The Buffalo Bills could be moving on from a 2026 NFL Draft pick.
Buffalo selected Toriano Pride Jr. with the No. 220 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft to add some depth to the cornerback room. Yet, in training camp, he has struggled and has been outplayed by UDFA signing Kani Walker.
Now, ahead of the Bills’ first preseason game, analyst Ryan Talbot of NYUP.com believes Walker is ahead of Pride in the pecking order.
“The Bills drafted Toriano Pride Jr. with the No. 220 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Kani Walker, meanwhile, was added by the team post-draft as an undrafted free agent (UDFA),” Talbot wrote. “On the initial depth chart, Walker is ahead of Pride Jr. Although Pride Jr. has had his moments this summer, Walker has been one of the biggest surprises of training camp. The UDFA has a great chance of making the team as the roster currently stands.”
A seventh-round pick not making an NFL roster in their rookie year isn’t a huge shock, but him losing the spot to a UDFA signing would be tough.
Pride played college football at Clemson for two years before transferring to Missouri. Last season, he recorded 24 tackles, 2 interceptions, and 4 pass defenses.
Although Pride appears to be behind Walker, there is still time for him to impress in preseason to earn a spot on the 53-man roster.
Pride Explains His Game
After Buffalo selected Pride in the seventh round of the NFL Draft, he was eager to make an impact on defense.
“My whole position is just off instinct, so running with deep balls and reacting to receivers that are just as fast as me or faster,” Pride said after he was selected. “(I) just try to translate (the speed) to the football field. It’s all cuts and angles … that’s how the game is played now.”
Pride spent the last two seasons in the SEC, but before that he was teammates with TJ Parker at Clemson, who Buffalo selected in the second round.
“It’s always good to go somewhere where you have somebody you know or have been with before,” Pride shared. “It’s great. I’m ready to work with him and get back to our connection we had.”
However, Pride has work to do to make the Bills’ 53-man roster.
Buffalo Signs Safety
The Bills did make a roster move on Friday.
Buffalo re-signed safety Wande Owens on a one-year deal. The Bills signed Owens as an undrafted free agent in 2025, and he was with the team until July 31, when he was released.
Owens did some workouts with other teams, but has decided to return to Buffalo and will compete for a roster spot.
In a corresponding move, Buffalo released ILB Otis Reese IV.
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