1 Bills player in danger of losing starting job after OTAs

As the Buffalo Bills go through their offseason OTAs, there are some things and some players that are starting to stand out. One of the things becoming more clear is that Jim Leonhard’s 3-4 defense is going to look a lot different than Sean McDermott’s 4-3 defense of the last nine seasons. As for the player who stands out in regards to this new-look defense, it’s rookie linebacker Kaleb Elarms-Orr, and that’s bad news for Terrel Bernard.

Did the Bills draft Kaleb Elarms-Orr to replace Terrel Bernard?

When Leonhard took over as defensive coordinator of the Bills’ defense, he inherited two off-ball linebackers who, along with Matt Milano, played the vast majority of defensive snaps for McDermott over the last few years. Terrel Bernard played 87% of the defensive plays last season, Dorian Williams clocked in at 47%, and Joe Andreesen was the 2026 player with the next-most at just 10%.

Bernard was the linebacker who took over from Tremaine Edmunds and Milano as the Bills’ No. 1 LB when the former left to sign with the Chicago Bears and the latter went down with an injury in 2023. Bernard’s snap count jumped from 11% as a rookie to 93% the next season. From then on, he was a team captain and McDermott’s green-dot linebacker. He called the plays, got the defense in position, and manned the middle of the field for three seasons.

For McDermott, the 6-foot-1, 223-pound former Baylor ‘backer was a perfect fit for his system. Bernard is fast and athletic but undersized for the position. That worked well in McDermott’s 4-3, as he was expected to cover and operate in space, while the four-man defensive line took up the brunt of the opposing offense’s blockers.

Leonhard’s defense is quite different than McDermott’s, and although it utilizes two inside LBs, quick, undersized linebackers are not what he is looking for. In a Leonard-driven 3-4, the LBs will play more downhill. They have to have good size in order to blitz and, at times, take up the mantle of a fifth or sixth defensive lineman.

Examples of this LB prototype include the two starting linebackers for the Denver Broncos last season, who Leonhard coached, Alex Singleton and Dre Greenlaw. At 6-foot-2, 240 pounds and 6-foot, 230 pounds, respectively, these big battering rams are what Leonhard is looking for.

Williams (6-foot-1, 228 pounds) and Andreesen (6-foot-1, 240 pounds) have more of the playing style and size that the Bills’ new DC is looking for.

What he really wants, though, is a 6-foot-2, 234-pound, 4.47-running heat-seeking missile who has the athleticism to blow up an opposing defensive line and enough football IQ to wear the green dot and get the D lined up. And that’s why the Bills took TCU’s Kalen Elarms-Orr in Round 4 of the 2026 NFL Draft.

Even early in the Bills’ offseason OTAs, Jim Leonhard was already singing the rookie LB’s praises.

“[Elarms-Orr] is doing everything we’re asking of him right now,” Leonhard said during OTAAs. “Whether he knows it or not, I think he’s in the right spot the majority of the time. He’s got a really good feel for the game. … He’s done an excellent job of picking up the defense and being able to communicate. Early on, he’s running with the ones at times and controlling the huddle, getting things lined up. So, excited for him to grow as a player.”

Kaleb Elarms-Orr sounds like Jim Leonhard's hand-picked day 1 starter. Glows (for him) when talking about KEO. Seems like a huge hit in round 4 for the team pic.twitter.com/b8IVOPiBOJ

— Kevin Massare (@KevinMassare) May 26, 2026

Listening to Leonhard talk, it sounds like Buffalo drafted Elarms-Orr with the express purpose of him ultimately replacing Bernard in the middle of the defense. Whether the powers that be thought that this would happen right away or down the line is unclear. What is clear, though, is that they are already giving KEO a chance to shine, and if training camp goes anything like the Bills’ offseason OTAs, don;t be shocked if it’s Kaleb Elarms-Orr and Dorian Williams playing ILB for the team in Week 1, and not Terrel Bernard.

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