After not being drafted in the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay, former Virginia Tech linebacker Kenota Jenkins caught on with the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent. He ended up having a good enough training camp last summer, where he got into some games. He played in three games and ended up recording a career-high five tackles in a 35-8 win over the New York Jets in the regular-season finale.
Going into his second training camp in Western New York this summer, Jenkins is looking for a bigger role with Buffalo as they look to regain control of the AFC East from the New England Patriots. Alex Brasky of Buffalo Bills On SI predicted the roster coming out of training camp a couple of weeks earlier this summer, and he had Jenkins earning the fourth and final linebacker spot on the 53-man roster for the season opener. He began the preseason schedule on Saturday, getting a chance to make an impression on the new coaching staff for the Bills.
Kenota Jenkins looking to cement spot on Bills rostr for 2026
The 6-foot-2, 211-pound Jenkins played 23 snaps last season on defense and 39 on special teams. He is looking for a bigger role under new coach Joe Brady in 2026. On Saturday, Buffalo opened the preseason with a 29-14 win over the Carolina Panthers at their new stadium, Highmark Stadium. Brady gave his starters some early snaps inside their new stadium, and later in the first half, Jenkins came on at linebacker to get some valuable snaps.
Jenkins finished with a pair of solo tackles in limited playing time as he continues to push for a roster spot. After playing his first season with Buffalo, he's making the case in his second seaosn to take on a bigger role for the Bills. In five seasons at Virginia Tech, Jenkins recorded 182 tackles in 57 games and had three interceptions. He played a couple of different positions for the Hokies during his time in Blacksburg.
As far as making the roster with the Bills, this might come down to the final cut after the preseason schedule ends in a couple of weeks for Jenkins. He has proven at Virginia Tech that he is a tackling machine and a very capable depth linebacker in the NFL. The Bills have visions not only of retaking supremacy in the AFC East, but also of taking the next step and getting to the Super Bowl and winning it. Jenkins is a depth piece that could help them achieve all of that and then some.
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