The preseason for the Buffalo Bills has come to close after their Saturday night game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Now that the preseason is behind the Bills, Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane will have to make tough roster decisions on who will make it and who won't.
The Bills have until Tuesday, August 26th to get the roster to the final 53 players so the Bills are working against the clock on deciding who will be joining them for the regular season. With that, we take a look at a roster projection ahead of the final roster results.
Final Buffalo Bills 53-man roster projection ahead of regular season
QB (2): Josh Allen, Mitch Trubisky
The MVP is looking to bring a Super Bowl to Western New York after getting a new six-year deal worth $330 million. Going with him is Mitch Trubisky, who has backed him up for two years and can be more trusted than Mike White.
RB (3): James Cook, Ray Davis, Ty Johnson
Much like the quarterback room, it wasn’t hard at all to pick which running backs will be back on the Bills this season. The trio of James Cook, Ray Davis, and Ty Johnson are coming back and all of them are under contract with the Bills for atleast two seasons.
Cook got his money and is ready to go. Davis is entering his second season after a strong start to his career. Johnson came back to Buffalo on a two-year deal and will be an excellent third-down back once again.
FB (1): Reggie Gilliam
This is a no-brainer. Reggie Gilliam has been a solid fullback for the Bills and is back in Buffalo for atleast one more season.
WR (6): Keon Coleman, Joshua Palmer, Khalil Shakir, Curtis Samuel, Tyrell Shavers, Elijah Moore
The wide receiver room outside of the top three with Coleman, Palmer, and Shakir, was getting a little concerning. However, the Bills may end up bringing six for depth purposes and to have more targets for Allen. The last three spots go to Curtis Samuel, Elijah Moore, and Tyrell Shavers who has more than earned a spot on this roster, and most Bills fans will agree.
TE (3): Dawson Knox, Dalton Kincaid, Jackson Hawes
The tight end room doesn’t change much. While Zach Davidson could have a chance to make it, Jackson Hawes was just drafted by this regime and is a solid blocker upfront. Hawes joins Knox and Kincaid on the roster.
OL (9): Dion Dawkins, David Edwards, Connor McGovern, O'Cyrus Torrence, Spencer Brown, Alec Anderson, Tylan Grable, Chase Lundt, Sedrick Van-Pran Granger
The Bills return their five starters from a year ago, with a little bit of a different depth behind them. Sixth-round Chase Lundt makes it onto the roster while Tylan Grable will back up the tackles. Of course, Alec Anderson is on the roster and it wasn’t even a question.
DE (5): Joey Bosa, Greg Rousseau, Landon Jackson, A.J. Epenesa, Javon Solomon, Michael Hoecht (suspended)
We’ve heard how the pass rush for the Bills has been dominant this summer, so now we will finally get to see it in a live game. With Michael Hoecht being suspended for the first six games, Javon Solomon will have the chance to prove his worth as he was solid last season as a rookie.
DL (5): Ed Oliver, DaQuan Jones, T.J. Sanders, Deone Walker, Larry Ogunjobi (suspended), DeWayne Carter
If Larry Ogunjobi wasn’t suspended, I would say that DeWayne Carter could have been in major roster trouble. However, he makes it onto the roster going into his second season and then you have the obvious locks in the first four.
LB (4): Matt Milano, Terrel Bernard, Dorian Williams, Joe Andreessen
The story of “Buffalo Joe” continues on as Joe Andreessen makes it onto the final roster for a second straight year, beating out Shaq Thompson. Then you have your locks with Milano, Bernard, and Dorian Williams.
CB (8): Christian Benford, Taron Johnson, Max Hairston (injured), Tre'Davious White (injured), Dane Jackson, Jordan Hancock, Dorian Strong, Ja'Marcus Ingram
The Bills are facing some injuries at corner, including Max Hairston and Tre’Davious White. It would not be surprising at all to see the Bills carry on a lot of cornerbacks for Week 1. It also won’t be surprising to see a lot of play from guys like Dane Jackson and Ja’Marcus Ingram in the first couple of weeks of the season.
S (4): Taylor Rapp, Cole Bishop, Damar Hamlin, Cam Lewis
The biggest position of concern has been safety and going into the regular season, I have the Bills bringing four safeties, but having Darrick Forrest missing out on the roster.
ST (3): Tyler Bass, Brad Robbins, Reid Ferguson
Tyler Bass will have to prove that he can be consistent, which is something he hasn’t been able to do the last two seasons. Brad Robbins seemed to have won the punter competition even before the summer, but the coaching staff still had to see what he can do. As for Reid Ferguson, there’s not much to say.