5 Bills players with the most to prove in 2025

USA Today

5 hours ago

The Buffalo Bills are once again expected to be among the best teams in the NFL for the upcoming 2025 season. They are the betting-odds favorite to win the Super Bowl on many sportsbooks.
They have gotten close, having made the playoffs in each of the last six seasons and reaching the AFC's title game twice. They have had poor execution in big moments, bounces not going their way, questionable calls by the officials, and poor injury luck down the stretch. But, perhaps the difference that will get them over the hump is as simple as some of their players playing up to their potential.
Here are the five Bills players with the most to prove in 2025:
5. LB Matt Milano
Veteran Matt Milano has provided the Bills defense with exceptional coverage and tackling ability at linebacker since he was taken late in the 2017 draft, but that hasn't been the case recently. He has struggled to see the field due to multiple serious injuries and has played just 12 total games over the last two years after being named a first-team All-Pro in 2022.
He did play all three playoff games last year and started to look like shades of his old self down the stretch. If he can prove that he can maintain that level of play, it would be a big boost to the defense due to his experience and ability to cover ground.
4. CB Max Hairston
Rookie cornerback Max Hairston makes the list due to his high draft stock (pick No. 30) and the expectation that he'll slide into the starting lineup across from Christian Benford.
Veteran CB Tre'Davious White spoke on the "pressure" that Hairston will feel to perform early in his career, and like White, Hairston will have every opportunity to prove himself after being a first-round pick.
While Hairston has all the athletic tools and hip fluidity necessary to excel at the CB position, he's still a rookie and will need to do all the little things right in order to impress the coaches.
3. S Cole Bishop
Cole Bishop didn't have the start to his NFL career that he anticipated. Last year, he injured his shoulder early in his first NFL training camp and was held off the field during a time which he needed to get valuable reps in. Because of the slow start, Damar Hamlin ran away with the starting safety spot and Bishop only had five spot-starts throughout the year.
This year, Bishop is expected to start at safety alongside Taylor Rapp, and he'll have to prove he was worthy of a second-round pick in 2024. He has gotten off to a good start this offseason, putting in extra work with Rapp and becoming more comfortable in the defense.
2. WR Keon Coleman
Wide receiver Keon Coleman had an up-and-down rookie year after being picked 33rd overall in the 2024 draft. When he was fully integrated into the offense, you could see the massive potential. He had back-to-back impressive showings in the middle of the season: a 125-yard outing in Week 7 and a 70-yard, one-touchdown line in Week 8.
Then, a wrist injury set him back significantly. Aside from a 64-yard catch against the Lions in mid-December, Coleman was largely unproductive the entire second half of the season.
General Manager Brandon Beane said he was disappointed in how Coleman returned from injury, and so now the second-year, big-bodied receiver out of Florida State will have to prove his worth.
1. TE Dalton Kincaid
Dalton Kincaid had a disappointing sophomore campaign after a promising rookie season. In 2023 he had 73 catches for 673 yards, and in 2024 that dropped to 44 catches for 448 yards.
Injuries played a big part in the dip in production, but he and quarterback Josh Allen seemed to be out of sync more than the Bills would have liked. He posted just a 58.7% catch percentage in 2024 after catching 80.2% of his targets the year prior.
Kincaid was first-round pick in 2023, and the Bills moved up a couple spots to make sure they got him. He still has massive potential as a pass-catching tight end but he hasn't lived up to that yet. He's looking for a breakout third year in the NFL to prove he was worthy of his high draft stock and worthy of continuing to be peppered with targets from Allen.