We are two days away from the Buffalo Bills playing their final preseason game, where they will host the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Bills currently sit at 2-0 after wins against the Panthers and Browns, but they are playing extremely well in those games. Both wins have come by double digits and the backups are not making the roster decisions easy for the coaching staff.
However, despite players shining and putting on some good performances, not everyone will be a member of the final 53-man roster. It’s just the nature of the business.
With the Bills having a new look with this new era that they have entered, we have already seen a great amount of changes from this past offseason. More roster changes could be coming after the preseason is wrapped up, which may include some tough business decisions that could catch Bills fans by surprise.
Putting together roster projections is never easy for coaching staffs
Each position on a team can only have so many players because there has to be enough depth across the entire roster. In the Sean McDermott era, the Bills were heavy on having a lot of secondary players. That could look very different with Joe Brady running the show.
No matter what happens with the roster cutdowns, the Bills are bound to make a move that could surprise fans, and ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg has put together a final Bills roster projection with a move that could surprise fans.
In Getzenberg's roster projection, local Buffalo native Joe Andreessen, who has been with the Bills since 2024 after signing as an undrafted free agent, was left out of Getzenberg's final projection. For the linebacker position, Getzenberg listed four linebackers that includes Terrel Bernard, Dorian Williams, Kaleb Elarms-Orr, and Keonta Jenkins.
"This position makes for one of the toughest decisions. Losing Buffalo legend Joe Andreessen is tough, and there's a good chance he ends up on the roster over Jenkins or that the Bills decide to keep five inside linebackers. This is a coin flip, but Jenkins has had played strong of late." said Getzenberg.
Joe Andreessen could be cut candidate for Bills after preseason
It truly could come down between Andreessen and Jenkins on who gets the final linebacker spot. Both of them are rotational players but can contribute on special teams, so this Thursday’s final preseason game could be the defining factor.
When Andreessen made the final 53-man roster back in 2024, it was a great story considering the fact that he isn’t just from Buffalo, but he performed well in the preseason. His standout game took place against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the preseason two years ago where he led the team with 12 total tackles, which included 2 for a loss.
At the same time, Andreessen hasn't been a starter the last two years and if he gets outshined from a special teams perspective, as well as by Jenkins in the linebacker room, then it would make sense for the Bills to move on from him.
However, the Bills have made a lot of changes this offseason so who knows what direction Buffalo will take. Andreessen does have the advantage of playing meaningful snaps throughout the last two years, but nothing is ever guaranteed. We will have to see how this plays out once the preseason is finished.
Add us as a preferred source on Google