The Buffalo Bills are officially on break.
The team concluded its three-day, mandatory minicamp Thursday at One Bills Drive, then players quickly scattered for summer vacation.
Buffalo Bills Mandatory Mini Camp (copy)
From left, Bills defenders Javon Solomon, T.J. Sanders and Zion Logue watch a drill Thursday during mandatory minicamp. Harry Scull Jr., Buffalo News
The team next will be together at training camp, which opens in July at St. John Fisher University in Pittsford. After a full spring of practices, it is a good time to project what the team’s initial 53-man roster will look like.
Quarterbacks (2): Josh Allen, Mike White.
Cut (1): Mitchell Trubisky.
Practice squad (1): Shane Buechele.
Analysis: The Bills’ preferred method of roster construction is to keep two quarterbacks on the 53-man roster and another on the practice squad. The team currently is just about $2 million under the salary cap, according to sports financial website spotrac.com, meaning it will need to create space when the roster is set and all players, including those on the practice squad and injured reserve, begin to count (currently, only the top 51 salaries on the roster count against the cap). Because of that, the potential cap savings that comes with cutting Trubisky – $2.5 million – is too great to ignore. Trubisky might be the “safer” option as the team’s No. 2 quarterback, but White has a higher ceiling.
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Running backs (3): James Cook, Ray Davis, Ty Johnson.
Cut (1): Darrynton Evans.
Practice squad (1): Frank Gore Jr.
Analysis: Cook sucked all the drama out of minicamp by showing up on the first day and was close to a full participant. He plans on being at training camp, too. With that being the case, the depth chart safely can be written in ink. The Bills have brought back Evans a couple times, so they clearly like the player, but it’s hard to find a path to a roster spot for him. Gore would be a logical addition to the practice squad for the second straight season.
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Tight ends (3): Dawson Knox, Dalton Kincaid, Jackson Hawes.
Cut (1): Keleki Latu.
Practice squad (1): Zach Davidson.
Analysis: The big change at the position this offseason was deciding not to re-sign Quintin Morris and drafting Hawes, who has a clear path to a roster spot as the third tight end, specializing in a blocking role. If there was such a thing as a spring all-star team, Davidson annually would compete for a spot.
Wide receiver (5): Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, Joshua Palmer, Elijah Moore, Curtis Samuel.
Cuts (4): Kristian Wilkerson, Kelly Akharaiyi, Stephen Gosnell, K.J. Hamler.
Practice squad (4): Tyrell Shavers, Laviska Shenault Jr., Jalen Virgil, Kaden Prather.
Analysis: It’s possible the Bills keep six here, but the top five look clear cut, and nobody has separated themselves this spring for the final job. Special teams will be a consideration if the Bills keep six. Shenault missed Wednesday’s practice due to an unspecified injury. His best path to a job is to prove his worth as a kick returner, but he hasn’t had enough of an opportunity just yet. Shavers had a tough practice Tuesday. Virgil spent time on the 53-man roster last year, but mostly had a quiet minicamp. Prather, meanwhile, is a draft pick who should get a long look in training camp and the preseason.
Offensive line (9): Dion Dawkins, David Edwards, Connor McGovern, O’Cyrus Torrence, Spencer Brown, Tylan Grable, Alec Anderson, Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, Ryan Van Demark.
Cuts (3): Rush Reimer, Jacob Beyer, Kendrick Green.
Practice squad (4): Chase Lundt, Travis Clayton, Richard Gouraige, Mike Edwards.
Analysis: The Bills enjoy remarkable continuity up front, with the projected nine to make the 53-man roster here being with the team last year. The starters – Dawkins, Edwards, McGovern, Torrence and Brown – are set. That leaves competition for backup jobs. Anderson is close to a lock, so there are really only three jobs that could be considered up for grabs. The team appears to be a bit deeper at tackle than it does on the interior. Because of that, Van Pran-Granger’s development will be key going into his second season. The final decision here came down to Van Demark or Lundt, a sixth-round draft pick this season. Experience tipped the scales in Van Demark’s favor in this projection, but the Bills will give Lundt a long look and, surely, will want to at least keep him on the practice squad as a draft pick.
Buffalo Bills Mandatory Mini Camp (copy)
Rookie edge rusher Landon Jackson is part of a rebuilt defensive line for the Buffalo Bills. Harry Scull Jr., Buffalo News
Edge rushers (5): Greg Rousseau, Joey Bosa, A.J. Epenesa, Landon Jackson, Javon Solomon.
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Suspended (1): Michael Hoecht.
Cuts (2): Hayden Harris, Paris Shand.
Analysis: The pending suspension of Hoecht temporarily eases the logjam at edge rusher, but the Bills will face a tough decision when he returns to the active roster in Week 7 if everyone stays healthy. Speaking of staying healthy, it’s concerning – to use coach Sean McDermott’s word – that Bosa is out with a calf injury. Even if it’s minor and he should be ready for the start of training camp, being hurt in June is not exactly getting off to a good start in Buffalo for Bosa.
Defensive tackles (5): Ed Oliver, DaQuan Jones, T.J. Sanders, Deone Walker, DeWayne Carter.
Suspended (1): Larry Ogunjobi.
Cuts (2): Marcus Harris, Casey Rogers.
Practice squad (1): Zion Logue.
Analysis: Similar to edge rusher, the suspension of Ogunjobi temporarily eases the logjam on the interior of the defensive line. Could Jones be a surprise cap casualty? As mentioned above, cap space will be at a premium, and his release would save $5.5 million. There has been little evidence to this point to suggest that’s going to happen, though. McDermott mentioned the likelihood of playing younger players on defense this season, and that especially looks true at defensive tackle, where drafted rookies Sanders and Walker are in line for big roles. One point of business for general manager Brandon Beane between now and the start of training camp will be to get Walker, Sanders and first-round pick Maxwell Hairston signed to their rookie deals.
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Linebackers (5): Terrel Bernard, Matt Milano, Joe Andreessen, Dorian Williams, Shaq Thompson.
Cut (1): Baylon Spector.
Practice squad (1): Edefuan Ulofoshio.
Analysis: Signed right before the start of camp, Thompson has a history with McDermott from their time together in Carolina. He’s currently rehabbing from surgery to repair a torn Achilles, but said he’ll be ready to go at the start of training camp. He wouldn’t be here if the Bills didn’t see a role for him, and the fact Spector missed time during minicamp with another injury has to be frustrating for the team. Simply put, he’s had his chances, and hasn’t been able to take advantage. The opposite is true for Andreessen, who solidly looks like the backup to Bernard at middle linebacker. The Bills could go with six here and keep Ulofoshio on the active roster with an eye toward special teams, but depth at other positions leads us to keeping just five in this projection.
Cornerbacks (6): Christian Benford, Maxwell Hairston, Taron Johnson, Tre’Davious White, Ja’Marcus Ingram, Dorian Strong.
Cuts (2): Te’Cory Couch, Daryl Porter Jr.
Practice squad (2): Dane Jackson, Daequan Hardy.
Analysis: Beane undertook a fairly large rebuilding project in the secondary. With Rasul Douglas gone, the starting job opposite Benford will be a fierce competition between White, who is back for a second tour of duty with the team, and Hairston, the team’s first-round draft pick. Ingram has value on special teams and a knowledge of the system. Strong, a sixth-round pick in April, is squarely on the bubble as one of the last keeps in this projection.
Safeties (6): Taylor Rapp, Cole Bishop, Damar Hamlin, Cam Lewis, Darrick Forrest, Jordan Hancock.
Cut (1): Wande Owens.
Analysis: Just like at cornerback, the Bills are loaded at safety – so much so that Beane might have to consider a trade at the end of summer if one of these players isn’t going to make the roster. For now, we’ll go deep in the secondary, with the expectation that special teams will play an important part in the decision-making process. Both Lewis and Hancock have the ability to play some nickel cornerback, providing valuable versatility.
Specialists (4): Reid Ferguson, Tyler Bass, Jake Camarda, Brandon Codrington.
Cut (1): Brad Robbins.
Analysis: We put Codrington here as a return specialist. Yes, he’s listed as a cornerback, but the team’s depth in the secondary makes it unlikely Codrington will be asked to play there, unless something has gone really wrong (injuries) or really right (a blowout lead). The punting competition between Camarda and Robbins is too close to call at the moment, but we had to pick one. Buckle up at training camp for a thrill-a-minute punting competition.
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