Teams across the NFL are in one of the toughest phases of the summer with roster cuts. The Buffalo Bills finished up their final preseason game this past Saturday against the Carolina Panthers and now have until Tuesday to get their roster down to 53 players. It was a very underwhelming preseason for Buffalo. They went 1-2 and didn’t score a touchdown until the third game.
The offense was very limited with horrendous quarterback play by Mitch Trubisky and Shane Buechele in the first game, and then in the second game with a combination with Trubisky and Ben DiNucci (who was signed four days prior). On the other hand, the defense looked phenomenal against Pittsburgh and was solid against Chicago.
While the Bills struggled overall in preseason, Bills fans were able to see some shine from an undrafted player that may have done just enough to get himself a practice squad spot, if not a final 53-man spot. Linebacker Joe Andreessen, also known as “Buffalo Joe”, was signed by the Bills after having a tryout with them and has made the most with his opportunity for the Bills.
He was the star of the Buffalo defense against the Steelers with 12 total tackles (including two for a loss). Andreessen was all over the field and looked like a veteran against Pittsburgh’s starters to start out the game.
Then against the Panthers, Andreessen recorded 8 total tackles but it was mostly against Carolina’s backups. However, Andreessen may have done enough to impress the coaches to still be apart of the team in some capacity.
The Buffalo Bills releasing LB Deion Jones may have opened up a big spot for Joe Andreessen
The Bills announced on Sunday that they released seven players, which includes linebacker Deion Jones who was a top ten linebacker at one point when he was with the Panthers.
We’ve released seven players from our roster.
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) August 25, 2024
S Terrell Burgess and S Dee Delaney have been placed on IR. #BillsMafia
More details: https://t.co/12h4QdgbCQ pic.twitter.com/n1eH8pz5wD
Due to the fact that Buffalo lost Matt Milano for most of the 2024 season, it would not be surprising to see the Bills bring on more linebackers than usual to have some well-needed depth. Outside of Terrel Bernard and Dorian Williams, each linebacker has a case as to why they should be brought onto the roster.
When it comes to Andreessen, he has a true underdog story in front of his hometown. It’s not just the fact that he is from Buffalo, but he also showed off that he provides more value than most fans may have thought of. With the release of Jones taking place, fans could potentially see Andreessen suiting up for the Bills in 2024.