The Buffalo Bills laid an egg in their preseason opener against the Chicago Bears last Saturday. Then Matt Milano suffered a biceps injury that’s expected to sideline him under December on Tuesday. Not a great four-day stretch for the AFC contenders.
Milano’s extended absence will have a trickle-down effect on the Bills roster. The team will now likely keep an extra linebacker (six instead of five) as insurance. That takes one spot away from another position. Based on our previous forecast, that spot is safety.
Bills Roster Projection (v1.0; June 1)
Bills Roster Projection (v2.0; Aug. 9)
Let’s check out how the squad is shaping up ahead of Saturday night’s road exhibition clash with the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium.
2024 Buffalo Bills 53-Man Roster Projection (v3.0; Before 2nd Preseason Game)
Quarterbacks (2): Josh Allen, Mitchell Trubisky
Trubisky still hasn’t done anything to “win” the backup job, but third-stringer Shane Buechele suffered a season-ending neck injury and the recently signed Ben DiNucci probably doesn’t have enough time to usurp him as the chief reserve behind Allen.
Running Backs (4): James Cook, Ty Johnson, Ray Davis, Reggie Gilliam (FB)
Cook continues to struggle as a pass-catcher out of the backfield, which will impact his 2024 production. It opens the door for Johnson and Davis to play more extensive roles. The group is pretty much set in stone.
Wide Receivers (6): Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, Curtis Samuel, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Mack Hollins, Tyrell Shavers
The top five feel locked in unless MVS’ drop problems pop up again over the last two preseason contests. KJ Hamler has lost his grip on the returner job, so the sixth spot is available. Shavers holds a slight lead over Justin Shorter at this point.
Tight Ends (3): Dalton Kincaid, Dawson Knox, Quintin Morris
Morris continues to hold off Zach Davidson for the No. 3 role. The Bills will do everything in their power to sneak Davidson on to the practice squad.
Offensive Line (9): Dion Dawkins, David Edwards, Connor McGovern, O’Cyrus Torrence, Spencer Brown, Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, Alec Anderson, Ryan Van Demark, Tylan Grable
The bottom of this list could still get shuffled quite a bit depending on injuries and who performs well over the next two games. The starting five isn’t expected to change, though.
EDGE (5): Greg Rousseau, A.J. Epenesa, Von Miller, Dawuane Smoot, Javon Solomon
The Bills ranked fourth in the NFL with 54 sacks last season. They could exceed that number in 2024 with all five of these edge-rushers primed to make a serious impact.
Defensive Tackles (5): Ed Oliver, DaQuan Jones, DeWayne Carter, DeShawn Williams, Austin Johnson
If the Bills suffer another injury on consequence and need a roster spot, defensive tackle is probably the next position to get shaved. If that happens, it’ll come down to Williams or Johnson. In a perfect world, both would remain for depth.
Linebackers (6): Terrel Bernard, Dorian Williams, Baylon Spector, Deion Jones, Nicholas Morrow, Edefuan Ulofoshio
Williams will be unexpectedly thrust into a starting role for the second straight year. Expect to see plenty of mixing and matching based on opponent and game situation, though. Bernard now faces a lot of pressure to keep building off his strong 2023 campaign.
Cornerbacks (6): Rasul Douglas, Christian Benford, Taron Johnson, Kaiir Elam, Daequan Hardy, Ja’Marcus Ingram
The top four are safe, and they represent one of the NFL’s best cornerback corps. Hardy is now leading the returner race to help his roster case. Ingram impressed throughout camp and will lock down a spot with a strong finish to the preseason.
Safeties (4): Cole Bishop, Taylor Rapp, Damar Hamlin, Cam Lewis
Mike Edwards falls below the cut line as he remains sidelined by a hamstring injury. It’s hard to see him making the team if he doesn’t return to practice before next week’s preseason finale. Rapp-Hamlin still look like the Week 1 starters with Bishop (shoulder) also on the mend.
Kicker (1): Tyler Bass
Bass endured another up-and-down practice week. Yet, the Bills continue to give him ample leeway. It doesn’t appear any competition is incoming despite the continued lackluster performance.
Punter (1): Sam Martin
Like Bass, Martin is being handed the job despite real concerns about his ability to make a positive impact in 2024. Special teams could be a game-changing problem at times for Buffalo.
Long Snapper (1): Reid Ferguson
Ferguson is the bright spot among the specialists. He’s a roster lock and remains an option to receive a contract extension before Week 1.
The Bills and Steelers are scheduled for a 7 p.m. ET kickoff Saturday evening. The game will be nationally broadcast on the NFL Network.
Main Photo: Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle-USA TODAY NETWORK
