Buffalo Bills 2026 NFL Season Preview
Athlon SportsTue, June 30, 2026 at 3:16 PM UTC·6 min read[Editor’s note: The following article is from Athlon Sports’ 2026 NFL Preview magazine. Order your issue online today, or grab a copy at newsstands and retail racks nationwide.]
The sight of his superstar quarterback, Josh Allen, devastated in the visiting locker room in Denver in the moments after the Bills’ devastating AFC divisional round playoff loss to the Broncos last January was an enlightening moment for team owner Terry Pegula.
AdvertisementAdvertisement“I looked around, and the first thing I noticed was our quarterback with his head down, crying,” Pegula said. “I saw the pain in Josh’s face at his presser, and I felt his pain. I know we can do better, and I know we will get better.”
Thus, Pegula fired head coach Sean McDermott, the coach who rescued his sagging franchise, ended the embarrassing 17-year playoff drought in his first season in 2017 and proceeded to lead the Bills into the playoffs in eight of nine seasons, winning five AFC East titles and appearing in two AFC Championship Games. McDermott’s Bills won more games from 2017-25 than every other NFL team except the Kansas City Chiefs.
But while the Chiefs won five AFC titles and three Super Bowls in that span, the Bills won zero and zero.
AdvertisementAdvertisementWith Allen turning 30 in May, Pegula felt the time had come to try something different because, as he said, “I felt like we hit the proverbial playoff wall year after year.”
Offensive coordinator Joe Brady was promoted to the big office, and new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard was hired to make changes to a unit that has repeatedly let the Bills down in January.
It’s a new era in Buffalo, and there’s also a whole lot of pressure on Brady, the youngest head coach in the NFL at 36, as he steps into a situation where he’s walking a tightrope with no safety net.
AdvertisementAdvertisementThe Bills, the only team in the NFL to have qualified for the playoffs seven seasons running, remain in win-now mode, and Pegula has made it clear that just making it to the tournament isn’t good enough. Nothing less than a Super Bowl championship, or at the very least, a Super Bowl appearance, is going to cut it with Allen in the prime of his career.
Offense
Brady was the last man standing after nine head coach interviews, and one of the key reasons is that Pegula and president/general manager Brandon Beane wanted the offense to keep rolling as it had with Brady as coordinator.
AdvertisementAdvertisementThe Bills tied for fourth in scoring, ranked fourth in total yards and led the NFL in rushing last season. James Cook III ran for an NFL-best 1,621 yards, and his 56.6% success rate was second only to Kyren Williams among backs who topped 1,000 yards. He produced 68 first downs and scored 12 TDs playing behind one of the best run-blocking offensive lines in the NFL. However, the Bills lost left guard David Edwards in free agency, and they don’t have a great alternative in place on the roster.
Even though the Bills’ wide receiver room was underwhelming for a second straight season, Allen improved his completion percentage from 63.6% to 69.3%. That was partially the result of his reliance on easy, quick passes because the WRs had so much trouble getting open in the intermediate areas. Allen also threw 10 picks and was sacked a career-high 40 times, the majority of those because he held the ball too long waiting for someone to get open.
To remedy their weakness at the receiver position, the Bills acquired DJ Moore in a trade with the Chicago Bears and drafted Skyler Bell in the fourth round. There’s optimism that Khalil Shakir can remain an effective slot weapon, that Joshua Palmer can stay healthy and deliver on his 2025 free-agent promise and that Keon Coleman can put two sloppy years behind him and play like a second-round pick. If all that happens, the offense should keep humming.
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Defense
After nine years in McDermott’s 4-2-5 base nickel, Leonhard is implementing a 3-4. The transition does raise some concerns because so many of the Bills’ returning players were drafted and developed to play in the old defense. Now, everyone in the front seven has to learn a slightly different position, and the question will be how quickly the Bills can get past the growing pains.
The biggest change comes on the edge, as both Greg Rousseau and Michael Hoecht convert from playing with a hand on the ground in a 4-3 to being standup outside linebackers with occasional coverage responsibilities. Bradley Chubb signed in free agency because that’s the position he has played most of his career; likewise for TJ Parker from Clemson, the Bills’ first pick in the draft. Buffalo’s pass rush has often failed to finish, and Leonhard is hoping to change that by moving pieces around up front and utilizing stunts and blitzes.
AdvertisementAdvertisementOn the line, Ed Oliver missed most of last season because of injury, but he is back and should excel moving out a little wider in the 4i/5-tech spot. Deone Walker is coming off a solid rookie season and will likely be utilized in the 4i/5-tech but also as a nose tackle in the A gap.
Christian Benford is one of the top cornerbacks in the league, but behind him it’s thin. Maxwell Hairston, the team’s 2025 first-round pick, couldn’t stay healthy as a rookie, and the only depth behind them is 2026 second-round pick Davison Igbinosun, who may have been a reach in that spot. Signing veteran safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson was a solid move. He’ll pair with Cole Bishop, who appears ready to take off in his third season.
Specialists
Placekicker Tyler Bass missed all of 2025, but the Bills feel that he has recovered in full and should pick up where he left off in 2024. Bass has a career field-goal accuracy of 84.5% and an extra-point success rate of 96%. Still, he has to prove he’s healthy, and if something goes wrong, it’s not crazy to think the Bills would release him over the summer, save $1.8 million on the cap and sign someone at a lower cost. Unlikely, but possible.
AdvertisementAdvertisementMitch Wishnowsky joined the Bills last year in Week 5 and settled down a turbulent punting situation. The team re-signed him to a one-year deal, but they spent a seventh-round pick on Tommy Doman Jr., who will compete for the job. If Doman wins, he would also save the Bills some cap space.
Ray Davis emerged from nowhere as a kickoff returner and wound up earning All-Pro honors after leading the NFL with a 30.4-yard average, which included a 97-yard TD. Punt return has been a black hole in Buffalo for several years, and there’s no clarity for 2026.
Final analysis
The Bills are still legitimate Super Bowl contenders because they have Allen playing brilliantly, augmented by a dynamic running attack with Cook. The big questions all come on defense, as the new scheme will take time to implement while the returning players figure out their fits and learn their new roles. The AFC East is no longer Buffalo’s private domain, as it was for five straight seasons, with the New England Patriots ready to defend their division title. But there’s no reason why the Bills can’t switch places with New England in 2026.
Related: Athlon Sports 2026 NFL Preview Magazine Now Available
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This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Jun 30, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Kaley Cuoco Cried Filming ‘Big Bang Theory’ Breakup Scene Weeks After Real-Life Johnny Galecki Split
Kaley Cuoco had an emotional reaction to filming a breakup scene in The Big Bang Theory weeks after she and costar Johnny Galecki split in real life.
While appearing on the Monday, June 29, episode of “The Official Big Bang Theory Podcast,” director Anthony Rich recalled his first day on set which happened to be while filming the end of season 3. Rich, now 58, directed the episode “The Spaghetti Catalyst” which followed the aftermath of the breakup between Penny and Leonard, played by Cuoco and Galecki, respectively. The character’s split came shortly after the actors called it quits.
“There was a lot going on that week,” Rich joked, explaining that Cuoco and Galecki dated for “about two years” and split “four to six weeks earlier.”
Host Jessica Radloff added that Cuoco and Galecki handled the change in their personal lives “beautifully” as it was a “really difficult” situation.
Related: Kaley Cuoco and Ex Johnny Galecki's Friendship Through the Years
No hard feelings! Kaley Cuoco and Johnny Galecki have maintained a strong friendship since their 2009 split — and never let their personal lives get in the way of their professional bond. The actors worked together on the Big Bang Theory for 12 seasons from 2007 to 2019. When the series began, they sparked an […]“So now their characters are breaking up, and this is just hitting a little too close to home,” she said.
Rich recalled while filming the post-breakup scenes for Penny and Leonard, both Cuoco and Galecki felt like the script was “not giving proper attention to the demise of the relationship.” Rich explained that the writers did not want to give fans a “real sad breakup episode.”
“People don’t wanna watch that. They’re here to laugh,” he said.
Rich also shared that when it was time for Galecki and Cuoco to reunite in front of the cameras “it was hard for them to even get through it.” Rich claimed that Cuoco “started sobbing” and went off stage to collect herself. When Rich went to check on her, they had a sweet heart-to-heart.
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Related: Kaley Cuoco Would ‘Absolutely Reprise’ Penny Role in ‘The Big Bang Theory’
Kaley Cuoco has revealed she loves Penny in The Big Bang Theory just as much as fans do. Cuoco, 38, told People in an interview published on Saturday, October 19, that her role in the hit CBS sitcom made a significant impact on her life. “I spent 12 years playing that role, and it really […]“She goes, ‘I thought I could handle it, but it’s kinda catching up to me.’ And then she looks at me and she’s like, ‘And I’m ruining your episode.’ I was like, ‘You’re not ruining my episode,’” he recalled.
After the pep talk, Cuoco returned to film with Galecki. Rich praised both Cuoco and Galecki for being “such pros” during that time.
While Cuoco and Galecki’s characters ultimately got back together on The Big Bang Theory, the pair’s love story didn’t have the same ending in real-life. Cuoco found love with actor Tom Pelphrey whom she started dating in 2022. The couple share daughter Matilda, 2, and are currently expecting baby No. 2. In 2024, Johnny revealed he married wife Morgan Galecki and they quietly welcomed daughter Oona.
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Alex Cooper and Sofia Franklyn’s ‘Call Her Daddy’ Drama Explained: How Dave Portnoy Was Involved
The Alex Cooper and Sofia Franklyn “Call Her Daddy” drama will go down in history — so much so that Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy included it in his June 2026 memoir, Cancel Me If You Can.
“The revelation of Alex and Sofia’s torpedoed friendship was almost more than the public could handle,” Portnoy wrote in his book. “Two girls who the world loved to hate now hated each other.”
Portnoy’s version of the story offered more details that the public might not have been privy to before. For example, he first noticed Cooper on MLB pitcher Noah Syndergaard’s Instagram in 2017, when they were dating.
After hearing about her decision to launch a podcast, Portnoy reached out to Cooper, and the “Call Her Daddy” era began. The podcast launched at Barstool Sports in 2018 where it lived until 2021, when Cooper and the company mutually parted ways.
However, the end of the “Call Her Daddy” and Barstool era had tons of drama, which rocked the internet in 2020 as Cooper and Franklyn severed their friendship.
Keep scrolling for a complete breakdown:
The Contract Drama Begins
According to Portnoy, the contract drama began in 2019 after Cooper and Franklyn appeared on Logan Paul’s podcast. They started to “show their growing dissatisfaction” with being tied to Barstool, he claimed, and by the end of that year, lawyers were involved for contract negotiations.
By 2020, however, things got even rockier when the contract drama went public. In May of that year, Cooper told “Call Her Daddy” listeners that she and Frankyn had signed a three-year deal with Barstool, making $75,000 their first year, $85,000 the second year and $100,000 the third. They both got a raise during their first year because of how well the podcast was performing. Cooper, who handled the production side of the podcast, got an extra bump.
Behind the scenes, Franklyn’s then-boyfriend started shopping the show around to other networks. Portnoy got wind of this.
The Rooftop Meeting
This led to the infamous “rooftop meeting” in 2020 where Portnoy offered Cooper and Franklyn $500,000 along with “3.5 percent each of all merch they sold,” according to Portnoy’s book. “At the end of their term, they would own all their merch sales,” he explained. It also “cut six months off their contract so they would have to do the podcast with us for only one more year,” he wrote, noting that after the year ended, Barstool would “relinquish full ownership of the intellectual property.”
Cooper Accepts the Deal
Cooper had her own meeting with Portnoy and eventually accepted the deal.
“Alex left our meeting saying that she wanted to accept the deal. She also said that Sofia hated my guts, which came as a surprise,” he wrote. “The whole time I had believed that Alex was the one who didn’t like me, but I thought that I had a solid relationship with Sofia.”
Portnoy also admitted to leaking the story about the drama to The New York Post, leading to the end of Cooper and Franklyn’s friendship.
“It worked perfectly: Alex and Sofia completely severed all communication. They each believed the other had leaked the story,” Portnoy wrote. “The friendship, and the podcast as we knew it, would never exist again. They hated each other.”
Related: Barstool Employees Who’ve Detailed Salaries and Contract Negotiations
Getty Images (3) Barstool Sports is (almost) always making headlines for something — and they are arguably well-paid to do just that. Grace O’Malley announced her departure from the company in December 2024 after a friendship breakup from longtime bestie Brianna “Chickenfry” LaPaglia (more about that, here) and has since spilled the tea on what […]Cooper’s Docuseries
In June 2025, Cooper reflected on her friendship with Franklyn in the Call Her Alex docuseries. She noted that their relationship had started to fracture long before the contract drama.
“It became really difficult to enjoy the process,” Cooper said at the time. “It was the classic you think you see something online, and people genuinely believed we were like sisters, but our relationship was so awful.”
Franklyn’s Book
Franklyn announced her Daddy Issues memoir in February 2026. The book is set to tell the story of “girlhood, friendship, sexuality, agency and healing.”
“My story has only been told for me. And if you asked me to write this book five years ago you would have gotten a different story — fearful, vengeful, insecure, wounded with something to prove,” Franklyn shared in a statement at the time. “I couldn’t live truthfully until I told it in my own words, on my own terms, and in the most radically honest way I know how.”
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Cooper and Portnoy still have a close-knit business relationship. During a June 2026 interview with Us Weekly, Portnoy even shared the advice he gave Cooper while she was going through some public drama.
He also explained how their relationship evolved — and where he stands with Franklyn — in his memoir.
“Through it all, Alex Cooper has never forgotten the company that helped launch her. She credits me and Barstool frequently, and I’m genuinely happy for all the success she has found,” he wrote. “I’m even hoping she helps me promote this book. I guess we’ll see what she thinks of this chapter. I have no f***ing idea what Sofia is doing.”
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