Buffalo Bills 53-Man roster — a Rumblings analyst’s prediction

Final roster cuts loom large for the Buffalo Bills. By Tuesday, August 29 at 4 p.m. EDT all NFL teams must have their rosters trimmed down to 53 players. The Bills already made seven roster cuts on Sunday. For a live tracker of Bills roster moves, follow along here.

See my predictions for the Buffalo Bills' final 53-man roster, cuts, and practice squad below!

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Offense (24 players)

Quarterback (2)

Josh Allen, Kyle Allen
Cut: Matt Barkley

Even though Barkley made a solid run at the QB2 position, I think Kyle Allen will slot in behind Josh Allen.

Running Back/Fullback (4)

James Cook, Damien Harris, Latavius Murray, Reggie Gilliam
Cut: Jordan Mims, Darrynton Evans, Ty Johnson

The RB room looks pretty straightforward. I liked the way both Mims and Evans played in the preseason, both should be considered for the practice squad.

Wide Receiver (6)

Stefon Diggs, Gabe Davis, Trent Sherfield, Deonte Harty, Kahlil Shakir, Justin Shorter
Cut: Marcell Ateman, Tyrell Shavers, KeeSean Johnson, Bryan Thompson, Andy Isabella

Diggs, Davis, Sherfield, and Harty are locks to make the roster. Buffalo’s 2023 5th-round draft pick, Justin Shorter, has flashed enough potential as a WR to warrant him a roster spot. Not to mention he would give the Bills WR room some size, and he can contribute on special teams. Kahlil Shakir should make the roster but depending on the severity of his rib injury there is a chance he could end up being put on IR, which would make room for Bills Mafia’s preseason darling Andy Isabella to make his way on the roster.

Tight End (3)

Dawson Knox, Dalton Kincaid, Quintin Morris
Cut: Joel Wilson

Joel Wilson played well in the preseason, but Quintin Morris’ athleticism and special team contributions have him ahead of Wilson.

Offensive line (9)

Dion Dawkins, Connor McGovern, Mitch Morse, O’Cyrus Torrence, Spencer Brown, Ryan Bates, Ryan Van Demark, David Quessenberry, David Edwards
Cut: Richard Gouraige, Ike Boettger, Greg Mancz, Alec Anderson, Nick Broeker, Kevin Jarvis

The offensive line was a tough one to narrow down. Some of it depends on how serious Connor McGovern’s injury is, if it is a long-term injury I would expect him to be put on the roster initially and then moved to IR, which would open up another spot for someone like Anderson or Broeker. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone the Bills cut gets picked up by another team. Ryan Van Demark was a pleasant surprise who played well this preseason and I would say the final spot likely comes between him and Anderson, in this scenario, I went with Van Demark.

Defense (26 players)

Defensive End/EDGE (5)

Greg Rousseau, Leonard Floyd, A.J. Epenesa, Boogie Basham, Shaq Lawson
Reserve/PUP List: Von Miller
Cut: Kameron Cline, Kingsley Jonathan

I don't see Von Miller being ready for the start of the season, so he will likely be moved to the Reserve/PUP list and would be eligible to come back in week 4. I really wanted to somehow squeak Kameron Cline onto this roster, but this position group is so deep that I just couldn’t find him a spot. Cline showed some real potential this preseason and hopefully, no one snags him off of Buffalo’s practice squad.

Defensive Tackle (5)

Ed Oliver, DaQuan Jones, Jordan Phillips, Tim Settle, Poona For
Cut: Kendal Vickers, Eli Ankou, D.J. Dale

There is a chance that the Bills decide to move on from Phillips or Settle, but I think they are happy with this group.

Linebacker (6)

Matt Milano, Tyrel Dodson, Terrel Bernard, Dorian Williams, A.J. Klein, Tyler Matakevich
Injured Reserve: Baylon Spector
Cut: Travin Howard, DeShaun White

With head coach Sean McDermott announcing Spector’s injury as “week to week,” I expect them to initially sign Spector to the roster so they can move him to IR, which would make room for Klein or Matakevich.

Cornerback (6)

Tre’Davious White, Taron Johnson, Dane Jackson, Christian Benford, Kaiir Elam, Siran Neal
Cut: Alex Austin, Ja’Marcus Ingram, Cam Lewis, Kyron Brown

I thought both Austin and Ingram had a solid preseason, but they get left out in this deep position group for Buffalo. I would expect Buffalo to try and sign both to the practice squad, so hopefully, no other team picks them up.

Safety (4)

Jordan Poyer, Micah Hyde, Damar Hamlin, Taylor Rapp
Cut: Dean Marlowe, Zayne Anderson

Pretty straightforward for this position group. Zayne Anderson has the potential to be on the practice squad, but I think Cam Lewis’ versatility to be able to play CB or safety will have Lewis ahead of Anderson on the practice squad.

Specialists (3 players)

Kicker (1): Tyler Bass
Punter (1): Sam Martin
Long Snapper (1): Reid Ferguson

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Practice Squad (16):

• QB - Matt Barkley
• RB - Darrynton Evans
• WR - Andy Isabella, KeeSean Johnson, Tyrell Shavers
• TE - Joel Wilson
• OL - Nick Broeker, Richard Gouraige, Alec Anderson
• DE - Kameron Cline, Kingsley Jonathon
• DT - Eli Ankou, Kendal Vikers
• CB - Alex Austin, Ja’Marcus Ingram
• S/CB - Cam Lewis

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Special Considerations

We don’t have much clarity on a few injuries right now: Connor McGovern, Khalil Shakir, and Baylon Spector. If the Bills put any of these players on injured reserved (IR) before the start of the regular season, they would have to sit out the entire year. So this usually makes for some fun roster juggling scenarios. If the Bills consider any of these players to be out multiple weeks they could sign them to the active roster for the start of the official regular season and then move them to the IR to make room for another healthy player. Once a player is designated to IR, they must sit out at least four weeks. The Bills can designate up to eight players to return from the IR during the season.

If the Bills did choose to move one of these injured players to IR after the start of the regular season it would mean a roster spot for a bubble player.

I think the most likely scenario is that the Bills sign Baylor Spector to the initial roster in lieu of A.J. Klein or Tyler Matakevich (who would be initially “cut”) and then put on IR for the Bills to re-sign Klein or Matakevich back on the 53-man roster.

Also, it is worth noting that Von Miller remains on the Active/PUP list and will likely be moved to the Reserve/PUP list. Zach Davidson (TE) and Tommy Doyle (OT) are on the Reserve/Injured list. Nyheim Hines (RB) is on the Reserve/Non-Football Injury list. Brandon Shell (OT) was put on the Reserve/Retired list.

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Biggest Snub?

Who is the biggest roster snub I left off this list? Vote in the poll below and comment your thoughts!