There have been times — more than a few — over the franchise’s 61 years, that it seemed the Bills roster could have been cut to the regular-season limit on the first day of training camp with little more than a depth chart and a Sharpie.
Well, the last couple seasons, that perception has changed.
And it’s been no more true than the past few days.
Heading into Tuesday’s NFL deadline for reducing squads to the mandated 53 players, general manager Brandon Beane and coach Sean McDermott had already been proactive, trading defensive end and special teams stalwart Darryl Johnson to Carolina for a sixth-round draft pick and waiving wide receiver/kick returner Brandon Powell, running back Kerrith Whyte and cornerback Tim Harris.
But that still left Buffalo with 77 players — running back Christian Wade has the international waiver and doesn’t count against the roster — going into cutdown day.
Of course, there’s also the option of the 16-man practice squad, but that becomes problematic for Buffalo.
Players the Bills waive with less than four years of experience must go through waivers before being signed to the practice squad. The risk is, if a team claims a player, he must be added to its 53-man roster. In Buffalo’s case, last year’s success — 13-3 in the regular season — puts it near the very bottom of the waiver order, meaning if there’s a cut player it covets, 29 other teams would have a shot at him before they could put in a claim. And, if they got him, they would still have to drop a player already on their 53-man roster.
Meanwhile, any players with under four years experience cut by Buffalo could be picked up by any league team willing to immediately put them on their active roster, precluding the Bills from signing them to the practice squad come Thursday.
SO, YESTERDAY, by 4 p.m. the Bills waived 23 players, dropping their roster to 54 as Wade still doesn’t count and could actually be a 17th practice-squadder.
Buffalo released the following: quarterbacks Jake Fromm and Davis Webb, running back Antonio Williams, wide receivers Isaiah Hodgins, Steven Simms and Tanner Gentry, tight ends Jacob Hollister, Nate Becker and Quintin Morris, guards Jack Anderson, Jamil Douglas and Bobby Hart, tackle Jordan Devey, cornerbacks Cam Lewis, Rachad Wildgoose, Olaijah Griffin and Nick McCloud, safety Josh Thomas, linebackers Joe Giles-Harris and Marquel Lee, defensive end Mike Love, defensive tackle Brandin Bryant and long-snapper Reid Ferguson.
OF THE CURRENT 53-man roster, which will undoubtedly change by Thursday, six of the eight 2021 draft choices were the only rookies to make it: defensive ends Greg Rousseau and Boogie Basham, the first- and second-rounders, tackles Scott Brown and Tommy Doyle (third and fifth) and wide receiver/kick returner Marquez Stevenson and safety Damar Hamlin, both sixth-rounders.
Only Wildhoose (sixth) and Anderson (seventh) didn’t make it, but are likely practice squad additions.
Veteran free agents who made the squad were wide receivers Emmanuel Sanders and Jake Kumerow, running back Matt Breida, quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, defensive end Efe Obada and punter Matt Haack.
And, in case you were wondering, the Bills aren’t going to go without a long-snapper or third tight end. The waivers of Ferguson and Hollister, because of their experience, can be rescinded, which is what Buffalo did last year with wide receiver/kick returner Andre Roberts, before reclaiming him.
And, rest assured, the Bills will have at least one quarterback on the practice squad, if not both Fromm and Webb when that unit is named Thursday.
(Chuck Pollock, a Times Herald senior sports columnist, can be reached at cpollock@oleantimesherald.com)
