With the Buffalo Bills' pre-season opener slated for this Friday night, the Bills have put out their first official depth chart, and ESPN's Tim Graham has the details.
The only major surprise? Chan Gailey lists third-year player Jonathan Stupar as his starting tight end - ahead of second-year pro Shawn Nelson, ahead of 2007 draftee Derek Schouman, and ahead of Georgia Tech alum Michael Matthews. We spoke briefly about Stupar late last week; he has been the most consistent and well-rounded tight end on the roster to date, and apparently Gailey agrees with that assessment. Nelson, Graham reports, is listed second on the depth chart. The 6'3", 254-pound Stupar was an undrafted free agent out of Virginia in 2008; he had five catches for 39 yards in a reserve capacity a year ago.
Elsewhere, James Hardy is listed as a fourth-teamer at receiver, behind players such as Felton Huggins, Chad Jackson and undrafted rookie free agent David Nelson. The only other mild upset? Alex Carrington being listed as a second-team defensive end ahead of John McCargo - and that's only surprising considering that McCargo has been a mainstay on the second unit since camp opened. Carrington is clearly a better fit at the position.
Other starters: Reggie Torbor over Aaron Maybin at weak-side outside linebacker; Paul Posluszny over Kawika Mitchell at inside linebacker; Drayton Florence over Leodis McKelvin at cornerback. Ryan Fitzpatrick is listed ahead of Brian Brohm as the second-team quarterback.
Buffalo visits the Washington Redskins at 7:30 PM ET on Friday night.