Buffalo Rumblings
Can the hybrid LB/S break camp with the team?
The Buffalo Bills have worked hard to add depth to their defense this offseason. The secondary and defensive line, in particular, have seen plenty of new faces since last season came to an end.
That doesn’t mean general manager Brandon Beane has ignored the linebacker position, however. The Bills generally play two linebackers at a time, but against certain teams and certain personnel groupings — think about their victory over the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Divisional Round as an example — they play three linebackers. The team can’t ignore linebacker depth just because their base defense is a nickel package.
In today’s installment of “90 players in 90 days,” we discuss a rookie undrafted free agent looking to crack the roster at linebacker.
Name: Keonta Jenkins
Number: 49
Position: LB
Height/Weight: 6’3”, 219 pounds
Age: 23 (24 on 1/26/2026)
Experience/Draft: R; signed with Bills following the 2025 NFL Draft
College: Virginia Tech
Acquired: UDFA signing
Financial situation (per Spotrac): Jenkins signed a three-year deal worth $2.99 million. That contract contains $55,000 in guaranteed money, which also represents the dead-cap figure the Bills will carry if he’s released prior to the start of the season. If Jenkins makes the 53-man roster, his cap hit for the year is $848,333.
2024 Recap: Jenkins had his most productive NCAA season as a fifth-year player. He lined up as the “Star” in Virginia Tech’s defense, which is essentially a hybrid role as a nickel corner/safety/outside linebacker. He totaled 65 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, one sack, one interception, two forced fumbles, and four pass breakups in 12 games.
Jenkins was not invited to the NFL Scouting Combine, but he displayed solid athleticism at Virginia Tech’s Pro Day in March. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.58 seconds, did the three-cone drill in 7.18 seconds, and leapt 34.5” in the vertical jump and 9’10” in the broad jump. He bench-pressed 225 pounds a total of nine times.
Positional outlook: Jenkins is listed as a linebacker with the Bills, and he’s one of eight players at the position in camp. Shaq Thompson, Matt Milano, Terrel Bernard, Dorian Williams, Joe Andreessen, Baylon Spector, and Edefuan Ulofoshio are the others.
2025 Offseason: Jenkins is healthy and participating in camp.
2025 Season outlook: The Bills clearly wanted Jenkins to sign with them, as they gave him more guaranteed money than any undrafted player they signed this spring aside from Wande Owens. That led some to speculate in May that he had the best chance of any undrafted free agent to make the 53-man roster. However, given that the lack of press about him so far combined with the strength of the group of returning players, I assume that Jenkins is competing right now for a spot on the practice squad.
A strong preseason could turn heads, but he’s a legitimate ‘tweener at the professional level, and until he bulks up a little bit, it’s hard to imagine other...
