Quarterbacks
Josh Allen
Matt Barkley
Jake Fromm
Cut
Davis Webb
Breakdown:
No one knows how Covid will affect this season and the last place you want to be lacking is Quarterback. It will be more important than ever to have plenty of QBs in the building that know the system and can run the offense on a moment’s notice. With the expanded practice Davis Webb will most likely be kept around as well for emergencies.
Running backs
Devin Singletary
Zack Moss
TJ Yeldon
Taiwan Jones
Cuts
Antonio Williams
Christan Wade
Breakdown
Pretty open and shut. Bills have Singletary and Moss locked in for cheap and should make a challenging 1-2 combo to defensive coordinators to plan against. Yeldon provides important depth and Jones will take Senorise Perry’s role on special teams. Wade has one more year as a practice squad expectation so plan on him being kept in that some position.
Fullback
Patrick DiMarco
Cut
Reggie Gilliams
Breakdown:
I really like the idea of Reggie Gilliams as the long term fullback of this team. He probably isn’t ready to be a starter yet. With one year left on DiMarco’s contract, and the 16 player practice squad Gilliams, will get to sit a year behind vetren DiMarco and be ready to be the starter in 2021.
Wide Receivers
Stefon Diggs
John Brown
Cole Beasly
Gabe Davis
Isaiah Hodges
Isaiah McKenzie
Andre Robert
Cuts
Robert Foster
Duke Williams
Breakdown
What a position group at the top. McDermott has generally gone with six wide receivers, so seven may be a stretch. But Isaiah McKenzie and Andre Robert both provide unique and important skills to the offense and special teams, respectively so the Bills may not want to lose either one. With the changes in practice squad this season there is a chance that Davis or Hodges could be left off the week one, 53 man roster, only to be brought back up later.
Tight Ends
Dawson Knox
Tyler Kroft
Lee Smith
Cuts
Jason Croom
Tommey Sweeney
Nate Becker
Breakdown
I wasn’t impressed with what I saw out of Sweeney last year. It will be more valuable to the Bills offense to have a stout, veteren, blocking tight end, like Lee Smith, as opposed to stone handed Tommey Sweeney. Coming into the year healthy, look for Tyler Kroft to have a bigger impact on game day.
Offensive Line
Mitch Morse
Quinton Spain
Dion Dawkins
Ty Nsekhe
Cody Ford
Brian Winters
Joe Feliciano
Daryl Williams
Evan Boehm
Cuts
Trey Adams
Victor Salako
Ryan Bates
Ike Boettger
Brandon Walton
Marquell Harrell
Breakdown:
If the Bills put Feliciano on the Injured reserve, designated for return, Ryan Bates or Ike Boettger likely become candidates to fill the spot. The drop off in this group is steep after Winters, Williams, and Boehm so keeping an extra man doesn’t add much, depth wise. It will be interesting to see if Winters can play well enough to keep the starting guard job once Feliciano is healthy. I would love to see them hide Trey Adams on practice squad and see where here is after a year in their health facilities.
Defensive Line
Jerry Hughes
Mario Addison
AJ Epenesa
Quinton Jefferson
Ed Oliver
Darryl Johnson
Harrison Phillips
Vernon Butler
Vincent Taylor
Cuts
Trent Murphy
Mike Love
Niles Scott
Byran Cox Jr
Justin Zimmer
Tanzel Smart
Breakdown
All offseason I have been arguing that the seven million dollars saved doesn’t justify cutting Murphy. With Star’s money getting pushed down the road, and the contracts coming up in the next year or two, cutting him seems unavoidable. The only way he stays is if both Epenesa and Johnson lay an egg in camp and Bills aren’t comfortable with the depth. Vincent Taylor’s strong play down the stretch is enough to earn him the spot as last lineman.
Linebacker
Tremaine Edmunds
Matt Milano
AJ Klein
Vosean Joseph
Tyler Matakevich
Cuts:
Corey Thompson
Tyrel Dobson
Del’Shawn Phillips
Breakdown
There is an argument that Dobson could get the roster spot over Joseph based on how he played last preseason, but I believe Joseph, who is now healthy, will outperform him in training camp. I even think Joseph can steal some starting snaps from Klein during the season. Dobson is an attractive candidate for the practice squad.
Cornerback
Tre’Davious White
Josh Norman
Levi Wallace
Siran Neal
Taron Johnson
Cuts
Dane Jackson
Ike Brown
Cam Lewis
Breakdown
With the way Johnson gets hurt, expect Neal to see more time in the nickel slot or even “big nickel.” Dane Jackson is probably too raw a player to crack a spot in the defensive backfield but will definitely stick around on the practice squad.
Safety
Micah Hyde
Jordan Poyer
Dean Marlowe
Jaquan Johnson
Cuts
Josh Thomas
Breakdown
I think it is almost as equally likely that the Bills keep Dane Jackson and drop Marlowe since Neal can also play safety. But McDermott has liked keeping Marlowe around this long so it may be hard to pry him off this roster. With the upside Johnson showed last season there is no real spot for Josh Thomas.
Specialist
Tyler Bass
Corey Bojoquez
Reid Ferguson
Cut
Kaare Vedvick
Stephen Haucshka
Breakdown
You don’t draft a kicker if you don’t want to keep the kicker, and I think that is the case with Bass. Hauchshka has not shown the consistency needed out of a NFL kicker and is probably in the descent of his career. As for punter, it is a coin flip, but I think Bojoquez is just good enough to fend off Vedvick.