On Tuesday, the Buffalo Bills made their final decisions to get their roster down to 53 players before the NFL’s 4 p.m. deadline.
The first look reveals several surprises. The Bills released rookie cornerback Daequan Hardy, who seemed poised to win the kick and punt returner jobs after running with the first team for training camp and the preseason. Bills general manager Brandon Beane opted instead to trade for defensive back Brandon Codrington from the New York Jets.
Among the slew of cuts were Hardy, receivers K.J. Hamler and training camp darling Tyrell Shavers, tight end Zach Davidson, guard/tackle La’el Collins, pass rusher Kingsley Jonathan, and veteran safety Kareem Jackson.
The Bills kept rookie linebacker Joe Andreessen, who took the Western New York football community by storm with his breakout preseason performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Buffalo also kept veteran pass rusher Casey Toohill over Kingsley Jonathan, who has been with the team for the past two seasons.
Here is a complete list of cuts and the first look at the Bills’ initial 53-man roster.
CUTS:
QB: Ben DiNucci, Anthony Brown
RB: Frank Gore Jr.
WR: K.J. Hamler, Tyrell Shavers, Andy Isabella, Justin Shorter, Deon Cain, Xavier Johnson, Damiere Byrd
TE: Zach Davidson, Tre’ McKitty
OL: Richard Gouraige, La’el Collins, Will Clapp, Gunner Britton, Keaton Bills, Mike Edwards, Kevin Jarvis
DL: Kingsley Jonathan, Kameron Cline, DeShawn Williams, Eli Ankou, Gable Steveson, Branson Deen, Rondell Bothroyd
LB: Deion Jones, Shayne Simon
DB: Daequan Hardy, Te’Cory Couch, Keni-H Lovely, Kareem Jackson, Kendall Williamson, Kyron Brown
INITIAL 53-MAN ROSTER:
QB: Josh Allen, Mitch Trubisky (2)
RB: James Cook, Ray Davis, Ty Johnson, Reggie Gilliam (4)
WR: Khalil Shakir, Curtis Samuel, Keon Coleman, Mack Hollins, Marquez Valdes-Scantling (5)
TE: Dalton Kincaid, Dawson Knox, Quintin Morris (3)
OL: Dion Dawkins, Spencer Brown, Connor McGovern, David Edwards, O’Cyrus Torrence, Alec Anderson, Ryan Van Demark, Sedrick Van Pran Granger, Tylan Grable (9)
DL: Von Miller, Greg Rousseau, A.J. Epenesa, Dawuane Smoot, Javon Soloman, Casey Toohill, Ed Oliver, DaQuan Jones, DeWayne Carter, Austin Johnson (10)
LB: Terrel Bernard, Dorian Williams, Nicholas Morrow, Edefuan Ulofoshio, Baylon Spector, Joe Andreessen (6)
DB: Rasul Douglas, Christian Benford, Kaiir Elam, Ja’Marcus Ingram, Taron Johnson, Brandon Codrington, Taylor Rapp, Damar Hamlin, Cam Lewis, Cole Bishop, Mike Edwards (11)
ST: Reid Ferguson, Tyler Bass, Sam Martin (3)
Injured Reserve: Matt Milano, Darrynton Evans, Travis Clayton, Terrell Burgess, Dee Delaney
Milano and Evans have been placed on injured reserve and designated to return.
Bills sign former Jets, Dolphins QB to practice squad with Mitch Trubisky’s status unclear
Mike White’s journey through the AFC East is going to continue.
The former New York Jets and Miami Dolphins quarterback will be joining the Buffalo Bills’ practice squad according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. White, 29, visited the Bills on Tuesday. Mitch Trubisky, currently the Bills’ No. 2 quarterback, is dealing with a knee injury. If Trubisky cannot serve as the No. 2 QB early this season, Buffalo could elevate White from their practice squad to serve as Josh Allen’s backup quarterback. The veteran quarterback, formerly a fifth-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys in the 2018 NFL Draft, After spending one season in Dallas, White joined the New York Jets’ practice squad. He would remain with New York through 2022 and play in eight games (7 starts) between 2021-2022.
White quickly became a fan favorite in New York after replacing an injured Zach Wilson in Week 7 of the 2021 season. He would go on to complete 62.5 percent of his passes for 202 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. White would start the following week against the Cincinnati Bengals and complete 37-of-45 passes for 405 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions in a 34-31 upset win over the Cincinnati Bengals. White’s magical run would end two weeks later against the Bills in a 45-17 blowout loss. The quarterback threw four interceptions in the loss.
The following season, White would get another opportunity to start for the Jets. Much like in 2021, White started off hot with an impressive performance agains the Jets. White would complete 22-of-28 passes for 315 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions in the team’s 31-10 win over the Chicago Bears. He would throw for 369 yards the following week in the Jets’ 27-22 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Much like the season before, White’s time as a starter came to an end against a matchup against Buffalo. Bills linebacker hit the quarterback so hard that White suffered a rib injury that resulted in the Jets sending White to the hospital. Buffalo would win the game 20-12. He would go on to start one more game for the Jets in Week 16, a 23-6 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
White would sign a two-year deal with the Miami Dolphins in 2023. He appeared in mop-up duty a few times last season, but did not play much behind Tua Tagovailoa. White was recently released by the Dolphins after Skylar Thompson was named the backup to Tagovailoa.
After two hot starts that ended with losses to the Bills, White may be going with the “if you can’t beat them, join them” mantra by joining the team’s practice squad.
