Buffalo Bills: 5 offensive players on the roster bubble
By Avery Duncan
After an off-season highlighted by offensive improvements, the Buffalo Bills have a few returning players on the roster bubble.
The Buffalo Bills, led by general manager Brandon Beane, have had one of the busiest off-seasons of all NFL teams in 2019. Though they didn’t shape the league’s landscape by making any big-time trades, they added a bevy of talent at every single offensive position but quarterback.
The result of the off-season should be an improved Bills’ offense, and, unfortunately, a few familiar faces gone. As is the nature of a 53-man roster, Beane has some decisions to make; if he wants to keep all of his significant offensive additions on-board (15+), some players will be released. Here are five Bills that are still on the roster, but are on the bubble, facing a potential departure.
Jason Croom – TE
The talent is there for Jason Croom. He’s a wide receiver-tight end convert with good size (6-foot-5, 233-pounds) and some speed (4.69 second 49-time) to boot, but he’s turned that talent into marginal production. He spent his rookie year, 2017, on the practice squad, then earned snaps in the next. In 2018, he played 15 games, started three, and recorded 22 receptions for 259 yards and a score.
Croom showed flashes of what he can be last year, but that didn’t stop the Bills from overhauling his position in the off-season. To compete with replace Croom, the Bills signed the high-upside Tyler Kroft and blocking ace Lee Smith. Then, in the draft, uber-athletic Dawson Knox was taken in the third, while Tommy Sweeney was drafted in the seventh.
Without counting UDFA signings, the Bills now have five tight ends on the roster — three are locks: Kroft, Smith, and Knox. Considering that Buffalo opened last season with four tight ends, Croom is far from a sure thing to make the roster. He’s going to have to compete with Sweeney and other undrafted free agents for a roster spot. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been able to do so, as he’s missed weeks of practice with a hamstring injury.
If the Bills do cut Croom, they will save $570 thousand, per Over The Cap. He is practice squad eligible, but his skill set could be valuable for tight end-needy teams, meaning he may have some sort of trade (minimal) value.