The Buffalo Bills are officially down to 53 players.
With those cuts came a few surprise decisions made by Brandon Beane and the front office.
Did they make the right choices? Only time will tell. For now, here’s a grade for every major roster decision the Bills made on cutdown day.
Two Defensive Standouts Miss the Cut
Two of the team’s most shocking releases were linebacker Keonta Jenkins and cornerback Kani Walker. Both enjoyed impressive offseasons almost exclusively running with the second team defense.
In the end, the Bills gave the nod to the hometown kid, Joe Andreessen, for the fourth and final off-ball linebacker spot. The team’s unofficial depth charts all offseason indicated he was a second-team linebacker, even though the practice reps told a different story.
Andreessen has showed his value on special teams and defending the run, but still has a long way to go in developing his pass coverage skills. Meanwhile, Jenkins played safety at Virginia Tech, giving him the upper hand defending the pass.
The undrafted Walker seemed to be ahead of seventh rounder Toriano Pride from the beginning, seeing his camp flashes translate on the field when he jumped a screen pass for an interception against the Panthers in the preseason.
If the Bills kept a fourth boundary corner, it probably would’ve been Walker. But he also lacks the athleticism most prospects need to survive in the NFL, which is likely why he wasn’t claimed off of waivers while Pride was.
Cutting Jenkins – Grade: C
Cutting Walker – Grade: B
No Fullback, but a Fourth Tight End
When the Bills released Jackson Acker, Ben VanSumeren appeared to have won the position battle and secured a roster spot.
Instead, Buffalo’s initial 53 went without a fullback, with Keleki Latu making the cut as a fourth tight end. VanSumeren has since signed with Kansas City’s practice squad, meaning the Bills might head into Week 1 without a FB in the organization.
Latu’s a solid depth tight end but only has four career catches and is firmly behind Buffalo’s top three at the position.
If the Bills plan to use either Latu or Jackson Hawes in more of a fullback role, that should’ve been something they tested during the preseason.
Keeping Latu over VanSumeren – Grade: C
Javon Solomon AND Mike Danna
When the Bills brought in veteran Mike Danna, many (myself included) believed it was to push Javon Solomon for the fifth final edge rusher spot.
In the end, the Bills kept both, and it makes sense why they did.
Danna has virtually no special teams experience, with just 335 snaps across his six year career. Solomon on the other hand has played 519 in just two seasons.
On the flip side, Danna is a much more proven commodity. He’s helped the Chiefs win two Super Bowls, has 21.5 career sacks in 49 starts and even tallied two sacks in the preseason this summer.
If there’s one thing the last two Super Bowl champs have shown, it’s that teams need multiple waves of pass rushers to disrupt opposing offenses. The Bills look to possess that depth with both Danna’s experience and Solomon’s upside.
Keeping Solomon and Danna – Grade: A
No WR6
In a battle between Mecole Hardman, Dante Pettis and Trent Sherfield, there were zero winners. Buffalo’s initial 53 man roster has just five wide receivers.
The team will either utilize Ray Davis as their punt returner, use Khalil Shakir as a security option or experiment with Keon Coleman. All three offer more outside of special teams than what Hardman, Pettis or Sherfield do.
Just because the team has only five wideouts for now, that doesn’t mean they won’t have other names in the mix at some point this season. Reports indicate that both Ja’Mori Maclin and Stephen Gosnell will be back on the practice squad, and the team is also signing veteran Greg Dortch.
Hardman was a fun gadget player, but was too inconsistent and unreliable. Pettis was a solid veteran addition this summer, but he’s not a needle mover at the position. Sherfield would’ve primarily contributed as a special teamer, but the team chose to lean on Sam Franklin, Solomon and Andreessen (among others) instead.
Keeping Five WRs – Grade: B
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