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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Whitner returns to practice, may play Thursday (Photo Source)

The Buffalo Bills held their final public practice prior to Thursday's pre-season matchup with Pittsburgh this afternoon, and the big news of the day was the fact that right guard Brad Butler was getting reps at right tackle.  This is not a permanent move; it is merely a precaution, as the Bills will very likely face Pittsburgh with three healthy tackles on the roster.  Butler practiced with the third team on the right side, and if things go well Thursday, he likely won't see much - if any - time at right tackle.

Strong safety Donte Whitner returned to practice today; his ankle is healthy and he participated in all individual and team activities.  It's still unclear as to whether he'll play Thursday night, but it looks promising that he'll at least suit up.  CB Terrence McGee also returned to practice Thursday.

Neither of Buffalo's two injured offensive tackles - Patrick Estes and Matt Murphy - are expected to play Thursday.  Missing Tuesday's practice were wideouts Josh Reed, Roscoe Parrish and Scott Mayle, tight end Tim Massaquoi, and linebackers Blake Costanzo and Marcus Buggs.

Hark! More Offense!
The Bills had yet another productive day offensively; offensive coordinator Turk Schonert reportedly installed more four-wide spread formations today, with the result that the Bills had some impressive passing plays for the second straight practice session.  James Hardy and Lee Evans were two of many beneficiaries:

Trent Edwards found James Hardy on an early 7-on-7 play for first down yardage. That was followed up by a couple of nice receptions by Lee Evans including a touchdown catch that drew cheers from the crowd.

I'll repeat what I said this morning - this type of production on the practice field remains a disappointment until it's translated to the playing field.  Hopefully, we'll see much more than we did from the offense this past Saturday.  I'm not concerned, but boy, would I like a pick-me-up.

John Wendling is Awesome
This is one of the coolest and most amusing things I've read about a Bills player in quite some time:

Leading up to the draft the Wyoming product was known by most for his YouTube video that showed him leaping over a 66-inch high bar from a standing position.

Special teams coordinator Bobby April has allowed Wendling to try leaping over the entire field goal formation including the opposing line to see if he's capable of blocking a field goal attempt.

Brownie reports that Wendling has cleared both lines on more than one occasion; while it hasn't led to a field goal block, says Brown, "at the very least it's entertaining to watch".  I'll say.  And since John Wendling is in fact so awesome, let's post that YouTube video in question for yet another view:

The Bills have a closed practice Wednesday, and Thursday they hit the field at the Rogers Centre at 7:30 PM ET for their first game in Canada.  Be sure to stop by Thursday night if you can for the Buffalo Rumblings Open Thread - we hope to have more folks join the nine of us who chatted live last weekend!

Loss of Murphy cripples depth at LT (Photo Source)

Quick Note: We're still making a valiant attempt to get everyone signed up for Buffalo Rumblings Fantasy Football.  If you haven't checked out the announcement yet and it's relevant to you, please do so ASAP!

The Buffalo Bills returned to the practice field Monday night following their pre-season opening 17-14 loss in Washington, and before the night was out had been dealt a crippling blow to their depth at offensive tackle.  With Jason Peters still MIA amidst a contract holdout, two more tackles - Matt Murphy and Patrick Estes - suffered injuries and left practice early.  The Bills finished practice with just three healthy tackles: Langston Walker, Kirk Chambers and rookie Demetrius Bell.  The seriousness of the two injuries are not yet known, but neither is likely to play in Thursday's pre-season matchup with the Steelers in Toronto.

The loss of Murphy - who performed admirably Saturday night - is especially concerning, as he was working with the second team as the left tackle.  Estes was working with the third team at the same position.  With just three healthy tackles on the roster, the team might have to experiment with players such as Jason Whittle, Robert Felton or Nevin McCaskill at tackle; they could also make a roster move soon.  Jason Peters' holdout has never looked more desperate than it does today.

In other injury news, SS Donte Whitner returned to practice, was subsequently dinged, left, and did not return - again.  It wouldn't be shocking to see him sit out Thursday's game.  LB Blake Costanzo also left early with a minor head injury.  Not participating were wideouts Josh Reed, Scott Mayle and Roscoe Parrish, tight end Tim Massaquoi and linebacker Marcus Buggs.  LB Angelo Crowell participated fully, and DE Copeland Bryan also returned.

Surprise! Offense Goes Deep
The Bills took some serious heat in the press for their incredibly vanilla offensive performance Sunday.  But hark!  Monday night was a smorgasboard of deep passes for Buffalo's offense.  Should we be surprised?

The first beneficiary of the deep passing game was rookie wideout James Hardy. On the third snap in team work Trent Edwards aired out a 50-yard bomb to Hardy on a deep post as he got between Terrence McGee and Ko Simpson, made the catch and completed the 70-yard scoring play.

Show me some of that during actual pre-season action - as well as increased playing time for Trent Edwards - and I'll get excited about this.  For now, it's merely something that sounds good from the practice setting that hasn't translated the field, a.k.a. a disappointment.

Question of the day: Is there seriously a good reason for the Bills to take Edwards and most of the first unit offense off of the field before halftime on Thursday?

The Bills practice at 1PM today, have a closed practice Wednesday, and hit the turf at the Rogers Centre for the first time Thursday.

DE Kelsay, starters not expected to play long (Photo Source)

The Buffalo Bills held their final public night practice prior to their first pre-season game of the season Thursday night, and with it came plenty of news about the team's opening game Saturday night.

Five players, including three prominent veterans, are not expected to dress for the Redskins game.  Chief among them are SS Donte Whitner (ankle), LB Angelo Crowell (knee) and WR Josh Reed (back), none of whom will make the trip to Washington as they'll stay in Rochester to get treatment.  Bryan Scott, Keith Ellison and Roscoe Parrish are expected to start, respectively, in their place.

Also not making the trip is backup DE Copeland Bryan, who is also dealing with a hamstring issue.  TE Tim Massaquoi is doubtful with a groin injury.

Rookie wideout James Hardy, after returning to practice Wednesday, will make his NFL debut in Washington.  He is not expected to start, but should see a considerable amount of playing time as the Bills look to streamline his learning curve so that he can have an immediate impact.

With the continued absence of Jason Peters, veteran Langston Walker will get the start at left tackle as the Bills continue to experiment with their best active tackle on Trent Edwards' blind side.

Don't expect to see Buffalo's starters much Saturday night.  Edwards revealed last night that starters on both sides of the ball are expected to get between 10 and 20 snaps; they are, however, expected to see much lengthier work loads in the second and third pre-season games.

On the Field
Jauron cut Thursday's practice session a bit short in anticipation of the first pre-season game, but there were, of course, still plays to be made.  Buffalo's cornerbacks reportedly made out well:

The cornerbacks were getting their hands on passes early as Terrence McGee broke up a throw from Edwards that was intended for Lee Evans in 7-on-7. Leodis McKelvin also broke up a pass play from J.P. Losman to Roscoe Parrish.

For what it's worth, both passes broken up came on telegraphed passes by Edwards and Losman.  Ko Simpson also intercepted a late deep throw from Edwards.

Buffalo's defensive line was once again disruptive, as well:

Jason Jefferson got his hands up and batted a pass attempt by Losman. On another play Kyle Williams, Marcus Stroud and Ryan Denney all got in the backfield to put pressure on Edwards who dumped the ball off to Marshawn Lynch before a sack.  John McCargo made a nice penetration move to record what would have been a tackle for loss on Xavier Omon.

The Bills have a quick closed practice Friday before traveling to Washington for the opener.  We'll have much more on the Bills' first pre-season game of the 2008 season this afternoon and tomorrow.  Football is officially back!

Schouman making off-season waves (Photo Source)

Note: As Buffalo Rumblings counts down the days until the start of the Buffalo Bills' 2008 training camp (current count: 10), we'll be breaking down some of the bigger battles we're sure to witness during summer practices as part of a comprehensive package of pre-camp topics we'll explain in more depth in the near future.  For now, let's get our Training Camp Battles series under way with a discussion of the team's tight ends.

With a second-year quarterback in Trent Edwards working to establish rapport with nearly every offensive weapon in his arsenal, Buffalo's competition to find a "receiving tight end" to be Edwards' safety valve is, quite literally, wide open.  While the names here don't elicit excitement in what should be a boring offensive philosophy (at least when it comes to the tight ends), the winner of this competition will nonetheless have an impact on how Buffalo's offense operates.  Meet those about to go to battle:

The Favorite: Courtney Anderson (89)
A veteran of four NFL seasons, Anderson spent his first three years in Oakland, where he caught 62 passes and scored 6 touchdowns.  Anderson has a unique advantage over his running mates because of his size (6'6", 270 pounds); he's a very large man that is a solid run blocker and can make plays down the field because of his height.  Proof of that lies in Anderson's career yards-per-catch average of 12.3.  By comparison, the team's starter, Robert Royal, has a career yards-per-catch average of 9.2 in five seasons (Anderson's only caught passes in three, as he bounced around the league and went reception-less in 2007).  His unique skill set gives him an advantage over Buffalo's very similar Derek duo.

The Upstart: Derek Schouman (80)
We've discussed Schouman's excellent spring at length already this off-season; a seventh-round draft pick last season out of Boise State, "Schou" is the lightest and most fluid athlete of the players vying for this position.  He's benefited from taking first-team reps during the spring thanks to an injury to Royal, but it's likely he got those reps simply because Anderson and the other Derek (Fine) weren't with the club last season.  Still, reps are reps, and chemistry is chemistry.  Therefore, Schouman's rise makes him the upstart candidate in this battle.

The Darkhorse: Derek Fine (86)
Quick - name the last Bills tight end drafted as high as Derek Fine (fourth round, pick 132).  The answer is none other than Kevin Everett in 2005.  Before Everett, the answer to that question would have been Tim Euhus; before him, Bobby Collins.  Fine appears to be a clone of Royal (known for his blocking more than his receiving), but he was brought in for a reason.  He'll certainly stick with the team as a special teams core player, but he's got an outside shot at making an impact offensively as well.

The Longshot: Tim Massaquoi (88)
Signed last season after several injuries to several Bills tight ends (including Everett, Schouman and Ryan Neufeld), Massaquoi is known as a solid specialist, and that's that.  He's a longshot to make the final roster, let alone have an impact offensively - but his competition is so mediocre on the surface, it's hard to completely discount him, either.

Predicting the Winner
Royal is hardly anything to get excited about as a receiving threat, and it's difficult to imagine any of these four players supplanting him as the team's top tight end.  There is, however, a chance that one of these players can fill the short-area role that free agent defection Michael Gaines filled last year.  I'm currently giving the edge to Anderson.  Buffalo's biggest problems lay in the red zone, and Anderson has the height to make more of an impact than his running mates in that area of the field.  He's also a good enough blocker to play as the second tight end between the twenties in Buffalo's run-oriented offensive system; that's not a claim Schouman can make.

Ultimately, my opinion is as good as all of yours'; let's hear it, folks.  Who should/will be Buffalo's backup tight end heading into the 2008 season?

Next Battle: Backup left tackle.

Can Fine, other vet additions make a difference? (Photo Source)

Prior to the 2008 NFL Draft - in fact, prior to the free agent signing period of this past March - we took a look at the Buffalo Bills' roster position by position, breaking down then-current personnel, finding holes, and building our community needs list.

Now that free agency and the Draft have been completed, and the Bills have infused their roster with new talent, it's time to repeat our process.  Where has Buffalo gotten better?  Where have they gotten worse?  How will additions impact which Bills veterans remain on the roster?  These are questions that we'll attempt to answer over the next week or so.

We continue those discussions today with an examination of Buffalo's stable of tight ends and fullbacks.  To view our previous discussions on Buffalo's TE situation (pre-off-season), bang it here.

Robert Royal: Once considered the most mediocre starter on Buffalo's offense, Royal... well... still holds that distinction, at least in my eyes.  Don't get me wrong, I think Royal is a good player to have on this team - he's a good blocker, a good guy to have on the sidelines, and a solid character guy.  But he's not a starting-caliber tight end in the NFL, and he'll hold that role in Buffalo again in 2008.

Royal is a nice short-area target for Trent Edwards but needs to become far more consistent both catching and securing the ball.  He's not a big-play threat, either.  Royal would be an ideal #2 tight end for red zone work and his blocking ability (see: Bruener, Mark), but unfortunately he'll play above that role for yet another season.

Derek Schouman: A seventh-round draft pick in 2007, Schouman was released prior to the season, added to the team's practice squad, and elevated to the regular roster after a slew of injuries at tight end.  He ended up on IR himself, and faces a fierce battle for a roster spot with so many players vying for so few roster spots at tight end and fullback.  Schouman may be able to play both, however; if he can, he might have a leg up on the competition.

Tim Massaquoi: Another in-season 2007 addition for the Bills, Massaquoi is a longshot to make the roster.  He does have some special teams potential, however, and may be a guy who gets a call back to Buffalo in the event a guy on the roster goes down.

The Additions: Courtney Anderson, Teyo Johnson, Derek Fine
We clung to the vain hope all off-season that the Bills would search for impact at the tight end position.  They courted big names like Alge Crumpler and were very high on Dustin Keller and Fred Davis on draft day, but ultimately, the Bills chose size as their consolation prize to a difference-maker.  Both Anderson and Johnson stand at 6'6", giving the Bills much more red zone potential at the position than they employed a year ago.  Fine (6'3") seems the likely replacement for Royal in a year or two while playing special teams early in his career.  The Bills have talent at the position, but don't employ one guy who can block, catch and stretch a defense vertically.  That element has been missing from Buffalo's offense for a long time.

The Subtractions: Michael Gaines, Kevin Everett, Ryan Neufeld
Gaines provided solid production as a mid-season street free agent signing, but was snapped up early in the free agent signing period as a blocking back for the Detroit Lions.  Neufeld, a special teams ace as a Bill, was a UFA and the team chose not to re-sign him, while Everett's devastating injury has turned into a touching story on a national level.

Jonathan Evans: People tend to forget that in terms of Bills fullbacks, it's Evans who is the longest-tenured fullback on Buffalo's roster (he spent part of '07 on the team's practice squad).  With two new guys in the fold, however - and the team keeping two fullbacks at a maximum - Evans is seemingly a longshot to make the roster.

The Additions: Darian Barnes, Mike Viti
Barnes is an NFL veteran who signed a one-year deal in January; he's known as a solid blocker and an OK special teams player, but offers little else.  Viti has already gained recognition with the fan base, hailing from the Army and checking into Buffalo with his hard hat and lunch pail in tow.  Barnes and Viti seem the two most likely candidates to start at fullback; the loser may not even make the roster.

The Subtractions: None.

Pre-Season Outlook: Unlike 2007, tight end and fullback are no longer one morphed-together "H-Back" position in Buffalo.  Turk Schonert's new offensive scheme will bring back the traditional blocking back, and Buffalo's tight ends will focus on more traditional tight end roles.

As it stands right now, only two of the nine players mentioned here - Royal and Fine - are virtual locks to be on the opening day roster.  The other seven may be fighting for as few as two positions, though three seems more likely.  One thing is certain - this position is a crap shoot, and all of these players have a lot to prove, even if they do make the roster.

Change: Red zone size.

As always, your thoughts on Buffalo's tight end and fullback situation are welcome and encouraged in the comments section.