Seven months since he tore his Achilles last November, Bills outside linebacker Michael Hoecht participated in individual drills at minicamp Tuesday (via Sal Capaccio of WGR 550). That’s a good sign for Hoecht as training camp approaches, though it is uncertain if he will be ready by then.
“[The athletic trainers and medical staff] really don’t want me to put timelines on it, but I’m going to put as much effort, I can’t put a timeline onto it, but I can put as much effort as possible into it,” Hoecht said last week (via Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN).
Hoecht indicated the ultimate goal is to be on the field when Buffalo’s season kicks off in Houston on Sept. 13. Heading into the second season of a three-year, $24MM contract, the former Ram should play a notable role in the Bills’ defense if he is healthy. Hoecht’s first year in Buffalo went down as a disappointment, and his injury wasn’t the lone culprit.
Just four days after Hoecht signed with the Bills in March 2025, the NFL hit him with a six-game suspension for violating its policy on performance-enhancing substances. The ban prevented the 28-year-old from debuting until Week 8, but he made an immediate impact in a 40-9 blowout victory in Carolina. After forcing a fumble and registering 1.5 sacks against the Panthers, he chipped in another half-sack in a 28-21 win over the Chiefs in Week 9. However, Hoecht suffered his injury that afternoon, limiting him to just two games in 2025.
As the Bills transition to a 3-4 base defense under new coordinator Jim Leonhard, Hoecht is a key figure on their pass-rushing depth chart. Barring setbacks in his recovery, Hoecht and second-round rookie T.J. Parker will slot in behind starting OLBs Greg Rousseau and Bradley Chubb. The Bills brought in ex-Chief Mike Danna in free agency to add more depth, while Javon Solomon and Andre Jones will also compete for reserve spots. Joey Bosa and A.J. Epenesa – members of last year’s team – are among remaining free agent possibilities, but the Bills have not shown public interest in re-signing either player.
Elsewhere in the Bills’ LB corps, Dorian Williams is dealing with an undisclosed injury, but head coach Joe Brady is hopeful he will be good to go for camp (via Lance Lysowski of the Buffalo News). Like Hoecht, a healthy Williams could carve out an important role, especially considering the Bills have not re-signed Shaq Thompson or Matt Milano in free agency.
While Williams has come off the bench in 28 of 50 career games, the fourth-year pro may start alongside Terrel Bernard in the middle of the Bills’ defense in 2026. As things stand, their only other choices are fourth-round rookie Kaleb Elarms-Orr, Joe Andreessen (primarily a special teamer), Keonta Jenkins, free agent pickup Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, 2024 undrafted free agent Jimmy Ciarlo and 2026 UDFA Theron Gaines.