At the beginning of June, the Buffalo Bills are going to have some additional cap space as the release of Tre'Davious White will be finalized. While he was released back in March, the Bills designated him as a June 1st release to move around some of the dead cap associated with the move.
The fact the Bills could have some additional cap space, the front office may make a few more free agent moves. If they do, they would need to release players as the roster is currently full and these are some players that could be cut to create that room.
4 Buffalo Bills who are candidates to be cut going into the summer
Deion Jones
The Buffalo Bills recently signed Deion Jones and even though he is a former Pro Bowl linebacker, he is fighting for a roster spot this summer. The veteran has had one year stops with the Cleveland Browns and Carolina Panthers after six seasons with the Atlanta Falcons.
However, since he left the Falcons he has been primarily a backup linebacker and hasn't made the same impact during his time in Atlanta. For the Buffalo Bills, it makes sense for them to sign a player like Jones because he does have experience and they did have a lot of injuries towards the end of last season.
The challenge is they don't have many roster spots available for the position and considering they have Matt Milano, Terrel Bernard, Dorian Williams and fifth round draft pick Edefuan Ulofoshio as locks, it leaves one or two spots. This means Jones is competing with Nicholas Morrow and Baylon Spector for those.
If Jones struggles during OTAs, it wouldn't be surprising to see the Bills release the veteran considering he didn't have any guaranteed money in his one-year contract.
Kendall Williamson
One free agent that is still out there that could make a lot of sense for the Buffalo Bills is Micah Hyde. The veteran spent the past seven seasons in Buffalo and was a key part of their secondary.
However, his contract expired after the season and it would appear the Bills are waiting to see what the former Pro Bowler wants to do. Hyde has hinted at the idea of retiring but if he were to return to the NFL, he would only want it to be in Buffalo.
While Damar Hamlin appears to be on the roster bubble, he probably is one of those final cuts closer to the season. If the Bills were to create a roster spot, then Kendall Williamson would be the player released.
Williamson was a seventh round pick by the Bears last year and spent the season on the practice squad. The Bills signed him to a reserve/future contract shortly after the season but with how the position has unfolded, it makes sense that he would be cut this summer.
Darrynton Evans
Another player who signed a reserve/futures contract shortly after the end of the 2023 season was running back Darrynton Evans. At the time, the Bills didn't really know what the position would look like as James Cook was the only running back under contract for the upcoming season.
Since that time, Damien Harris retired from the NFL while Latavius Murray hasn't been re-signed. The Bills would bring back Ty Johnson on a one-year deal and the veteran has a chance to retain his role as the backup to Cook.
In addition to Johnson, the Bills would draft Ray Davis in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft and then sign undrafted free agent Frank Gore Jr. to give the team five running backs on the roster.
However, if Davis and Gore impress the coaching staff during OTAs it wouldn't be surprising if Evans was released prior to training camp as a way to give the younger running backs more reps during practice.
K.J. Hamler
The wide receiver position has gotten crowded very quickly for the Buffalo Bills with 13 wide receivers under contract. Just in the past few weeks the Bills added Keon Coleman in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft, undrafted rookies Xavier Johnson and Lawrence Keys and veterans Chase Claypool and Marquez Valdez-Scantling.
The front office has done a great job of creating competition at a position they have a lot of questions at with the departures of Stefon Diggs, Gabe Davis and even Deonte Harty this offseason. It would be fair to say that the top of the depth chart is pretty well in place with Khalil Shakir, Curtis Samuel, and Keon Coleman.
After that it is anyone's guess but one player that might be cut sooner rather than later is K.J. Hamler, who was a second round pick by the Broncos in the 2020 NFL Draft. He has dealt with his fair share of injuries and over the past three seasons has played in only 10 games, including missing the entire 2023 season.
There is certainly a chance that Hamler can stay healthy and contribute but he most likely is looking at a practice squad spot this season. The Bills may try to give him a chance to land with another team and release him sooner rather than later.