Williams participated in team drills Tuesday for the first time since the start of training camp, Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN.com reports.
Williams was sidelined in minicamp by a lower-body injury, but the 2023 third-rounder has progressed enough in his recovery to expand his workload in training camp practices. He's looking to build off a 2025 campaign in which he logged 63 tackles (29 solo), two pass defenses and one fumble recovery across 16 regular-season games (nine starts). Williams is competing against Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles and rookie fourth-rounder Kaleb Elarms-Orr for the starting job at inside linebacker next to Terrel Bernard.
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Bills' Dorian Williams: Sidelined for minicamp
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Coach Joe Brady said Tuesday that Williams (lower body) is nursing an injury, Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN.com reports.
Brady did not go into detail when speaking about the injury, but he did say that Williams is expected to be ready for training camp in July. In the meantime, veteran free agent acquisition Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles might get some looks with the first-team defense.
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Bills' Dorian Williams: Production dips in 2025
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Williams (neck) recorded 63 total tackles (29 solo) and two passes defensed over 16 regular-season appearances in 2025.
Williams was one of the Bills' best defenders in 2024, recording 117 total tackles across 618 defensive snaps. However, he played a smaller defensive role this season, logging just 63 stops over 431 defensive snaps in the regular season. Despite this, the Tulane product remained a key part of Buffalo's defense, as he tallied the fifth-most stops on the team and was an important special-teams contributor (258 snaps). Still on his rookie contract through the 2026 season, Williams, who left the Bills' divisional-round loss to the Broncos with a neck injury, could compete for a starting inside linebacker position this summer.
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Bills' Dorian Williams: Logs full practice Friday
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Williams (knee) practiced in full Friday.
The third-year pro from Tulane was a limited participant in Thursday's practice due to a knee injury, but Friday's full session suggests he's moved past the issue. Williams has appeared in four games for Buffalo this season, recording 18 total tackles and one pass defended. Now back at full health, he's expected to start alongside Terrel Bernard in the Bills' linebacker corps in Monday night's matchup against the Falcons.
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Bills' Dorian Williams: Limited to begin Week 6 prep
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Williams (knee) will be a limited participant in practice Thursday, per head coach Sean McDermott, Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic reports.
Williams didn't practice at all prior to sitting out Buffalo's Week 5 loss to New England, so his limited participation in the team's first practice of Week 6 preparation is a step in the right direction. If healthy enough to suit up Monday against the Falcons, Williams would presumably return to his starting role at linebacker.
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Bills' Dorian Williams: Good to go
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Williams (elbow) is active for Sunday's game versus the Patriots,
Williams will play through an elbow injury in this contest. Barring any setbacks, he projects to start at weakside linebacker. Edefuan Ulofoshio would be next in line if any setbacks indeed occur.
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Bills' Dorian Williams: Questionable to return Sunday
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Williams (elbow) is questionable to return to Sunday's contest versus the Lions.
Williams sustained the elbow injury in the first half, placing some doubt on his ability to return to the game. In his absence, Matt Milano will continue to handle the lion's share of workload at weakside linebacker against Detroit.
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Bills' Dorian Williams: Dozen more tackles in defeat
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Williams recorded 12 tackles (11 solo) and one fumble recovery in the Bills' loss to the Texans on Sunday.
A third-round pick in 2023, Williams has taken over as a starter in his second pro season. His 11 solo tackles Sunday marked a new career-high, and Williams has double-digit tackles in four straight contests. He's up to an NFL-best 54 tackles this season, with 35 of them being of the solo variety. Williams has added two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble.
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Bills' Dorian Williams: Stays busy vs. Jacksonville
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Williams accrued 11 tackles (eight solo) in Monday's 47-10 victory over the Jaguars.
Williams saw less snaps on defense Monday than he did in each of the first two games of the regular season, but that was due to game script as Buffalo rested its starters in the fourth quarter. Williams still managed to lead the Bills in tackling, and his 30 total tackles is tied with Panthers' Shaq Thompson for 10th in the NFL through the first three games of the regular season. Williams has firmly entrenched himself in the starting linebacker corps while Matt Milano continues to recover from a torn biceps he sustained during training camp.
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Bills' Dorian Williams: Makes 10 tackles in TNF win
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Williams notched 10 tackles (five solo) during Thursday's 31-10 win over the Dolphins.
Williams played 52 defensive snaps Thursday after handing 51 snaps in Week 1. He remains locked into a starting role on defense with Matt Milano (biceps) sidelined until at least late in the 2024 campaign. Buffalo's linebacker corps also lost Terrel Bernard (pectoral) for potentially one month Thursday, leaving Baylon Spector to step into his starting gig. Williams' next chance to make an impact will come Week 3 versus the Jaguars.
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Bills' Dorian Williams: Likely to replace Milano
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Williams is in line to replace Matt Milano, who suffered a torn biceps during practice Tuesday, as Buffalo's starting weak-side linebacker, Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN reports.
The 2023 third-round pick recorded 40 tackles and a pass breakup as a rookie. Milano could possibly return in December, per Getzenberg.
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Bills' Dorian Williams: Rookie shines in primetime
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Williams totaled 10 tackles in the 14-9 win over the Giants on Sunday night.
The third-round rookie out of Tulane was the choice to take over for All-Pro linebacker Matt Milano, who was lost for the season due to a fractured leg in the Week 5 loss. Williams logged 84 percent of the defensive snaps and was complimented by the coaches after the game for stepping it up as well as for his athleticism. There's going to be a drop-off from Milano to anyone else the Bills might choose to replace him, but how narrow that gap is could determine how much a legit Super Bowl contender the Bills end up being. For now, consider Williams a starter in a young linebackers unit, while the style of defense the team plays gives him some IPD potential.
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Bills' Dorian Williams: Strong preseason debut
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Williams led the Bills with seven total tackles (six solo) in Saturday's preseason win over Indianapolis.
The third-round rookie is no longer in the running for the open starting middle linebacker spot, but he has a chance to earn a meaningful role on the outside. Stud defender Matt Milano will man one of those spots on a full-time basis, but there's a role for Williams, even if it's as part of a rotation on the other side. Expect him to see a decent amount of action in the team's last two preseason games.
