The preseason officially concluded for the Buffalo Bills, finishing 1-2 with losses to the Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers, while they defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in an infamous snoozefest. Preseason is never about wins and losses, but so evaluating the talent on rosters and allowing backups to make their case as to why they deserve a spot on the final 53-man roster.
By this coming Tuesday, general manager Brandon Beane and his staff will need to make tough business decisions and have uncomfortable conversations by releasing many players from the roster. However, just because a player may not be brought onto the active roster it doesn’t mean he still won’t be part of the team. There are some players that could very well end up on the practice squad, proving that there is still value in them from the front office’s perspective.
On the other hand, just because the front office may want to bring players back to the practice squad, doesn’t mean it will always happen. We see players get cut from teams and then quickly end up on another roster because of the value that they provide. The Bills have been a team in recent memory that other teams take players from because they would be starters elsewhere outside of Buffalo.
Some current Bills players may end up on the practice squad, but not all of them are guaranteed. When Beane and his staff start to make roster decisions, they should strongly consider trading away higher-ceiling players for late round draft picks. We have seen Beane move off of players that wouldn’t make the 53-man roster and send them to another team in exchange for future draft capital.
With that, we take a look at three players that the Bills need to strongly consider trading away rather than just releasing them.
WR Justin Shorter
The Bills drafted wide receiver Justin Shorter in the fifth-round of the NFL Draft last year but we have not seen Shorter in action other than the preseason. He was placed on IR last year right before the start of the season last year and he was quiet in this preseason. Shorter doesn’t look like he will be making an immediate impact anytime soon for the Bills. Rather than keeping him on the roster, Beane might be able to acquire a 6th or 7th round pick for him rather than losing him for nothing eventually.
Standing at 6’4, Shorter has a massive frame that allows him to have an advantage over a defender. However, nothing has clicked yet for him in Buffalo. Unless Beane still wants Shorter to develop more, it should be time to move on and admit that Shorter was a miss.
RB Frank Gore Jr.
It is very unlikely that the Bills will bring four true running backs onto the active roster. They already have James Cook, Ty Johnson, and Ray Davis, who they drafted in the fourth round this year. Not to mention, Reggie Gilliam will also be brought onto the roster. Gore Jr went undrafted and eventually signed with the Bills.
Even though he had a strong outing in the Bills’ final preseason game, Bills fans should expect to not see him on the final roster. However, it is very hard to imagine Gore Jr being a free agent long enough to get a practice squad spot. The Bills should monitor every team’s running back situation and see if they could use a boost.
LB Joe Andreessen
The local Buffalo native made a name for himself this summer with the Bills. From attending Lancaster High School to playing at the University of Buffalo, Joe Andreessen is living the true underdog story. Since his dominant performance against the Steelers, Andreesseen has put himself in the conversation for atleast getting a practice squad spot in Buffalo. At the same time, his performance in the last two games may have caught the attention of other NFL teams.
With the injury to Matt Milano, the Bills are going to need all the linebacker help that they can get. Outside of Terrel Bernard and Dorian Williams, each linebacker on the roster can make a case as to why they deserve a roster spot. Due to the lack of NFL experience and not being drafted by the Bills, Andreessen is at a disadvantage.
It wouldn’t hurt for Beane to make some calls to see if there are any teams who would want to take a risk on a young prospect like Andreessen. If Beane could acquire draft capital for Andreessen, it would be a huge move.