Buffalo Rumblings
The Buffalo Bills are transitioning to a new defense, and with that new defense comes new roles and responsibilities for the players on the unit. Linebackers, in particular, are undergoing significant change, as the team shifts from the nickel-heavy, even-front looks schemed by former head coach Sean McDermott into the odd-front stylings of new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard.
It may come as a surprise given the change that the Bills only added one linebacker through the draft, and they only brought in three new linebackers in total over the offseason. That shows a tremendous amount of faith in the holdovers from last season to adjust to a new front, but it also gives me the impression that some of the new blood has a good shot at making the 53-man roster this fall.
In today’s installment of “91 players in 91 days,” we discuss the lone linebacker drafted by Buffalo this offseason.
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Name: Kaleb Elarms-Orr
Number: 52
Position: LB
Height/Weight: 6’2” 234 lbs.
Age: 22 (23 on 8/29/2026)
Experience/Draft: R; selected by Buffalo in the fourth round (No. 126 overall) of the 2026 NFL Draft
College: TCU
Acquired: Fourth-round draft choice
Financial situation (per Spotrac): Elarms-Orr signed his four-year rookie contract, which is worth $5,462,980 in total. For the 2026 season, he carries a cap hit of $1,155,745 if he makes the 53-man roster. There are $1,082,960 worth of guarantees on the deal, and that’s the amount Buffalo will carry in the form of a dead cap charge if they release him.
2025 Recap: Elarms-Orr had a huge season for the Horned Frogs, leading the team in tackles with 130. That included a Big Twelve-leading 70 assisted tackles. He also notched 11 tackles for loss, four sacks, and two pass breakups in 13 games. That includes a defensive MVP performance in the Alamo Bowl, where he totaled 11 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss in the win over USC. For his efforts this season, Elarms-Orr earned First-Team All Big Twelve honors. He scored an invite to the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine, as well, where he tested very well overall. He ran the forty-yard dash in 4.47 seconds and completed the twenty-yard shuttle run in 4.41 seconds. He benched 225 lbs. a total of 19 times, and he leapt 40” in the vertical jump and 10’4” in the broad jump.
Positional outlook: Elarms-Orr is the only player on the roster listed merely at linebacker, as all of the others either have an OLB or ILB designation. It’s most likely that he will line up as an inside linebacker in Buffalo’s defense, meaning that he’s in direct competition with Terrel Bernard, Dorian Williams, Joe Andreessen, Jimmy Ciarlo, Theron Gaines, Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, and Keonta Jenkins for both roster space and playing time.
2026 Offseason: Elarms-Orr has not only participated in offseason work, but he’s earned big praise for his early efforts. New defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard was very impressed, praising Elarms-Orr for his football IQ as well as his athleticism after [voluntary...
