Thompson tallied 56 tackles (33 solo), including 1.0 sacks, along with two defensed passes and a forced fumble over 12 regular-season contests in 2025-26.

Thompson missed four games due to injury and didn't play Week 18 against the Jets for rest purposes, but he still doubled the six contests he logged over the previous two seasons combined. The veteran linebacker had 10 tackles Week 6 against Atlanta and nine stops Week 13 versus Pittsburgh, but otherwise he finished with six or fewer tackles in his other 10 appearances. Thompson should remain a key part of Buffalo's defense in the postseason and will then become a free agent following the campaign.

Benford logged 43 tackles (32 solo), including 2.0 sacks, four pass defenses (one interception and a pick-six), one fumble recovery and a scoop-and-score across 14 regular-season games in 2025.

Benford got off to a nice start with at least four tackles in each of the first five games of the regular season, but he failed to record more than three stops in each of his last nine games. He scored the first touchdown of his four-year NFL career with a scoop-and-score against the Steelers in Week 13, and he followed that up with a 63-yard pick-six one week later in a win against the Bengals. Benford has posted two interceptions in each of the last three years, and he'll continue to operate as a key piece in the Bills' secondary after signing a four-year, $72 million contract extension with Buffalo in March.

Milano recorded 67 tackles (36 solo) including 3.5 sacks and a forced fumble in 12 regular-season games with Buffalo in 2025.

While Milano was one of the Bills' top linebackers when he was available, an early-season pectoral injury and late-season load management limited him to just 12 games in 2025. He has now appeared in just 21 regular-season games in the past three years combined. He'll turn 32 in July, and it's unlikely he'll ever again match the highest snap shares he took up earlier on in his career. With that said, he's currently set to become a free agent this offseason and could be a steady contributor for a team that sees value in a veteran presence at linebacker in 2026.

Rousseau finished the 2025-26 regular season with 46 tackles (24 solo), including 7.0 sacks, along with two defensed passes, a forced fumble and a blocked kick over 16 games.

Rousseau continued to be a steady presence along the Bills' defensive line, pacing the team with 7.0 sacks -- a mark he's reached in three of his past four campaigns. He didn't play in Week 18 as Buffalo elected to rest multiple starters, but Rousseau should be primed for the team's wild-card matchup against Jacksonville this Sunday after staying mostly healthy throughout the regular season.

Bishop recorded 85 tackles (53 solo) including 2.0 sacks, seven passes defensed and three interceptions in 17 regular-season games with Buffalo in 2025.

In his rookie season, Bishop played only a minor role behind starters Taylor Rapp and Damar Hamlin after being selected in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft. He took over as a starter himself this year, and he ended up leading the Bills in both total tackles and interceptions. His length, speed and explosiveness make him formidable in coverage, and it's clear he's also a willing tackler. With another year of experience under his belt, he should be part of the IDP discussion in 2026.

Carlson made all four of his field-goal attempts and didn't try an extra point in Sunday's 14-12 victory over Kansas City. He finished the 2025-26 campaign having gone 22-of-27 on FG attempts and 21-for-22 on PAT tries.

There were no touchdowns in Sunday's plodding season finale -- both Carlson and KC kicker Harrison Butker made four field goals, and the winning margin came by way of a Las Vegas safety. Carlson was able to show off his leg strength on the game-winning FG from 60 yards out with less than 10 seconds remaining, and he also booted a 55-yarder earlier in the fourth quarter. The Raiders scored the fewest points in the league this season, thus limiting Carlson's opportunities, and his 81 percent success rate on FG tries was his lowest mark since 2019 (and represented the fifth straight season his conversion rate has dropped). Carlson is slated to become an unrestricted free agent, and while he figures to be a starting kicker in the NFL next season, it's not certain that he'll be back with Las Vegas.

Szmyt went 24-for-27 on field-goal attempts and 25-for-26 on extra-point tries across 17 games with the Browns in 2025.

Szmyt did not kick in a regular-season game in two years after joining the league in May of 2023. However, he managed beat out Dustin Hopkins for the Browns' starting kicking job for 2025 after a strong preseason. Szmyt had a shaky NFL debut against the Bengals in Week 1, when he missed a field goal and an extra-point try in a 17-16 loss. He settled down after his debut, and after the Browns' Week 9 bye, he made all 14 of his field-goal attempts (including three makes from 50-plus yards) and all 13 of his point-after tries across nine games. Szmyt enters the offseason as an exclusive rights free agent, meaning he'll likely kick for the Browns in 2026.

McPherson made 25 of his 28 field-goal tries and converted 41 of his 44 extra-point attempts in 17 games with Cincinnati in 2025.

After converting on a career-low 72.7 percent of his field-goal attempts in 2024, McPherson recorded a career high 89.3 percent in that category in 2025. He also showed improvement from distance compared to last season, making 15 of his 18 tries from 40-plus yards out compared to six of 12 in 2024. He still probably hasn't justified the three-year, $14 million contract the Bengals gave him in August of 2024, but he would project as an above-average fantasy option at kicker in 2026 if starting quarterback Joe Burrow can stay healthy and lead a more potent offense than the one Cincinnati had for much of this year.

Folk made 28 of 29 field-goal attempts and all 22 of his extra-point tries over 16 games during the 2025-26 campaign.

The Jets finished with the NFL's fourth-lowest-scoring offense, so opportunities weren't exactly ripe for Folk. However, the veteran kicker was outstanding when called upon, missing just one of his 51 total kicks. Folk made a career-best seven FGs from 50-plus yards out, with his only miss of the season being a 55-yard try in Week 13. He's slated to be a free agent, but it wouldn't be surprising if the Jets try to bring back Folk considering his very strong recent success -- he's led NFL kickers in FG accuracy each of the past three campaigns, going a tremendous 78-for-81 during that span.

Slye went 28-for-35 on field-goal attempts and 26-for-27 on point-after tries across 16 games with the Titans in 2025.

Slye got off to a fast start to the 2025 season, connecting on all eight of his field-goal attempts through the first two games (three of which came from 50-plus yards). However, the veteran kicker missed four of six field goals over the next two games (though two of those misses came from 60-plus yards) and he was sidelined for the Titans' Week 6 loss to the Raiders while nursing a right calf injury. That ended up being the only game Slye missed in 2025, and he showed off his big leg by connecting on a career-high nine field goals from 50-plus yards, which was tied for fourth most in the NFL behind Chase McLaughlin, Brandon Aubrey and Will Reichard (11 each). Slye enters the offseason as an unrestricted free agent.