ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (WKBW) — On Sunday, the Buffalo Bills, along with every NFL team, will need to trim their roster from 90 to 53 players. General Manager Brandon Beane told me going into the preseason finale that he believed “50ish” spots on his 53-man roster were already accounted for. But what do we think the entire roster will look like? This is our best guess.
Let’s start with some injured players. I believe the Bills will place rookie offensive lineman Jude Bowry on IR, meaning he’ll miss at least the first four weeks. I think they’ll do the same for Sedrick Van Pran-Granger. I also anticipate wide receiver Tyrell Shavers will be placed on the Physically Unable to Perform list. I could see linebacker Joe Andreessen also starting on IR if his injury is believed to be longer term. We haven’t seen him at practice this week and don’t have an injury update.
Offense:
Quarterback: Josh Allen & Kyle Allen (2)
No real surprise here. Kyle Allen had a strong preseason after a relatively slow start to camp. Shane Buechele had his moments, but it was never enough to beat out Allen for the backup job. Like in years past, I’d imagine Buechele ends up on the practice squad.
Running back: James Cook, Ray Davis, & Ty Johnson (3)
The running back room will look just like it did last season. Despite an impressive summer from Ian Wheeler, the Bills value their top three running backs too much. Ty Johnson hasn’t practiced in a long time, but he’s making progress and recently started running. Ray Davis, even after his struggles returning punts, is still a strong kick returner and complementary back. This room should be a strength for the Bills this season.
Tight end: Dalton Kincaid, Dawson Knox, and Jackson Hawes (3)
Kincaid has been one of the Bills' most impressive players this summer. If he can stay healthy, this could be a career-best season for him. Knox and Hawes have established roles on this offense and are certainly roster locks.
Keleki Latu had a nice summer and deserves to be on the practice squad. I’d imagine he will be.
Wide receiver: DJ Moore, Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, Joshua Palmer, & Skyler Bell (5)
I thought about adding Trent Sherfield to this list. He’s a strong special teams player and has familiarity with Josh Allen from his previous stint in Buffalo. If he makes the team, he’s earned it after a strong summer. But the reason I left him off this projection is that I think the Bills will go out and add a punt returner. Whether that’s a trade as they did with Brandon Codrington or if they sign someone who was cut by another team, I don’t believe the answer to that problem is currently on the roster. Sherfield is a player they can likely get to the practice squad and keep around.
I’d also expect the Bills to keep Ja’Mori Maclin and Stephen Gosnell on the practice squad.
Fullback: Ben VanSumeren (1)
Joe Brady has shown us he likes to have a fullback as a part of his offense. VanSumeren appears to be the guy who has won the job after a few different guys were used in this spot over the summer.
Offensive line: Dion Dawkins, Alec Anderson, Connor McGovern, O’Cyrus Torrence, Spencer Brown, Lloyd Cushenberry, Austin Corbett, Tylan Grable, Ar’maj Reed-Adams (9)
As noted above, Bowry and Van Pran-Granger going to IR makes this a bit less complicated for the Bills. Cushenberry is the no-brainer as he’s become the primary backup center to Connor McGovern, who has been sidelined with a hamstring injury. Corbett lost the starting left guard battle to Anderson, but is a valuable veteran who the Bills will want to have on their roster. Reed-Adams is a bit of a deep cut but has been a player the Bills seem to like. I was between Reed-Adams and Chase Lundt for the final offensive linemen here. Lundt plays the more valuable position, but Reed-Adams has been the better player this summer.
Defense:
OLB: Greg Rousseau, Bradley Chubb, Michael Hoecht, T.J. Parker, Javon Solomon (5)
I was between Solomon and Mike Danna for the fifth outside linebacker spot. Solomon gets the edge because they have been talking him up all summer and he’s a better special teams player. No other real surprises here because Rousseau, Chubb, Hoecht, and Parker are all locks.
ILB: Terrel Bernard, Dorian Williams, Kaleb Elarms-Orr, Keonta Jenkins, Joe Andreessen (5)
Jenkins started the preseason finale with a bang, picking up a sack and putting an exclamation point on his summer. He was a player who came close to securing a roster spot last season but ended up playing three games as a member of the practice squad. This year, I believe he’ll make the 53 out of camp. Andreessen is an interesting conversation because he’s not quite a roster lock, but a guy who I still think earns a job because of his special teams prowess.
Defensive line: Ed Oliver, Deone Walker, T.J. Sanders, Landon Jackson, Zane Durant, Greg Gaines (6)
DeWayne Carter was the hardest cut for me in this projection. But the Greg Gaines addition was notable. For a player with that much experience to join the Bills when he did felt like a sign that they want him on the team. Carter could still make it, but keeping seven defensive linemen seems unlikely. Durant flashed plenty this summer and is going to be on the team.
Cornerback: Christian Benford, Maxwell Hairston, Davison Igbinosun, Kani Walker, Dee Alford (5)
Kani Walker has been one of the best stories of the summer. The undrafted free agent turned a strong training camp into a strong preseason. In every game he played, he made some nice plays. Keeping only four boundary cornerbacks is a risk, but Dee Alford’s flexibility could allow the Bills to roll the dice.
Safety: Cole Bishop, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Jordan Hancock, Damar Hamlin, Sam Franklin, Jalon Kilgore (6)
Keeping six safeties could be a surprise to some, but Hancock could’ve just as easily fallen into the cornerback group. He’s ascended as much as anyone this summer. Franklin doesn’t provide much defensively, but he’s a special teams ace, and it’s why the Bills signed him to a new contract in the winter.
Geno Stone may be the most notable omission from this entire projection, but his summer hasn’t been strong.
Specialists (3)
Tyler Bass, Tommy Doman, Reid Ferguson
The punter competition actually lasted longer than I thought. But in the final preseason game, Doman seemingly won the job after some real crummy punts from veteran Mitch Wishnowsky. Doman's last punt was returned for a touchdown but the punt itself wasn't that bad. Tyler Bass had a strong finish to the summer, which is worth noting.
Final thoughts:
This exercise is always very thought provoking and makes you realize how difficult some decisions are. This is a deep roster and they will cut some talented players. My most difficult decisions were with DeWayne Carter and Trent Sherfield. I believe they will look to add a punt returner in the next few days and if that happens, one more guy will need to be cut or they’ll need to start another player on IR.
