Shane Buechele of the Buffalo Bills scrambles with the ball
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Shane Buechele of the Buffalo Bills scrambles with the ball
A breakout performance in the final preseason game wasn’t enough to earn Shane Buechele a spot on the Buffalo Bills‘ roster.
The team announced that their former practice squad quarterback had been waived, with the move coming just a day before the deadline for final roster cuts. The Bills held an open competition for the backup quarterback job and Buechele made a strong bid for it with a stellar game in the preseason finale, but the Bills instead turned to a familiar face to back up Josh Allen.
Bills Part Ways With Shane Buechele … For Now
After pitting veterans Mike White and Mitch Trubisky against each other for the No. 2 job, the former practice squad quarterback Buechele got a chance to shine in the final preseason game. Buechele played all of the final contest against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, completing 25-of-30 passes for 278 yards and a touchdown.
The performance earned some praise from head coach Sean McDermott.
“I thought Shane had great command of the game,” McDermott said. “We moved the ball down the field, scored points, controlled clock.”
The team scored of five of its eight drives with Buechele at the helm, and the former practice squad quarterback said he was happy for the opportunity.
“It was my first time ever playing a full game in the NFL,” Buechele said. “It was a lot of fun, man.”
Some analysts suggested that the Bills could tap Buechele for the backup job, a cheaper option than either Trubisky or White. Both veterans had struggled at times during the preseason, which could have also paved the way for Buechele to take over.
But the Bills released Buechele first of the quarterback group, then cut ties with White. That handed the backup job to Trubisky, who returned to the Bills in 2024 after having spent the 2021 season as Allen’s understudy.
Mitch Trubisky Returns to Familiar Role
The Bills have shown trust in Trubisky, taking an aggressive approach to recruit him to the team in 2021. Even though Trubisky had opportunities to compete for starting jobs after leaving the Chicago Bears, Buffalo’s front office sold him on the opportunity to work with the coaching staff that had just developed Allen into a breakout star, then returning to the open market the next season to once again compete for starting jobs.
Trubisky did end up signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers as their starter, but eventually lost the job to Kenny Pickett.
As Ryan Miller of the Democrat & Chronicle noted, Trubisky also has some deep personal ties with Allen.
“Josh Allen and Trubisky remained friends when Trubisky went to Pittsburgh,” Miller wrote. “Allen attended Trubisky and his wife’s gender reveal party during their season as teammates. After Trubisky went to Pittsburgh, he surprised Allen on a golf trip to celebrate Allen’s birthday and on that same trip, a photo of Allen holding Trubisky’s newborn baby went viral.”
Buechele has also been close with Allen, spending time with the quarterback in the offseasons in the past. He is likely a strong candidate to return to the practice squad, where he spent time in 2023 and likely would have returned last season before suffering a season-ending neck injury.