We are a week away from the debut of the 2024 season for the Buffalo Bills. The long wait is coming to a rapid end and Bills Mafia couldn’t be more excited to watch some football. The Bills kickoff their season at home to host Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals.
Buffalo has their roster ready to go and now fans can get focused on the current players that made the final 53-man roster. The biggest headline during the final roster cuts was Buffalo native linebacker Joe Andreessen making the roster. However, not everyone on the roster was able to secure a spot.
At the end of each preseason, Brandon Beane has to make tough decisions on who to keep and who gets released. However, Beane was lucky to acquire some of those players back onto the practice squad. In recent seasons, the Bills have had practice squad players make appearances in regular season games. Whether it was just to add extra depth or injury, when practice squad players get called up to the 53-man roster, they need to take advantage of the opportunity.
There are four specific players on the practice squad that could very well see some action this year with the Bills, somehow and someway.
OL Will Clapp
When you have a franchise quarterback like Josh Allen, it is crucial to protect him at all costs upfront. While the Bills have their offensive linemen heading into the season, having Will Clapp on the practice squad is a steal because he has valuable starting experience. It was surprising that the Bills managed to keep him.
Buffalo has all of the confidence in Connor McGovern and rookie Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, but Clapp is a great insurance player should something happen to the interior part of the offensive line.
WR Tyrell Shavers
There was a lot of hype going into the preseason with Tyrell Shavers, who received a lot of recognition and respect from players and coaches. At one point, he was making his case for pushing himself onto the roster instead of guys like Chase Claypool and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. However, an uneventful preseason downed Shavers’ chances at securing a roster spot.
In all fairness to Shavers, when the quarterback play is rough, receivers can’t do much. Even though Shavers won’t see the field immediately for the Bills, there is a high chance that he could get called up if this new Bills’ wide receiver room doesn’t pan out the way the coaching staff is expecting.
CB Daequan Hardy
It was a bit of a shock when Daequan Hardy was released by the Bills during roster cuts. He was drafted by Buffalo this year and had experience on special teams that put him in the running to return punts and kickoffs. Not to mention, the Bills like to go heavy in the secondary so Hardy must have not done as much as others during training camp and preseason.
The advantage that Hardy has is that he was drafted by this regime and they believe in development. Hardy actually has the best chance to see more action than usual this year.
RB Frank Gore Jr.
The fan favorite was the most highly rated running back throughout the preseason according to Pro Football Focus. The Bills signed Frank Gore Jr. as an undrafted free agent after the draft. Gore Jr. had flashes of greatness throughout the preseason, but because the running back room is crowded with James Cook, Ty Johnson, and Ray Davis, Gore Jr. was the odd man out. At the same time, if an injury does pop up for the Bills’ running back room, Gore Jr. may have the opportunity to get called up and even get a couple of carries himself.