Rookie LB Kaleb Elarms-Orr starring at Bills camp, bringing edgy demeanor to the field

· Yahoo Sports

Jun 9, 2026; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills linebacker Kaleb Elarms-Orr (52) trains during Buffalo Bills Minicamp. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Pittsford, N.Y. | Through minicamp and four days of Buffalo Bills training camp, nothing about Kaleb Elarms-Orr indicates he’s rookie.

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That is… besides the fact he was indeed selected by Brandon Beane in the middle of the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft.

Immediately repping with the first-team unit at the outset of practices at St. John Fisher University, Elarms-Orr has looked like he’s done this all before, regularly directing teammates pre-snap, and more importantly, acting as a magnet to the football against the run and in coverage.

And during Tuesday’s practice, Elarms-Orr’s edgy play sparked a large scuffle when he hit Dalton Kincaid after the tight end made a snag going to the ground during team drills.

The late-ish hit came following a KEO tackle of Ty Johnson on what looked like a perfectly blocked run play until the rookie linebacker emphatically closed the lane with a thudding hit.

Elarms-Orr also went stride for stride with the deceptively fast Johnson on wheel route to force an incompletion and later sniffed out a screen for a would-be tackle for loss against the first-team offense.

In talking with WKBW Sports Director Matt Bove in the media room after practice, he mentioned a conversation he had with Elarms-Orr in which the former TCU standout told him he stayed in Orchard Park all summer to watch film with Bills defensive coordinator Jim Leonard on a regular basis and even singled out Leonhard as the member of Buffalo’s organization he views as a mentor.

Leonhard was quick to sing the praises of KEO last week at camp — after highlighting the rookie after minicamp in June.

While offensive teammates took umbrage with Elarms-Orr’s tardy hit on Kincaid, Spencer Brown said the following after practice:

“I don’t mind seeing a little piss & vinegar coming out of the rookies.”

I’m not suggesting Elarms-Orr will avoid Welcome To The NFL moments in Year 1.

But I believe he has an inside track at one of the two inside linebacker spots Week 1. And I’m not alone among Bills media currently thinking that way.

Of course, KEO isn’t a lock to start against the Texans. Incumbents Terrel Bernard and Dorian Williams have been back on the field this week after minor injuries delayed their camp debuts.

And, admittedly, there’s some draft-analysis bias at play here.

I had a first-round grade on KEO before the 2026 NFL Draft and compared him to former Jets (now Browns) linebacker Quincy Williams. That statement isn’t meant to serve as a victory lap though. I know better than to take one of those early in a player’s pro career much less before a preseason snap.

Yet because of my pre-draft adoration for Elarms-Orr, I’m not totally shocked he’s erupted out of the gates at training camp with the Bills. He was a no-nonsense, hair-on-fire, super-steady linebacker the past two seasons at TCU and tested like a first-rounder at the combine.

Plus, at 6’2” and 234 pounds, he has serious modern-day linebacker size to play as a thumper behind a three-man base front with enough juice to hang in coverage.

Even KEO’s fellow rookies feel the same about him. His draftmate T.J. Parker said:

“I didn’t know he was a rookie when I first met him, he looks and acts just like a veteran… he’s a ball of fire.”

When asked about his outstanding start to his first NFL training camp, Elarms-Orr said:

“I’m all ball.”

And to begin camp, KEO has balled out.

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