Buffalo Bills 53 Man Roster Starts to Take Shape

With the first pre-season game in the books, that means that it won’t be long before the team starts taking shape. Although many of the roster spots have been decided, there are still some key positions up for grabs. Not only that, but there are also some decisions to be made in regards to how many of each position will be kept. Here is a projection of who will make the Buffalo Bills 53-man opening day roster based on what we know now. This does not predict the starters, just who will make the team.

Offense:

QB (2) – Matt Cassel, Tyrod Taylor

Cassel and Taylor both had strong showings on Friday. That means the coaching staff probably will feel comfortable carrying just the two going into the season. The starter is still to be decided, but with Taylor’s performance on Friday, if he follows it up with a good showing in game 2 against the Browns, it will be his job to lose.

RB (4) – Bryce Brown , Fred Jackson, LeSean McCoy, Karlos Williams

This is the first controversial cut in Boobie Dixon. But Dixon is slated to miss 4-6 weeks with an injury. Combine that with Karlos Williams’ strong showing in camp thus far, and he makes a lot of sense as the 3rd RB. Bryce Brown stays because of youth and his versatility, and a great showing in the game on Friday.

FB (1) – Jerome Felton

This one is easy. Felton is one of the best fullbacks in the league and is being paid that way. He’s staying.

WR (7) – Marcus Easley, Percy Harvin, Chris Hogan, Marcus Thigpen, Deonte Thompson, Sammy Watkins, Robert Woods

Keeping seven receivers is more than previous projections, but with Harvin seeming to get a lot of work at WR, the Bills may opt to keep Thigpen for return duties. Plus, Thompson has had a very good pre-season and makes Goodwin expendable. Easley sticks because of his special teams abilities.

TE (4) – Charles Clay, Chris Gragg, Marqueis Gray, Nick O’Leary

Roman likes to have multiple TEs, and there is a lot of versatility in this group. After Clay, it’s anyone’s guess who will be the second TE. The decision could come down to who is the better pass blocker. Gragg and O’Leary seem to be the front-runners based on that metric, but Gray has tremendous versatility and should early playing time just based on that.

OT (3) – Cordy Glenn, Seantrel Henderson, Cyrus Kuoandjio

No surprises in this group. The big question here is who will start opposite of Glenn. Henderson and Kuoandjio have been battling in camp thus far. Henderson seems to be the favorite here, but this may be the last position decided on.

OG (3) – Richie Incognito, John Miller, Cyril Richardson

This battle is over. Incognito has been named the starting LG and although Miller has not been named the official starter, he’s gotten the lion’s share of first team snaps during camp. It would take an abysmal performance in the first pre-season game for him to lose his spot.

C (2) – Craig Urbik, Eric Wood

Many felt this decision was already made coming into camp, but Wood suddenly seems to be clinging to his position. This has less to do with Urbik playing well, but more because of Wood’s struggles at the position. Wood should hold his job, but this battle is closer than originally thought.

Defense:

DE (3) – IK Enemkpali , Jerry Hughes, Mario Williams,

The starters are set. Mario is the $100 million man and Hughes just signed a huge contract. Enemkpali saw a lot of time in Friday’s game and seems to have the inside track to a roster spot with the injury to Jarius Wynn.

DT (4) – Corbin Bryant, Alex Carrington, Marcell Dareus, Kyle Williams

Two returning Pro Bowl players in Dareus and Williams will be the starters here. Carrington and Bryant are serviceable reserves and will both contribute on Special Teams. Carrington may even serve as a swing lineman for the defense, knowing they can switch to a 3-4 if needed. The only question at this position this season is whether it is Dareus’ last with the Bills.

LB (5) – Nigel Bradham, Preston Brown, Randell Johnson, Manny Lawson, Ty Powell

Bradham and Brown will be joined by Manny Lawson if all things remain consistent going into the season. Bradham is in a contract year and is poised to have a break-out year in Rex Ryan’s defense that has a history of elevating versatile line backers. Brown will attempt to follow up his outstanding rookie year when he led the team in tackles.

CB (6) – Ron Brooks, Ross Cockrell, Ronald Darby, Stephon Gilmore, Leodis McKelvin, Nikell Robey

McKelvin is injured, but if he can return healthy, he might be the third most talented player at this position. Ronald Darby, so far, has shown he is more than capable of manning the position opposite of Gilmore, but there is still a drop off at this position after Nikell Robey. I think McKelvin gets one more year.

S (5) – Bacarri Rambo, Corey Graham, Jonathan Meeks, Aaron Williams, Duke Williams

This position is crowded with Graham moving to Safety during the off season. The team will carry 5 in case there is a need for Graham to shift back to CB. Duke Williams appears to be next man up after Graham, but he’s being pushed by both Rambo and Meeks for his position. There is a lot of talent in this group, so much so that they have earned an extra roster spot once this team rounds out.

Special Teams:

LS (1) – Garrison Sanborn

P (1) – Colton Schmidt

K (2) – Dan Carpenter, Jordan Gay

No Surprises in this unit. While some argue that Jordan Gay as the kickoff specialist is a waste of a roster spot, he is extremely effective at what he does. The Special Teams unit was 6th in the league last year, and they will look to maintain the talent in this group

Ryan Lasal @ryanlasal

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