Peters' future directly impacts RT Chambers (Photo Source)

It's cut-down day in the NFL, and as such, the Buffalo Bills will be releasing 22 players (or more, if there's anyone worthwhile on waivers) in an effort to get down to the NFL-mandated 53-man limit by 6:00 PM EST today.  The cut-downs mark the final pre-season event; once the cuts are made, all attention turns to the Seattle Seahawks.

With the Bills' releases not expected to be announced until later on this afternoon (we likely won't know about them until after 6PM), let's speculate as to who the most nervous Buffalo Bills players are today.  These guys, in nearly every case, are toeing the line between being able to make an impact and being unemployed.

RB Xavier Omon: It's fairly safe to assume that the rookie sixth-round pick out of Division II NW Missouri State has passed Dwayne Wright on the depth chart, thanks in large part to Wright's infuriating tendency to fumble the ball once per game.  It's rare, however, that a player is simply handed a roster spot by default, and there are sure to be some interesting names to be kicking around the waiver wire today at running back.  If anyone piques the interest of the Bills, Omon might see the roster spot Wright tried to hand to him given to someone else.  If that happens, Omon is a virtual lock for the practice squad, but you can bet Omon's not sitting easy today.

WR Steve Johnson: The rookie out of Kentucky made an excellent last-gasp stab at making the roster on Thursday night - catching 8 passes for 74 yards in the pre-season finale - and it may have worked.  However, injury issues at other positions (specifically tight end) may make it difficult for the Bills to find a spot for Johnson on the final roster.  You can bet the Bills are nervous about this kid, too; if it turns out they're going to gamble to try to stash him on the practice squad, there are surely going to be some interested teams out there eyeing Johnson.

TE Courtney Anderson: The Bills employ five tight ends, and two of them - Derek Schouman and rookie Derek Fine - likely won't be ready for the regular season opener.  That means good things for the veteran Anderson, right?  Maybe not.  Tim Massaquoi is a favorite of special teams coach Bobby April, Robert Royal is a lock, and the Bills are likely to keep one of the Dereks, if not both.  Anderson's upside is the lowest of any of the Bills' tight ends, and his special teams skills aren't thrilling.  Even with the injuries, Anderson could be a goner.

OT Kirk Chambers: No, Chambers isn't getting cut.  Not even close.  But if the rumors that Jason Peters could report to Orchard Park on Monday are true - and I think an "I'll believe it when I see it" approach is prudent for such speculation - then Chambers' starting job won't be his for much longer.  That said, Chambers has grown on me.  He's not a horrible player, has the ability to play both sides (though not well on the left), and he won't make a stink if Peters returns.  Dare I say that Chambers has put the Bills in a good situation at tackle?  Still, there's nothing like job security in the NFL, and Chambers doesn't have much of it.

LB Donnie Spragan: Signed after the season-ending injury to rookie LB Alvin Bowen, Spragan has watched players like rookie Marcus Buggs and converted safety Jon Corto get more playing time at his spot, and another linebacker (Blake Costanzo) currently has an edge over him on special teams.  Add in the fact that the Bills have superb depth in the defensive backfield, and Spragan's stint as a Buffalo Bill might just end today.

CB Will James: I believe it likely that the Bills keep six cornerbacks, and if that happens, James stays.  But if the Bills have to trim their CB depth to five (and again, that's probably not likely), it's James that is the corner most likely to go.  The starters aren't going.  The two rookies (Leodis McKelvin and Reggie Corner) aren't going.  Ashton Youboty has been arguably the team's best defender this pre-season, while James has been solid yet highly unspectacular.  If a corner's going, it's James, and while my gut says he stays, you can bet his gut isn't sitting easy right now.

Stay tuned to Buffalo Rumblings throughout the day, as we'll have the list of cuts and some immediate analysis up as soon as we get wind of it.  Let's get this over with, Buffalo - it's time to play real football.

  Has Ashton Youboty outjumped the competition? (Photo Source)

As the pre-season begins to wind down, some of the Buffalo Bills' fringe players have one game left to show their stuff.  So the question becomes: what spots on the roster are most up for grabs and who's fighting for these final spots?  Besides the positions that have been discussed previously (Backup TE, Backup LT, Starting CB, Returners, Starting DT), there are some strong battles being waged between players of different positions fighting to make the final roster.

How many spots are available?
To start off, I'd like to point out the positions I feel we are comfortable enough to say who and how many players will make it.  I left a few positions up for grabs as one of those guys is likely to grab the final spot.

QB: 2 (Edwards, Losman)

RB: 3 (Lynch, Jackson, Omon(or Wright I suppose))

FB: 1 (Barnes)

TE: 3 (Royal, Fine, Schouman)

WR: 5 (Evans, Reed, Parrish, Hardy, Jenkins)

OL: 9 (Peters, Dockery, Fowler, Butler, Walker, Chambers, Whittle, Preston, Bell)

DE: 4 (Schobel, Kelsay, Denney, Ellis)

DT: 4 (Stroud, Williams, McCargo, Johnson)

LB: 6 (Posluzny, Mitchell, Crowell, DiGiorgio, Ellison, Spragan for now)

CB: 5 (McGee, Greer, McKelvin, Corner, Youboty/James)

S: 5 (Whitner, Scott, Simpson, Wilson, Wendling)

ST: 3 (Moorman, Lindell, Neill)

That gives us a rough total of 50 roster spots that should be pretty set at this point, at least numbers wise.  Again, the battle for the 5^th WR, backup C and 5^th CB are all debatable by many, but we will definitely be keeping someone for those spots.  That leaves us with roughly 3 open spots to be filled by any number of individuals from various positions: 3^rd QB, 4^th RB, 4^th TE, 6^th WR, 10^th OL, 9^th DL, 7^th LB or 6^th CB.  There should be some heated competition for these final roster spots and it should come down to a number of deciding factors, which we'll discuss after the jump.

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LB Crowell returns to practice (Photo Source)

After nine days of practices, the Buffalo Bills had Sunday off and returned to the practice field yesterday afternoon for their eleventh day of training camp.  While OT Jason Peters continued his holdout, the Bills did get some good news in the form of veteran LB Angelo Crowell returning to the field of play.  Crowell missed the majority of last week's practices with a left knee injury.

Joining Crowell on the field were newly signed LB Donnie Spragan as well as UDFA rookie WR C.J. Hawthorne, a Hawaii product that the Bills added yesterday.  Hawthorne takes the roster spot of one Jason Peters, and was signed to reduce the number of reps that Buffalo's depleted receiving corps was taking.

Strong safety Donte Whitner missed practice with an ankle injury that required an MRI, but the injury is not considered serious.  WR Josh Reed was also held out of practice Monday as the team looked to reduce his work load and rest his surgically repaired lower back; he's not expected to miss much action either.  DE Copeland Bryan (hamstring) and CB Will James (groin) also missed practice Monday.  WR James Hardy (hamstring) participated on a limited basis in individual drills.

Parrish Stepping Up in Reed's Absence
Not surprisingly, Roscoe Parrish - the other veteran wideout on the team not named Lee Evans - saw an increased workload with Reed on the sidelines.  Buffalo's diminutive return star was making some plays in the receiving game, always a nice thing to hear; he was also, however, showing that he can be physical despite his small frame:

After taking a hard hit from Jabari Greer on a short out route to the sideline that left him on the ground for a minute, Parrish came back with some of his own hitting as he cracked Ashton Youboty on a run play.

Donte Whitner shouted from the sidelines, "I see that Roscoe. You want to hit like that?"

To which Parrish responded, "I'll hit like that all day!"

Parrish isn't the only one with the bug; thing seem to have become a bit more physical as the team gears up for its first pre-season game of the year, this coming Saturday in Washington.  Justin Jenkins also received some first-team reps at wideout in Reed's absence.

Cornerback Competition Update
With Will James sidelined with his groin injury, we've gotten a pretty good look at exactly how Buffalo's depth chart currently shakes out at cornerback.  James - currently the first team nickel back on the depth chart - has been replaced at that position by rookie fourth-round pick Reggie Corner (with Terrence McGee and Jabari Greer holding down the starting slots, as usual).  Ashton Youboty and Leodis McKelvin have manned the outside slots for the second unit.  McKelvin has been taking reps at the nickel spot for both units as well.

Clearly, the Bills are mixing and matching their personnel inside for now to see which players fit best at which positions.  What may be most surprising, however, is the fact that Reggie Corner's role seems to be solidified, while McKelvin's has not.  It seems, for now, that the Bills are working on ways to get their first-round pick onto the field, because at this point, it seems pretty obvious that he won't start right away.

Who's Making Plays
Crowell looked good in his return to the lineup, making several plays in the passing game.  Parrish routinely beat defenders running routes, and has proven to be quite as difficult to cover as Lee Evans has in man coverage.  CB Jabari Greer blocked a field goal yesterday.  Buffalo Rumblings' second-favorite linebacker, Jon Banks, tipped a pass that was intercepted by safety Jon Corto.

You have to love hearing this, as well.  Looking forward to big things from #23 this year.

Marshawn Lynch ran under a reception deep down the far sideline for a big gain.

The Bills will hit the practice field for another night practice today, which runs from 7PM until just after 9.  We'll discuss the developments from tonight's practice tomorrow morning.

Jauron gives his players Sunday off (Photo Source)

The Buffalo Bills held a morning practice on Saturday, and the big news of the day was that the team agreed to a deal with veteran LB Donnie Spragan.  A player that the team worked out this past May, Spragan is a 32-year old veteran that has been a steady performer for the Broncos and Dolphins.  His signing came in the wake of rookie Alvin Bowen's season-ending knee injury.  Spragan is expected to compete for a reserve role at weak side linebacker and on special teams.

Missing Saturday's workout were QB J.P. Losman (re-aggravated thumb), WR James Hardy (hamstring), and CB Will James (groin).  DE Copeland Bryan left practice early with an apparent hamstring injury.

Practice Getting Boring
Much of the fanfare and interest that surrounded the first week's practice sessions seems to have died down a bit.  With the first pre-season game of the season coming up this coming Saturday at Washington, fans seem more anxious to see this team on the field than to hear about the goings-on on the practice field.  We're not alone, folks; the players are anxious to do the real thing as well:

"It felt really good to let that out and cross that line a little bit," said safety John Wendling. "But it's still your own teammates, so we're looking forward to seeing someone different across the ball and being able to just go at it with them. So we're looking forward to the preseason."

Red Zone Still Getting Emphasized
The Bills continued their focus on red zone work yesterday with another strong session in the red area.  It's becoming very apparent that Bills coaches are very focused on scoring more points this season - quite the novel idea if you're playing in the NFL.

Trent Edwards fared well in the red zone yesterday targeting his two favorite weapons down close (at least until James Hardy gets in more work): Lee Evans and Derek Schouman.

Lee Evans made a nice fingertip grab on a low throw from Trent Edwards near the sideline. He also pulled in a well-thrown ball from Edwards on a fade pass to the end zone for a touchdown.

Perhaps the best executed play came during red zone work when Edwards effectively used a play action fake to get the defense to bite and quickly hit Derek Schouman over the middle for a touchdown.

Defense Makes Some Plays, Too
Buffalo's offense played better than it has of late, but the defense made some plays of their own as well.  Leading the charge was my personal favorite player, LB John DiGiorgio, with a nice interception...

During 7-on-7 John DiGiorgio made the defensive play of the day as he stepped in front of a Gibran Hamdan pass for his first interception of camp.

(I'm not sure that "first interception of camp" is factually accurate, Mr. Brown.  I distinctly remember DiGiorgio picking off a tipped pass by Will James on the second day of camp.)

Cornerback Ashton Youboty - who did not receive as many additional reps as expected with CB James on the sideline - made a nice pass break-up in the end zone as well.

Steve Johnson almost made an outstanding leaping touchdown catch over Ashton Youboty, but Youboty was able to break up the play as the two players came back down to the turf.

The Bills have the day off Sunday and return to the practice field Monday for a 2:15PM practice.

The Bills added veteran LB Donnie Spragan Saturday morning to bolster depth at LB following the loss of Alvin Bowen.  Spragan, a 7 year vet, has good size (6'3", 242 lbs) and provides solid special teams ability, along with experience defensively.

Dick Jauron made it pretty clear that fifth-round pick Alvin Bowen was likely lost for the season after suffering what appeared to be a severe knee injury in practice Friday afternoon. Buffalo decided to fill the void quickly signing veteran free agent linebacker Donnie Spragan Saturday.

Spragan arrived at the St. John Fisher campus shortly after 9 am and signed his contract less than an hour later.

DiGiorgio getting looks at WLB (Photo Source)

Day eight of 2008 Buffalo Bills training camp is in the books, and with it came the team's first major injury of the season.  Rookie linebacker Alvin Bowen, a fifth-round pick out of Iowa State this past April, suffered a severe knee injury in Friday's practice and is likely lost for the season.  As a result of Bowen's injury, the Bills were forced to sign veteran free agent Donnie Spragan, who is expected to be a reserve outside linebacker and special teams player this season.

With Angelo Crowell sitting out of practice and Kawika Mitchell limited as part of a rest regimen for select veterans, backup middle linebacker John DiGiorgio worked with the first team at Mitchell's weak side spot.  Keith Ellison continued to take first team reps at Crowell's strong side spot.

DiGiorgio's case is interesting.  He played weak side in one game last season - a 26-3 loss at Pittsburgh in Week 2 - and held his own in an underrated effort by Buffalo's defense that day.  It's becoming clear that he's a much more valuable reserve in Buffalo's linebacking corps than originally anticipated; it will be interesting to see if he gets any reps on the outside during pre-season action.

Losman Lighting Up Second Team Defense
Trent Edwards' play with the first unit offense has been streaky at best, but veteran backup J.P. Losman has been making plays against Buffalo's second-unit defense.  He continued that trend yesterday with a few more touchdown tosses.

Early in 7-on-7 Roscoe Parrish pulled in a long ball down the near sideline from J.P. Losman for a 50-yard gain.

Robert Royal scored for the second straight day pulling in a touchdown pass from J.P. Losman on a post pattern.

Question for y'all to ponder: if Edwards struggles early (not a huge stretch) and Losman has a killer pre-season, how long before the QB controversy resurfaces in the media?

An Opening for Youboty?
If one thing was proven last season, there's never a lack of opportunities for young players to make an impression - especially when veterans are dropping like flies.  Jabari Greer was the main beneficiary last season at cornerback.  And with Will James going down with a groin injury during yesterday's practice, Ashton Youboty's reps increased.

It's still unclear whether or not James will be able to practice Saturday, but the longer he's out, the better the opportunity for Youboty to state his case for remaining in Buffalo for a third season.  The third-year veteran is on the roster bubble just two years after being the team's third-round draft pick.

Youngsters Getting Reps
With veterans like Mitchell, Marcus Stroud, Aaron Schobel and Chris Kelsay getting a reduced work load Friday, several young players saw increased reps with the first team.  At defensive end, Copeland Bryan and Chris Ellis both played end with the first team.  John McCargo filled in for Stroud next to Kyle Williams with the first team, and Spencer Johnson saw some time there as well.

Rookie tight end Derek Fine has also seen some reps with the first team offense of late as the second tight end.  It appears that the Bills are experimenting with Fine in a blocking and short-area receiving role with the ones, and the rookie has held his own to this point.  That is very likely bad news for veteran tight ends Courtney Anderson and Tim Massaquoi.

The Bills are in the midst of their Saturday practice at the time of this posting, practicing today from 10:10AM to 12:20PM.  They players get Sunday off to recuperate.