There are a few things to take note of when it comes to the playing time a few Buffalo Bills received during their 20-16 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday. Only the top five players per position (including ties) are listed here.
Quarterback
Nathan Peterman - 40
Tyrod Taylor - 33
T.J. Yates - 22
Not only did Peterman overtake Yates on the depth chart, but he also saw almost twice as many plays. That’s a trend that probably won’t reverse itself over the final two games.
Running Back
Joe Banyard - 27
Mike Tolbert - 24
Jonathan Williams - 21
Cedric O’Neal - 19
LeSean McCoy - 12
Banyard picked up an impressive 65 yards of offense on nine touches, but also lost a fumble. That said, he did see 12 special teams snaps for the second straight week and could stick on the roster in that role. McCoy saw his first action of the preseason and gained 32 yards on five touches.
Wide Receiver
Zay Jones - 41
Brandon Tate - 31
Corey Brown - 31
Anquan Boldin - 28
Andre Holmes - 19
Brandon Reilly - 19
Jones saw a huge uptick in snaps and responded with a very strong performance. Boldin also saw plenty of action in his first game with the Bills, but only caught one pass for five yards (he was the intended target on the Darby interception). Reilly led the Bills with four catches, including a nice touchdown grab from Yates late in the game. The previous week’s leader in snaps, Dezmin Lewis, only played in six this week.
Tight End
Logan Thomas - 43
Nick O’Leary - 30
Charles Clay - 29
Wes Saxton - 9
Jason Croom - 2
Croom suffered a hamstring injury early on, hence his low snap count, and was designated waived/injured on Sunday. Thomas’ spot on the 53 is pretty much set in stone at this point. O’Leary led the Bills with 50 receiving yards and also saw double-digit special teams snaps for the second week in a row.
Offensive Tackle
Seantrel Henderson - 49
Cameron Jefferson - 45
Dion Dawkins - 42
Jordan Mills - 35
Michael Ola - 28
Mills and Henderson started at the tackle positions, but neither played particularly well. Dawkins probably put in the best performance, and could start next Saturday when the Bills visit the Baltimore Ravens.
Interior Offensive Line
Ryan Groy - 44
Vladimir Ducasse - 42
Jordan Mudge - 35
John Miller - 35
Richie Incognito - 31
Ducasse has had a pretty weak preseason overall, especially considering the fact that he’s primarily playing against reserves. He could be on the chopping block when the preseason comes to an end, and not just because of the compensatory pick implications.
Defensive Line
Ryan Davis - 25
Marquavius Lewis - 25
Eddie Yarbrough - 24
Jerel Worthy - 24
Marcell Dareus - 22
Nigel Williams - 22
Davis played well in his first action of the preseason, more or less assuring the top four spots on the defensive end depth chart. Williams saw some extended action but was outplayed on the interior by Deandre Coleman (16 snaps) and has an uphill battle in front of him to make the final roster.
Linebacker
Preston Brown - 29
Ramon Humber - 26
Gerald Hodges - 22
Sam Barrington - 22
Tanner Vallejo - 16
Lorenzo Alexander - 16
Vallejo returned to action after leaving the loss to the Minnesota Vikings early on, but barely saw more action than fellow draftee Matt Milano (12 snaps, plus 12 more on special teams). Barrington saw an uptick in action at the expense of Carl Bradford and Jacob Lindsey, both of whom went from the teens in the first game to single digits against the Eagles.
Cornerback
Greg Mabin - 29
Tre’Davious White - 29
Marcus Sayles - 24
E.J. Gaines - 24
Bradley Sylve - 24
Mabin and Gaines both recorded interceptions, and in Mabin’s case it’ll probably be the play we think of when we see his name on the final roster in a couple weeks. Sayles is a solid player, but it seems like he’s practice squad-bound at this point.
Safety
Shamiel Gary - 33
Trae Elston - 29
Jordan Poyer - 29
Micah Hyde - 29
B.T. Sanders - 16
Gary and Elston, in addition to seeing top reserve time at safety, were both heavily involved in special teams over the last couple weeks. Sanders is probably auditioning for another spot on the practice squad at this point, although it’s not out of the question for the Bills to roll with five safeties in the regular season.