Buffalo Bills begin trimming the roster by releasing six players

Neil Pau'u, Buffalo Bills (Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images)
Neil Pau'u, Buffalo Bills (Photo by Timothy T Ludwig/Getty Images) /
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The Buffalo Bills are going to have to cut the roster down to 53 players by Tuesday afternoon from the 80 players that were on the roster Friday evening in their game against the Carolina Panthers.

On Monday, they began that process and announced they had released six players which included offensive linemen Jacob Capra and Tanner Owen, wide receiver Neil Pau’u, defensive end Daniel Joseph, and defensive backs Jordan Miller and Josh Thomas.

The release of these six players, along with releasing punter Matt Araiza on Saturday, brings the roster total down to 73 players.

No big surprises in this round of cuts for the Buffalo Bills

Among the players in this initial round of cuts, there weren’t any big surprises and most of these players were unlikely to make the 53-man roster. This group included two players who were on the practice squad last year in Jacob Capra and Josh Thomas, and there is a chance both could return as members of the practice squad this year.

The Bills had also signed three of these players (Neil Pau’u, Tanner Owen, and Daniel Joseph) as undrafted free agents this offseason. Neil Pau’u had the most notable preseason performance, which came in the final preseason game for the Buffalo Bills, when he had four receptions for 46 yards against the Panthers.

Jordan Miller was a late addition to the roster and signed by the Buffalo Bills during training camp. He was added to the roster after the team released cornerback Travon Fuller. While the depth at cornerback seemed to be unsettled, Miller didn’t seem to factor much into the discussion for one of those final roster spots.

The Bills still have 20 more players that they will need to either release or trade before the deadline on Tuesday at 4 PM when all NFL teams need to be at 53 players.