little bit of a risk involved. These are also players that are going to cost more probably than the ones I just went through. So the first one I'll get into is Devin Bush. I spent the last couple of years with the Browns. He turns 28 in July, 5'11", 235 pounds. Pro Football Focus says 12 million a season. SpotRack says 8.9. In 2025, he played all 17 games, 83% of the defensive snaps, 125 tackles, three interceptions. The appeal here is the player he's been the last two years. Now, he had a very strange start to his career. The Steelers traded way up to get him, like I think to pick 10 or 11 in the first round from around pick 20. And then he was on the Steelers for like four years, but he never really was the player they drafted him to be. Then he had a year with Seattle. That was pretty underwhelming. And then he finally gets to Cleveland and starts to play tremendous football over the last couple of seasons. Good downhill player. The coverage this past year was exceptional. And then he's a great tackler as well. The concern is that you're going to pay a good amount of money for this player. And, you know, the first five years of his career happened where he was pretty much a bust. And then the last two years, he really woke up in Cleveland with Jim Schwartz. So the bottom line here is that you would need the contract to come in much lower than these projections. Spot rack at 8.9. You'd want it to be maybe even less than that. But if it did and you're comfortable with the skill set, there's a chance he could be a really outstanding player for three or four years for you. But I think there's some things to be mindful of if you were to make this investment. Next guy is N'Kobe Dean. Has spent his career with the Eagles. He turns 26 in December, 5'11", 231. Pro Football Focus has $13.7 million a season. Spot Rex has $7.8. At 2025, he played in 10 games on the field for 62% of snaps, 55 tackles, 4 sacks. the appeal is that N'Kobe Dean is a stud. He's a leader. He might be the best blitzing linebacker in the NFL. Just watch him play, whether it's been at Georgia or Philadelphia. The guy flies around, makes plays all over the place. You can't miss him. Good player. The concern to me here really is simply injuries. He, ahead of the 2022 draft while training, he had a torn pec that pretty much cost him his initial season. Then he had a Liz Franck surgery in 2023. He had a torn patellar tendon in January 2025 that cost him, of course, that playoff run with Philly and then really almost all of the first half or so of the season this past year. So there's been injury stuff that he hasn't been able to shake, but when he's been on the field, he's tremendous. And so that's the concern. That's why he's a little risky. He's expensive. He's been injured, but he's a stud. So if he's going to be healthy, I mean, you'd love to have him, but he's going to be expensive, and the injury history is a little concerning. So it might be too much risk for my appetite, but the guy's a good player when he's on the field. One more guy I'll get to here, Quay Walker, has spent his career with the Packers as a first-round pick. He turns 26 in May, 6'4", 241 pounds. pro football focus has 15 million a season spot rack says 8.2 million a season last year with green bay he played in 14 games on the field 95 of snaps and collected 128 tackles he's young and experienced but i i think he's a little overpriced i mean pro football focus at 15 million just feels crazy high to me and even at eight i just worry that he's a bit of a a limited player he's been a a solid downhill player, but the coverage stuff has just not been there in Green Bay. And I think he's a player that hasn't illustrated much growth in his four seasons as a starter in Green Bay. So I would stay away at these price points, but if he winds up kind of lingering around and maybe there's no market and it winds up being more of a one-year prove it situation, that might not be a bad path to explore, but you're, you're not going to convince me that this $15 million price tag is one that the Bills should go after for Quay Walker. All right, we got more to do. There's three players that I want to discuss that are interesting, kind of one-year solutions, but very interesting nonetheless. And then there's a few players that I think are just way out of the Bills price range that I want to mention quickly to close us out So folks be sure to stick with me Have you ever wanted to experience the NBA finals live and in person Well FanDuel is going to give you that chance to turn that dream into reality with their NBA sweepstakes Here how it works. You use your profit boost on any NBA future and you'll automatically be entered for a shot to win a trip to the NBA finals for two. That's right. Flights, tickets, the whole experience. If you're already looking at the board and thinking about which team can make a deep run, this is the perfect time to lock it in. I love futures this time of year, whether it's picking a team to win the championship or grab a conference title it adds that extra layer of excitement to every game down the stretch and now not only can your pick cash but it can send you to the nba finals visit fanduel.com to get started use your profit boost on an nba future and get entered for your chance to win a trip to the nba finals play your game with fanduel the official sports betting partner of the NBA. All right, folks, I want to discuss some players that are savvy veterans that are probably just one-year solutions, but they might not be a bad one-year solution. And I know everybody wants the perfect long-term young answer at every position, but folks, it just does not work like that in the NFL. You're going to need a few spots where you have a get-by player that might be aging, but can handle the job for you. Don't be completely dismissive of these types of players. All right, next up, Alex Anzalone from the Lions. Turns 32 in September. He's 6'3", 234. PFF and SpotRack both have it right at about 7.5 million. Last year, 16 games, 96% of snaps, 95 tackles. Alex Anzalone is a good football player. Kind of does it all. Coverage, blitzing, run defense outstanding tackler he's a playmaker the concern is that um really I know it's not fair to point out because he's had several healthy seasons in a row but I can't help but think about the entirety of Alex Anzalone's career whether it's at Florida or to start his career with the Saints where there was just injury after injury after injury and so that's stabilized over the last several years but it's not something that I can stop thinking about with Anzalone but bottom line here is not a bad one-year fill-in depending on how the team views the current room. If they just feel like they need a piece to stabilize the room, okay, great. If you're looking for long-term answers, well, this is probably not going to be your choice. Let's talk about Bobby Wagner. Played the last few seasons with the commanders. She turns 36 in June, six foot, 242 pounds pff says eight and a half million spot racks is 7.6 in 2025 he played in of course all 17 games 99 of snaps which is pretty much what he's done every year of his of his hall of fame career he's not been injured plays every game every snap the appeal here is that you're talking about a hall of fame linebacker that's still cooking he's still playing better than most at the linebacker position and um you know i think you'd be getting a very very clear leader and impact player that will be part of the tone-setting element of your defense. The concern is that he's 36 and not a long-term answer. But if the Bills are comfortable with Wagner and the circumstances and how he fits in, you're not going to convince me that it's not a bad idea for one season. The last guy I'll mention in depth is Demario Davis with the Saints. He turned 37 in January, 6'2", 248 pounds. BFF says $8 million. SpotRack says $9.5 million. In 2025, 17 games, 98% of snaps, just like he does every year. Him and Bobby Wagner, I mean, they've been starting every game, playing every snap for a long time. And the appeal here is that DeMauro Davis is an absolute hammer. He is a total dude, one of my favorite players in the league for a long time. And while I admire him most for his ability to get downhill and blow up run plays and blitz and play into the line of scrimmage. He's an effective short zone coverage player. Now, you're not going to ask him to run the pole in Tampa too, right? But I think short coverage drops, he can certainly handle it. And the concern is that he's 37 years old, but ultimately, I think he's outstanding. He's been one of my favorite players in the league for a long time. And very much like what I said about Bobby Wagner, If you are comfortable with the circumstances and feel like this is the right type of player to bring in and stabilize your room, I think you can do a whole lot worse than Demario Davis, even at age 37. I think he's an excellent player. And just watch the tape, watch him play. He's awesome. So those are some of the options that make the most sense to me. Again, I kind of went through a wide range. The players that feel right to me in terms of who they are, what they're going to cost. Then I got into some players that are a little bit more expensive, but also some risk involved. And then these last few are just, hey, we need a guy for a year that can stabilize our room and complement what we have. They make sense to me. Now, there's other players that are available in free agency, but I don't think the Bills are the team that should be splurging for Devin Lloyd. Devin Lloyd's awesome. I'd love to have Devin Lloyd. but if he's going to be 16 to 20 million dollars a season which is the expectation that's probably double more than double what i think the bill should dump into this position same thing with tremaine edmonds and whether that's through a trade or if he gets released i like tremaine edmonds but i think tremaine edmonds is still probably a 14 15 dollar 14 or 15 million dollar a year linebacker and that's more than i think the bill should invest into the position so i think they'll find what they're looking for for that in that five to eight million dollar a year range and then it's just about how you want to deploy the room there's a world where you probably have a primary player and then a couple of guys that might be interchangeable and so how does the team view bernard williams and andreason and then from there how do you fill in the blanks and filling in the blanks could mean hey we need a an early down player that we're going to platoon with bernard it could be hey we need somebody that's going to be the quarterback of our defense and take every snap. You know, we have a lot to learn about how the bills perceive this, but something meaningful needs to be added here. And I think there's a lot of very, very, very logical options for the bills to consider and including those that are familiar with this staff, familiar with this defense that are clean projections and shouldn't cost that much. So I'm very interested and excited for what the bills add to this position that I think we'll have a very different look and feel compared to the last few seasons in Buffalo. All right, folks, here you have it. Our linebacker free agent preview in the books. We'll get to safety early next week and tons of content. Folks, I'm doing a lot of podcasts here, giving you the 30-minute daily show. We're giving you a couple of episodes of Bill Squad per week, the bonus daily shows with me and Jerry Ostrowski. So a lot of content on this feed. Don't miss it. Make sure that you are subscribed. We'd love it. If you took a second to rate, review, and share the podcast, Have a great rest of your day. Go Bills. And I look forward to catching up with you again real soon.
