Training camp is underway for the Buffalo Bills at St. John Fisher University and Bills fans are super excited for the season to start. The long boring stretch of the offseason is officially over and the real competition is beginning in-house.
Before we get to see the excitement and hype of two teams taking the field to go to battle in the regular season, all 32 NFL teams will be going through training camp and preseason. The coaching staffs will have to decide who will be joining them for Week 1 and it’s never an easy decision. Even though practice squad is always an option, the main goal for players is to suit up on gameday.
There are four players on the Bills that will more than likely earn a roster spot, but they don’t deserve it for various reasons.
4 Bills who will make the final 53-man roster but don't deserve to
DT DeWayne Carter
The second-year defensive tackle is part of a crowded room where the Bills not only brought in Larry Ogunjobi, but also traded up twice in the draft to acquire T.J. Sanders and Deone Walker to go with Ed Oliver and DaQuan Jones. DeWayne Carter missed six games last season and wasn’t able to show any real momentum to become an impactful player.
Now granted, it’s just his second season so maybe he will get a pass. However, with all of the moves that Buffalo made this offseason, Carter faces more of an uphill battle for a roster spot.
CB Dane Jackson
Dane Jackson was brought back by the Bills in free agency but it wasn’t a shock. The Bills have a tendency to bring back familiar players that were drafted under this regime. Jackson played out his rookie contract, joined the Carolina Panthers for 2025, and is now back in Buffalo on a one-year deal.
He struggled with the Bills early on and was more of a liability than anything. Maybe he will get the nod over someone like Dorian Strong, but the Bills are better off giving Strong a chance as he has a longer future in Buffalo than Jackson does.
WR Laviska Shenault
Signed by the Bills this offseason, Shenault has been a journeyman throughout his career. Even with being a second-round pick, he hasn’t found stability. He’s been with Jacksonville, Carolina, Seattle, and the Los Angeles Chargers. Now he is hoping to find some success with the Bills, but Buffalo has better options.
Tyrell Shavers and seventh-round draft selection Kaden Prather could be battling it out with Shenault for a special teams role. Shenault has more experience which gives him the advantage, ultimately giving him the better chance of getting a roster spot. But Prather and Shavers are younger and are a bit more athletic than Shenault.
WR Curtis Samuel
Last year, the Bills signed Curtis Samuel in hopes that he would be a versatile weapon in the offense. Instead, he dealt with injuries and was not productive whatsoever. Contractually, the Bills can’t afford to release him so unless he completely falls apart in training camp he will be on the roster.
The Bills went out and signed Joshua Palmer and Elijah Moore to bring more separation and speed to the offense. These two should be able to do more damage than Samuel.