With final cuts looming and the fourth preseason game on Thursday, the Buffalo Bills have some tough decisions to make. The final preseason game is usually where we see guys get their last shot at making the 53-man roster. This year’s training camp has been filled with competition across the roster and plenty of capable players fighting for a spot. With that in mind, here are some players who can play their way onto the the roster Thursday.
Duke Williams
In back-to-back weeks Duke Williams managed to pull off a circus-like touchdown catch in the red zone. His ability to use his size and be a match-up problem in the red zone has kept him on the roster so far. Williams’s 6’3”, 225-lb frame could provide the bills with some much-needed size in the wide receiver room. He’s recorded six catches for 53 yards and two touchdowns this preseason. Williams has seen most of his playing time with the second team and been a favorite target of Matt Barkley. However Isaiah McKenzie is also making a strong case for the sixth wide receiver spot and unless the Bills decide to keep a seventh receiver, Williams will have to put together a strong fourth game to make the team.
Darryl Johnson
At the beginning of camp Johnson was a long shot to make the team with Mike Love and Eddie Yarbrough being the early favorites to take the last defensive end spot. After an impressive camp and even more impressive outings against the Indianapolis Colts and Carolina Panthers, Johnson quickly worked his way up the depth chart. On Friday against Detroit, Johnson saw time rotating with the ones and made the most of his opportunity recording two tackles and consistently beating his man in pass-rush situations. His rare combination of size, athleticism and physicality is a perfect fit for Leslie Frazier’s defense. It would seem that the spot is Johnson's to lose at this point, but nobody is guaranteed a spot, it will be interesting to see where Johnson is after final cuts.
Wyatt Teller
With multiple injuries on the offensive line, Wyatt Teller should be the next man up. He has NFL experience under his belt—he with the Bills last season, starting seven games in 2018. Teller’s motor and work ethic has made him a favorite of the Buffalo coaching staff but his struggles in 2018 saw him start off training camp slotted behind John Feliciano and Spencer Long, who have been competing for the left guard spot. He was able to show flashes of being a reliable option at the guard spot in 2018 but, as with most young players, there were more valleys than peaks and he is far from ready to be a starter in the NFL. However, with Quinton Spain injured and Mitch Morse still in concussion protocol, Teller could find himself sneaking into the Bills’ final 53. (Ike Boettger was the one to step in for Quenton Spain last week, though.)