Pause Unmute Loaded: 0% Remaining Time -0:59 Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen
Welcome to the final Bills Mailbag before the real thing. The Bills' regular season kicks off next week in Houston. Let’s get right to your questions …
Jeff asks: Now that the final roster is set, what was your biggest surprise on who was kept and/or released? What was your biggest disappointment? What positions have the most needs at backup? Maybe it would be a shorter list of positions that are all set. Now that all is said and done, how many defensive players, as well as offensive players, are there from last year?
Jay: I’ll give you two surprises, one on offense and one on defense. Offensively, I was surprised the Bills will start the season without a fullback and with four tight ends. It’s not that I thought Ben VanSumeren was the next Larry Csonka, but a fullback has been part of Joe Brady’s No. 1-ranked rushing attack in the past. Instead, the Bills kept Keleki Latu as a fourth tight end. While he’s developed nicely since signing as a rookie undrafted free agent last offseason, including appearing in five games during the 2025 season, he may not be active in Week 1 with Dalton Kincaid, Dawson Knox and Jackson Hawes ahead of him on the positional depth chart.
I was disappointed for Kani Walker, a rookie undrafted free agent at cornerback who I (and many others who cover the team) thought had done enough to make the 53-man roster. Walker cleared waivers and signed to the practice squad, so he can continue to develop there. By not keeping Walker or Toriano Pride Jr., a seventh-round draft pick who was waived and claimed on waivers by the Browns, the Bills went with just three true boundary cornerbacks – Christian Benford, Maxwell Hairston and rookie Davison Igbinosun. It appears the plan is to use nickel cornerback Dee Alford on the outside in an emergency situation, with Jordan Hancock stepping into the slot role.
Buffalo Bills Carolina Panthers NFL Preseason Football (copy)
Bills rookie cornerback Kani Walker was somewhat surprisingly among the team's roster cuts Sunday as the initial 53-man roster was set.
Keeping just five cornerbacks on the roster after explaining he traded up in the second round to select Igbinosun because he felt that position was his team’s biggest positional need is an interesting decision by general manager Brandon Beane, one that will be revisited if the team’s depth gets tested.
As for the positions with needs, we just covered cornerbacks. The other two that jump out being low on numbers are inside linebacker, with just Terrel Bernard, Dorian Williams, Kaleb Elarms-Orr and Joe Andreessen on the 53. There also are just five wide receivers on the active roster, as well: DJ Moore, Khalil Shakir, Joshua Palmer, Keon Coleman and rookie Skyler Bell.
If practice squad call-ups aren’t required for injuries, I’d expect a wide receiver to be one of the two brought up to the active roster for games. Perhaps that will be Greg Dortch, who can handle punt-return duties.
Ken from Hamburg asks: How are the LA Rams managing to fit high-priced players such as Myles Garrett, Matthew Stafford, Puka Nacua, Trent McDuffie and newly unretired Aaron Donald under the cap?
Jay: According to sports business website spotrac.com, the Rams have less than $1 million in cap room at the moment – $971,608 to be exact. That ranks No. 28 in the NFL, one spot ahead of the Bills, who at No. 27 have $1.855 million in space.
10 takeaways from the Bills' initial 53-man roster: Cornerback depth is thin
10 takeaways from the Bills' initial 53-man roster: Cornerback depth is thin
Let’s take a look at the cap hits of the Rams players you mentioned, Ken. Stafford has the highest cap hit on the team at $48.26 million. McDuffie is No. 8 at $10.8 million. Garrett is No. 11 at $8.44 million. Nacua is No. 16 at $5.828 million. When Donald is added to the active roster from the two-week exempt list, he’ll slot in right behind Nacua at No. 17 with a $5.826 million cap hit. So, how do the Rams do it? By focusing on today and not worrying about tomorrow. Stafford’s contract is in line with what you’d expect the NFL MVP to be paid. McDuffie’s cap hit balloons from $10.8 million this season to $30.8 million next season. Garrett’s cap hits under the five-year extension he signed with Los Angles go like this: $8.44 million, $15.024 million, $27.577 million, $39.875 million and $48.173 million. The cap will rise over that time, but by the fourth and fifth years of that deal, it’s possible the Rams will either extend or release Garrett. Nacua is still on his rookie contract and due a massive extension, so fitting him in right now isn’t a problem. Conceivably, paying him No. 1 receiver money will be on his next deal. As for Donald, his contract is a classic example of kicking the can down the road. It includes nearly $10 million in not-likely-to-be-earned incentives. If Donald reaches any of those, that money will count against next year’s salary cap for the Rams. As it stands, Donald will count $18 million against the cap in 2027, even though he’s not under contract. That’s a pretty big price to pay, but will be worth it for the Rams if they win the Super Bowl.