Back in 2020, Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane got creative with his final cuts when he said goodbye to Dean Marlowe and Andre Roberts.
The trusted veterans didn’t go very far — maybe only getting to the parking lot before finding their way back on the roster the next day. The Bills cleared the space by moving Isaiah Hodgins and Jon Feliciano to injured reserve to start the season.
Expect Beane to use a similar method on Tuesday when he whittles down the Bills roster to 53 players. But who will be the vested veterans that make the most sense when deploying those roster gymnastics?
Here’s our final attempt to predict how the Bills’ roster will shake out and the reasoning behind all the moves and decisions. Make sure you text us at 716-528-6727 to let us know how you think things will shake out. We’ll even critique your 53-man projection if you got one.
QB: Josh Allen (1)
Cut: Kyle Allen, Matt Barkley
It’s been a disappointing summer for Kyle Allen but he won’t be a free agent for very long. The Bills have a few players banged up that might be headed to injured reserve on Wednesday. Allen is the first to wait in the parking lot until the Bills can make the necessary moves to open up space to sign him back. Allen has spent the summer learning the Bills offense. He’s not the best backup quarterback in the league but whoever that quarterback is still isn’t a starting QB. Kyle Allen is friends with Josh Allen and makes sense to keep the vibes up in the QB room.
RB: James Cook, Damien Harris, Latavius Murray, Reggie Gilliam (4)
Cut: Darrynton Evans, Jordan Mims, Ty Johnson
Evans had the highlight of the preseason for the Bills in the finale against the Chicago Bears when he broke a 35-yard run for a touchdown. He broke about a half dozen tackles on his way to the score and made a perfect final impression. The problem for him is that he’s at best the no. 4 back on the roster and he didn’t do enough on special teams in the return game to warrant a roster spot. Any of the three released backs could be brought back to the practice squad.
WR: Stefon Diggs, Gabe Davis, Deonte Harty, Trent Sherfield, Justin Shorter, Khalil Shakir (6)
Cut: Andy Isabella, Dezmon Patmon, KeeSean Johnson, Isaiah Coulter, Tyrell Shavers, Marcell Aleman, Bryan Thompson
Plenty of Bills fans are thinking that Shakir is in danger of making the roster but I think he’s a player the Bills still view as an ascending/developing talent. He can play all three spots in the offense and has some special teams value. Shakir is dealing with sore ribs and could be placed on injured reserve after final cuts depending on how serious the injury is and how many vested veterans the Bills put on a brief hiatus.
Isabella made enough plays on offense in limited opportunities that could make him a surprise keep for Buffalo. If they cut him, he’ll likely sign pretty quickly with another team unless the Bills have other plans and he wants to stay in Buffalo. The way the roster is shaking out, there just isn’t enough room for the Bills to keep him and he’s a bit redundant with Deonte Harty expected to have a decent role on offense.
TE: Dawson Knox, Dalton Kincaid, Quintin Morris (3)
Cut: Jace Sternberger, Joel Wilson
Morris had a sensational touchdown in the preseason finale but he’d likely be on the roster bubble if not for the team’s need for depth at the position. He was the best of the rest behind Knox and Kincaid and will likely be a gameday inactive unless one of the Bills’ top two tight ends gets injured.
OL: Dion Dawkins, Spencer Brown, Ryan Van Demark, David Quessenberry, Mitch Morse, Connor McGovern, O’Cyrus Torrence, David Edwards, Ryan Bates (9)
Cut: Alec Anderson, Ike Boettger, Greg Mancz, Nick Broeker, Kevin Jarvis, Richard Gouraige, Garrett McGhin
McGovern is dealing with a knee injury and there’s no established timetable for him to return. He makes a strong candidate to head to IR after final cuts, especially with all of the depth the Bills have at guard. If/when that happens, expect the Bills to bring Kyle Allen back to the active roster. He’s friends with Josh Allen and he’s spent the summer getting up to speed on the Bills’ scheme.
Anderson could be a sneaky keep if Beane can find a spot for him and keep 10 offensive linemen. His versatility is what will get him on the initial 53 if he makes the cut but I couldn’t find an extra spot. He is like Bates in that he can play all five positions and even sub at center in a pinch. Buffalo will try to get Anderson back to the practice squad if they can’t keep him.
Van Demark is likely set to be the team’s swing tackle after a strong preseason. Quessenberry could be in jeopardy after the cut deadline if the Bills like somebody else that is released or waived by another team.
DL: Greg Rousseau, Leonard Floyd, Boogie Basham, A.J. Epenesa, Ed Oliver, Kingsley Jonathan, DaQuan Jones, Tim Settle, Jordan Phillips, Poona Ford (10)
Cut: Shaq Lawson, Kendal Vickers, Kameron Cline, Eli Ankou, Cortez Broughton, D.J. Dale
PUP: Von Miller
Miller hasn’t practiced yet this summer in any team capacity, which makes me hesitant to think he’ll be ready to play in a game in a few weeks. Considering his age and the need for him to be healthy down the stretch, the smart move is to put him on Reserve/PUP to start and bring him back in October.
The Bills are expected to go heavy on the defensive line and could decide to chance Kingsley Jonathan on waivers if they want to keep Anderson or another offensive lineman. Instead, Beane gives himself plenty of options for Eric Washington and Sean McDermott as the Bills wait for Miller to come back off PUP.
Lawson is a sneaky-cut candidate only because he’s the type of culture guy who would probably be OK signing back to the practice squad. Jonathan will probably get claimed by somebody if the Bills cut him. Lawson could still even play against the Jets as a practice squad elevation. Don’t rule out a possible trade for Boogie Basham or A.J. Epenesa if Beane can find a buyer willing to send back some draft capital and a depth tackle.
LB: Matt Milano, Tyrel Dodson, Terrel Bernard, Dorian Williams, Tyler Matakevich, Baylon Spector (6)
Cut: A.J. Klein, Travin Howard, DaShaun White
Baylon Spector is going to be out for a few weeks with a hamstring injury that happened on Saturday against the Chicago Bears. So it’s likely that Beane has the second-year linebacker make the initial 53 and then put him on IR to start the season and bring back A.J. Klein, who is still technically in the middle linebacker competition.
Klein was on the roster for four separate teams in 2022 and remained a free agent well into April this past year. At 32 years old, Klein has value in Buffalo because of his familiarity with Sean McDermott’s defense. He’ll hang around in the parking lot and that hop back onto the roster when Spector goes on IR. Howard is a priority practice squad target who played well in spurts during the preseason.
CB: Tre’Davious White, Christian Benford, Dane Jackson, Kaiir Elam, Taron Johnson, Siran Neal (6)
Cut: Ja’Marcus Ingram, Alex Austin, Kyron Brown
Ingram is the toughest cut Beane will make because of his versatility to play on the boundary and in the slot. The problem for the second-year UDFA out of the University at Buffalo is that he’s third on the depth chart at slot cornerback behind Taron Johnson and Siran Neal, who had one of the best overall performances in the preseason for the Bills. Austin was a seventh-round pick but didn’t do enough to make the cut with one of the deepest position groups on the Buffalo roster.
S: Micah Hyde, Jordan Poyer, Taylor Rapp, Damar Hamlin, Cam Lewis (5)
Cut: Dean Marlowe, Jared Mayden, Zayne Anderson
The Bills could decide to cut Lewis, who is a vested veteran, and hope they can find a spot for him once they reshuffle the deck with whatever injuries they have this week. The problem is that Lewis is as versatile as anyone on the roster, is in the pound-for-pound elite tier toughness conversation, and can play several roles on special teams. Hamlin has played consistently throughout the season and seems to be the team’s fourth safety.
STs: Tyler Bass, Sam Martin, Reid Ferguson (3)
