Last offseason, the Buffalo Bills faced a lot of doubters and criticism from losing a bunch of key veterans like Tre’Davious White, Gabe Davis, Mitch Morse, Jordan Poyer, and trading away Stefon Diggs. Their roster was revamped a bit because of the salary cap. However, they still made their moves at improving the roster and yet they still made it to the AFC championship game.
One story that hit the Bills though for a good reason was Buffalo native and linebacker Joe Andreesseen impressing the Bills so much after rookie tryouts, that the organization decided to sign Andreessen to a contract going into the summer. The local Buffalo native from Lancaster, NY started his feel-good story as he not only was competitive in training camp last year, but he earned a roster spot on the final 53-man roster.
The former Bryan University and University at Buffalo standout dressed for 13 games, playing a majority of the time on special teams but also on defense as well had some moments where he showed to be a quality NFL player. In Week 17 against the New York Jets, he led the defense in total tackles.
Overall, he finished the regular season with 26 total tackles and one QB hit. He’s a quality backup going into the 2025 season behind Terrel Bernard and Matt Milano. However, I wouldn’t say he is a lock to make the roster as the Bills signed Shaq Thompson to a one-year deal who is a sideline-to-sideline tackler.
Joe Andreessen looking to overcome the odds and make Bills' roster again in 2025
In an ESPN article from various NFL writers (NFL Nation), Alaina Getzenberg recently listed Andreessen the “biggest surprise” for the Bills entering the 2025 season. Here’s a bit on what Getzenberg said about Andressen about his performance at mandatory minicamp a couple of weeks ago:
"Availability is something the Bills emphasize, and Andreessen saw increased time during team drills, in part due to Baylon Spector's injury. He made multiple notable plays, including picking off Josh Allen. And he put himself in a good position to compete for the backup middle linebacker job."Alaina Getzenberg, ESPN
Personally, I believe Andreessen will make the roster but I wouldn’t say he is a guarantee to make it. At the end of the day, what he does, or doesn’t do in training camp will ultimately decide if he runs out onto the field in Week 1.
Based off his first solid season last season and strong start to the offseason, Andreessen is in a great position to be a serviceable backup for Buffalo this coming season. He knows the system and is a versatile player. Training camp for the Bills starts on Wednesday, July 23rd at St. John Fisher University so Bills fans will want to tune in for coverage about how Andreessen performs.