​The Buffalo Bills are taking a breather before gathering at St. John Fisher University to begin training camp on July 29. Since rookie minicamp, voluntary minicamp, organized team activities, and mandatory minicamp, both rookies and veterans have had several chances to leave a positive impression on Brandon Beane and Joe Brady. Yet the most significant opportunities to stake a claim to a spot on the 53-man roster lie ahead with training camp and the three preseason games.
Today’s Buffalo Rumblinks edition opens with thoughts from a few Bills beat writers on who they would name to Buffalo’s 53-man roster as training camp approaches. Review their assessments and then share your own thoughts in the comments about who has earned a spot on the active roster, who still has work to do, and who seems like a clear cut candidate to be cut.
This exercise of projecting Buffalo’s active roster used to be a standard practice under former head coach Sean McDermott, when a player’s ability to contribute on special teams carried extra weight in the roster cuts. We don’t yet know how new head coach Joe Brady will handle those final roster decisions, but it’s reasonable to expect some tight competition for spots, especially in the first year of Jim Leonhard’s defense as it shifts to a base 3-4 scheme.
We’ll hear from several outlets about who they think will make the active roster and who might be a cut candidate. Among the intriguing battles to watch are: on the defensive line, the contest among promising rookie Zane Durant, veteran Phidarian Mathis, DeWayne Carter, and Mike Danna; at wide receiver, the competition between Mecole Hardman Jr. and Trent Sherfield; at safety, whether fan favorite Damar Hamlin can secure a roster spot against players like Geno Stone or Sam Franklin; and at fullback, where Jackson Acker is up against Ben VanSumeren.
The coverage also includes bold predictions and identifies three players with boom-or-bust potential at training camp; it highlights what could make rookie wide receiver Skyler Bell a standout this summer, and more.
Projected Buffalo Bills 53-man roster before training camp: Battles, trade considerations, and more. The influx of analysis comes from outlets such as newyorkupstate.com, the Olean Times Herald, Cover 1, Sports Illustrated, ESPN.com, and The Athletic.