Yes, we know that this is taking a while!

As many of you know, we at Notinhalloffame.com are slowly generating the top 50 of each major North American sports team. That being said, we maintain and update our existing Top 50 lists annually.  We are pleased to present our pre-2026 revision of our top 50 Buffalo Bills.

As for all of our top 50 players in football, we look at the following: 

1.  Duration and Impact.

2.  Traditional statistics and how they finished in the National Football League.

3.  Advanced Statistics.

4.  Playoff performance.

5. Their respective legacy on the team.

6. How successful the team was when he was there.

7. Respecting the era in which they played.

Criteria 1-4 will make up the lion’s share of the algorithm.  Please note that we have implemented this for the first time.  This has changed the rankings all throughout the board.

Last year, the Bills won 12 games and made the playoffs before falling to the Denver Broncos in the divisional round.  There was one new entrant and two elevations based on last season.

As always, we present our top five, which saw a change at the top tier of the list.

1. Bruce Smith
2. Thurman Thomas
3. O.J. Simpson
4. Jim Kelly
5. Josh Allen

You can find the complete list here:

After another incredible season, in which he earned his fourth Pro Bowl and finished third in MVP voting, Allen jumped up from #10 to #5.

Left Tackle Dion Dawkins went from #28 to #18.

The lone new entrant was Linebacker Matt Milano, who debuted at #45.

Cornerback Tre’Davious White, who made a one-year return, did enough to move up from #48 to #46.

We thank you for your continued support of our lists on Notinhalloffame.com.

With the fifth-round (163rd overall) pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the Buffalo Bills selected Matt Milano, who entered the league as a converted safety and stepped directly into Sean McDermott’s defensive system. Over nine seasons in Buffalo, Milano evolved into the vital, sideline-to-sideline core of the Bills' linebacker corps.

Milano relied on DB-caliber movement skills, processing speed, and closing acceleration. Operating primarily as an off-ball weakside linebacker (WILL), his defining strength was his range in coverage—matching up with tight ends down seam routes, closing down screen passes before they could blossom, and triggering downhill in the run game to scrape through interior gaps.

Milano reached the peak of his career in 2022, putting together one of the most complete off-ball linebacker seasons in modern franchise history. Playing in 15 games, he registered 99 total tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, 11 passes defensed, three interceptions (including a pick-six against Tennessee), and two fumble recoveries. His play earned him First-Team All-Pro honors and his first career Pro Bowl selection.

Despite facing mid-career injury setbacks—including a fractured leg in 2023 and a torn bicep in 2024—Milano remained a key leader on defense, battling back to log 12 starts in 2025. Through the 2025 season, Milano played in 106 regular-season games (85 starts) for Buffalo, accumulating 571 total tackles (374 solo), 14.0 sacks, 62 tackles for loss, 10 interceptions, 39 passes defensed, 11 fumble recoveries, and four forced fumbles.