Predicting a Buffalo Bills 53-man roster for 2025 before final cutdowns

The Buffalo Bills have to pare down their roster to 53 active players by 4 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, August 26. It’s a painstaking process that takes annually takes the wind from head coach Sean McDermott and the rest of Buffalo’s coaches, as well general manager Brandon Beane. It’s a reality check that the NFL is a business, and that there’s a league-wide total of 1,696 roster spots to be had at any one time among the 32 NFL clubs.

There’s not a lot to discuss at the top of this group. It’s a trio that’s been well-established since early in the offseason. Shakir was Allen’s favorite target in 2024; Coleman has been hyped (and shown) all summer long as a Year 2 breakout candidate; Palmer brings a deep threat as an all-around receiver on the same page as Allen.

Where things become challenging is at the back half of the list. Tyrell Shavers has made his case for the roster this season, and the Bills shouldn’t risk exposing him to waivers in hope of hiding him on the practice squad. At this point, Shavers should be viewed more as a lock than a surprise addition.

Curtis Samuel makes this roster only because of his salary, and what outright releasing him would mean for the team’s cap. He’s proven anything other than durable and dependable. If I’m the head coach making roster decisions, Samuel has done immense harm his roster status this summer. The old adage that “the best ability is availability” perfectly suits Samuel’s situation. Short of sounding like a Drill Sargent here, missing the final preseason game due to illness instead of continuing to get up to speed doesn’t sit well with me (unless we’re talking uninterrupted time in a bathroom, of course). Buffalo can’t even afford to send Samuel to IR now since he’s not currently injured; doing so might actually harm their ability to work out a trade if that’s in the cards. The best hope may be to feature Samuel early and often, and work on a trade option to get out from his salary this season and/or next.

Beyond Samuel, I have to view the team’s roster through the lens of a McDermott list. What’s most important with depth receivers? Special teams — another area where Shavers figures to mix in. But that’s also true of Laviska Shenault, who brings a unique element as a kickoff returner with size and potential to develop into an offensive threat.

PS: Elijah Moore is a top priority, but he may not clear waivers if another team believes in his potential. To be clear, Moore has plenty of it — but he has yet to show enough with the Bills. It’s difficult keeping him off the active roster, in truth. We haven’t seen him in a game setting catching passes from Allen. Given enough time to develop as a player in offensive coordinator Joe Brady’s system, Moore might be just who Buffalo needs.

Again, no surprises with the top two spots. Kincaid should continue developing chemistry with Allen and further cement his status as a true pass-catching nightmare at tight end. Knox is a far better player than most of Bills Mafia wishes to consider, but much of that’s due to his contract and status as one half of a TE duo. The contract vs. production isn’t so much Knox’s fault as it is how the team uses him (and Kincaid). In many ways, this room could put a lot of stress on Joe Brady, who really needs to figure out how to best-use both DKs.

Davidson is perhaps a surprise here, given the flags he drew and inconsistent preseason tape. I’m taking into consideration what the Bills prioritized in TE3 before moving on from Quintin Morris this offseason. He was a pass-catching tight end, and someone who saw a fair bit of action in the red zone. That I see Davidson in such a scenario over Kincaid or Knox isn’t true. I do view Davidson as a more complementary player to DK2 and in the mold of Morris.

Where Davidson fits, I see Jackson Hawes as a liability in his rookie season. I also don’t predict Hawes to draw a ton of attention on waivers and a likely candidate to land on Buffalo’s practice squad as a developmental prospect as a pseudo lineman.

Another group that’s fair easy to predict. The starting five return from 2024, and there’s zero reason to shake things up among them. Reserves in Anderson and Van Demark (plus Sedrick Van Pran-Granger currently on PUP, who doesn’t count toward active roster yet) have shown well in limited action.

The Bills will look to mold Lundt this season as one of the team’s draft picks with certain potential. A lot of tough decisions here with great talent and potential top to bottom. Buffalo looks to retain most of the room, utilizing the practice squad as much as possible. With just eight on the active roster, here’s to counting on continued health in 2025.

Defensive End / Edge Rusher (5)

Things here are quite clear, and any surprise might have to come from an outside signing. This room is set, in my opinion, with newcomers Bosa (a proven, if occasionally injured, commodity) and Jackson (a project). The biggest questions among the holdovers from 2024 revolve around their ability to improve and step up in huge moments. For Solomon, though, it’s really just about getting on the field more to show that he’s a long-term investment for the Bills.

Remember, Hoecht is suspended the first six games of the season, but he should provide a huge boost to the group upon his return in Week 7.

Prior to publishing this speculative look at the roster, news trickled out that old friend Jordan Phillips was set to make his fourth return to the Bills, and as part of the 53-man roster. Since that news is not yet official but widely shared by beat reporters, Phillips lands on this prediction as a bit of a “lock cheat” on my part.

I’m not yet certain what the addition of Phillips (and to the active roster instead of the PS) means for the room in general. Who’s the odd man out, or are they actually going to carry six defensive tackles on the 53? Is the move to shed salary, parting ways with Jones? That carries some discussion weight. I don’t see his move to retire, because why else would he have gone through the trouble of taking part in all offseason work?

Is there a potential trade in the works with someone, for, perhaps, Carter? Is Phillips coming in to account for the six-game void created by Ogunjobi’s suspension? That seems reasonable, but it doesn’t change the difficult task of active roster decisions for this group of DTs. Perhaps the team is concerned that Walker is more a pass rusher than a run stuffer. To me, that shouldn’t be a concern, instead more of a paradigm shift in his development plan.

Before this news, I’d have written that every defensive tackle listed above (PLUS DaQuan Jones) was as good a lock as betting on an inch of snow before Christmas in Western New York. Now though?

So who is still a roster lock? Ed Oliver. Aside from the Buffalo Cowboy, this room is now TBD until it’s officially set. Perhaps they really do plan to carry six, but right now I unfortunately see DaQuan Jones as the one headed elsewhere unless something different is going on that we aren’t aware of yet.

The biggest surprise here is not including Edefuan Ulofoshio. He’s shown well as a special teams contributor, but he appears behind Joe Andreessen in the pecking order at linebacker. Many will call for Jimmy Ciarlo (and I’m a fan), but I don’t believe that his impressive preseason performance against the Buccaneers is enough to win an active roster role. Not over anyone listed above, at least. Ulofoshio and Ciarlo should both be priority PS signings.

Knowing what we do about this group, keep your fingers crossed for a healthy 2025 season.

Okay, now things get interesting. At full health, this room shakes out pretty clear, but we still don’t know Hairston’s timetable to return. Now, we also have to await word on White’s lower-leg injury. Depending on severity, that could mean a quick heal time as part of the active roster, or shutting him down to start the season with an IR/Return designation. No one wants that, so keep crossing those fingers.

Many saw Jackson’s snaps in Tampa Bay as a bad omen for his days with Buffalo. I see it differently, due to the room’s health situation. It may have been that instead, the Bills wanted to get Jackson more reps to better-acclimate to playing a bigger role. Yes, that also meant exposing him further to potential injury. But, that didn’t happen. I say Jackson makes this team based on his history with McDermott.

Hairston doesn’t count toward the active roster until he returns off IR.

There are still a lot of questions with the safety room, but the roster spots feel pretty set in stone. Rapp needs to play smarter over tougher in certain situations so he can remain available. Bishop needs to avoid bad injury luck, and Hamlin’s best role is as a hard hitter on run downs. Hancock should be fully healthy by Week 1 and he represents developmental potential at safety as a rookie draft pick.

This is a fun room. No real surprises about its makeup, other than to note that the emergency options play a significant role in how my active 53 was built. I see Codrington making this team as a player who showed well in 2024, turning his speed and leveraging quick decisions for chunk returns.

Remember, Shenault made the cut here as a wide receiver but he’ll play a significant ST kickoff snaps, which could also be true of Davis. Plus, add in Reggie Gilliam as a special teams mainstay, and you have a meaningful core of special teamers. McDermott prioritizes the game’s third phase, brought in the esteemed Chris Tabor (who has ties to Shenault), and is undoubtedly looking for big improvement from ST in general.

Buffalo Bills 16-man Practice Squad

Including DaQuan Jones here feels completely wrong. But if he’s not traded in a move to shed salary and the team cuts ties to him at his current salary, perhaps they’ve discussed bringing him back in on the PS to keep ready when needed. Would Jones even accept such a demotion, adding in the time he spent working in the offseason and with the ones? I don’t see it, but this is just a thought exercise, and I’m looking for a silver lining for all parties. Well, all parties aside from Jones’ wallet, unfortunately.

Whatever comes to be at defensive tackle will be, and it could mean someone else moving on with Jones staying put exactly where he’s been expected to play. Jones wouldn’t have to clear waivers and could choose to sign wherever he wanted.

It’s tough seeing Gore continue to live in this space, as he does bring a lot of talent and an undisputed pedigree to the table. Gore just has the unfortunate reality of playing for the most loaded position room with Buffalo. I’d have loved to add in running back Elijah Young, and the team may well do just that. For now, I had to make room for Kendrick Green (who I wanted on the active roster) since there’s a logjam at defensive tackle with Jordan Phillips re-entering the picture.

I’d also love to see the Bills sign rookie kicker Caden Davis to the practice squad, but this list is full for now.

It’s your turn to predict the Bills’ 53-man roster!

That’s it from me on the Buffalo Bills’ potential roster to begin the 2025 regular season. Remember, a roster set for Week 1 is rarely set in stone all season due to the unpredictability of the NFL.

What are your thoughts on my decisions, and where would you change up personnel? Get in the comments section below and chat with your fellow Rumblers — let’s see those 53-man predictions!