No. 4: Linebacker
The Bills' top three linebackers are set in stone in Matt Milano, Terrel Bernard, and Dorian Williams. Buffalo native Joe Andreessen, who made headlines last year in preseason, stuck all year long and reportedly looks even better as he enters year two.
Baylon Spector enters year four after battling injuries and playing decent at times, and second-year man Edefuan Ulofoshio hardly played last year and remains a big question mark. The team added a veteran and former player under McDermott in Carolina, in Shaq Thompson, just a few weeks back. We know how important linebacker depth is, especially with both Milano and Bernard dealing with their fair share of injuries over the last two years.
That leaves what is likely five linebacker spots for seven players. So the best two out of Andreessen, Thompson, Spector, and Ulofoshio will make the final roster, barring any injuries. As of now, you could assume it’s Andreessen and the former star veteran in Thompson. Spector and Ulofoshio are top-tier practice squad candidates. But this is why there’s preseason, and either of those guys could prove themselves for the 53-man roster. It almost feels like the entire defense is battling this summer.
Honorable mention: Defensive End
When you re-haul your defense in a big way during the offseason, it brings a lot of question marks. The Bills are loaded at defensive end with both veteran and young talent. Gregory Rousseau is a starting lock and a prime candidate to have a huge breakout season. The Bills' biggest addition of the offseason comes from who will be starting opposite him, former Chargers star Joey Bosa.
The Bills like to rotate often on the defensive line, so as always, depth is important. The team also wants to keep Bosa as fresh as possible for the playoffs, and avoid the injury bug he’s been battling for a couple of years now. So, don’t be surprised to see his snaps limited throughout the year. That opens more playing time for the number three and four defensive ends on the roster.
The team will likely keep around five defensive ends, Groot and Bosa are already two. That leaves rookie and high-upside guy Landon Jackson as close to a lock as a starter can be at three. The team also added free agent Michael Hoecht, whom they have big plans for, but he is suspended for the first six weeks. Buffalo also has A.J. Epenesa in the final year of his contract and Javon Solomon, who showed promise in his rookie year.
We could see this boil down to Epenesa versus Solomon for the final roster spot. If they choose the younger, more upside of Solomon, we could see a possible Epenesa trade. However, with the Hoecht suspension opening a roster spot out of the training camp gates, we could see all make the team. The team could also go lighter on defensive tackle and keep all of their defensive ends. Still, it’s a position to keep an eye on this camp.