Bills final 53-man roster projection: Decisions at wide receiver, injury complications at CB

With the Buffalo Bills’ only exhibition victory of 2025, a 23-19 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers featuring mostly backups, the preseason has come to a close.

Now all the attention turns to Bills general manager Brandon Beane, who now has to get the team down to the 53-man roster by 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday. Even more than last year, the Bills have some difficult choices for their final spots.

Who will make the 53-man roster this time around? Here is our final Bills projection ahead of final cuts.

Quarterback (2)

Josh Allen, Mitchell Trubisky

The Bills decided against using the third preseason game as a chance to continue the backup competition, meaning they’ve already made their decision. With the way it’s looked during both preseason games and practices, Trubisky has been the superior player to Mike White. The Bills will likely try to get White back to their practice squad, just as they did last year.

Released: Mike White
Waived: Shane Buechele

Running back (4)

James Cook, Ray Davis, Ty Johnson, Reggie Gilliam (FB)

Like last year, the Bills will continue with the Cook, Davis and Johnson trio, with Gilliam as a trusted piece to play fullback. Frank Gore Jr. had some nice moments, but another year on the practice squad seems the most likely outcome.

Waived: Frank Gore Jr., Elijah Young

Wide receiver (6)

Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, Joshua Palmer, Elijah Moore, Curtis Samuel, Tyrell Shavers

All eyes are on the Bills with their decision at wide receiver. The one thing we do know is that Shakir, Coleman and Palmer are their top three. From there, it gets a little interesting. Moore has been available and has worked a ton with Allen throughout the summer, and seems like a natural backup to Shakir. Moore also has a fully guaranteed $2.5 million contract and seems like the best bet of the final three listed to make the team.

Samuel is the most interesting decision on the team. Over the entire summer, the Bills have had all three practices of information on Samuel in full pads. He did not play in the first two preseason games and did not travel with the team to Tampa Bay due to an illness, despite being expected to play. McDermott has preached about availability and special teams, two things that work against Samuel. However, the receiver looked solid in those three practices, has familiarity with offensive coordinator Joe Brady and has a fully guaranteed base salary of $6.91 million. The most likely outcome at this point is that Samuel either makes the team or the Bills trade him elsewhere. There isn’t a compelling enough player to cut him outright for, but if the Bills could get a draft pick and 2025 cap relief for him, that might be enough to move on.

The rest of the group, if they keep six, boils down to Shavers against Laviska Shenault, who had opposite evenings Saturday. While Shavers showed well again on offense, including a highlight-reel one-handed touchdown catch, Shenault got little time on offense and proved to be a liability on special teams coverage units — his best avenue of making the team. Shavers also showed some versatility on several special teams units. Bills coach Sean McDermott has raved about Shavers’ work ethic. Shavers has stood out all summer. He plays all three receiver positions and seems like a perfect example of a player the Bills love to reward with a spot on the 53-man roster.

Injured Reserve: Stephen Gosnell

Released: Laviska Shenault, KJ Hamler
Waived: Kristian Wilkerson, Deon Cain
Waived/Injured: Grant DuBose

Tight end (3)

Dawson Knox, Dalton Kincaid, Jackson Hawes

Another easy group to determine. Knox, Kincaid and Hawes will all make the team, and Hawes could become a good special teams piece early in his career. The other tight ends on the team, regardless of Zach Davidson’s punting skills, don’t have a compelling enough case to make the 53-man roster this year.

Waived: Keleki Latu, Zach Davidson, Matt Sokol

Offensive line (9)

Dion Dawkins, David Edwards, Connor McGovern, O’Cyrus Torrence, Spencer Brown, Alec Anderson, Tylan Grable, Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, Chase Lundt

This group has different layers. Grable is in concussion protocol, while Van Pran-Granger has yet to practice this summer due to a calf injury. However, despite the two injuries, I have both making the team to begin the year, rather than an injury list, based on some context clues. Grable participated in a pair of practices this week, which showed some progress in concussion protocol. Van Pran-Granger, despite not practicing, was ticketed to possibly be ready for the Buccaneers game and has been working along the sidelines for several weeks. Putting Van Pran-Granger on the physically unable to perform list (PUP) automatically keeps him out for four weeks to begin the year, and his return may be earlier than that. In the meantime, they can do some practice squad elevations with Kendrick Green until Van Pran-Granger is ready.

The other decision point is whether to keep Lundt, Ryan Van Demark or both. Keeping both will be difficult, especially with some stress on the roster to keep more players elsewhere. If the Bills were to only keep five receivers, either by trading Samuel or cutting one of the six listed, that could pave the way for Van Demark to stick. However, if they only keep nine offensive linemen, Lundt has played well enough — including how he looked at left tackle in the preseason finale — to make the Bills want to keep the rookie sixth-round pick away from waivers. With a league thirsty for depth offensive linemen, Van Demark could fetch a Day 3 pick in a trade, which is what I have them doing for the final roster projection. For all his pre-cutdown day deals, Beane has flipped a depth offensive lineman more than any other position.

Projected Trade: Ryan Van Demark to Falcons for 2026 6th round pick

Released: Kendrick Green, Dan Feeney
Waived: Mike Edwards, Richard Gouraige, Travis Clayton, Jacob Bayer, Rush Reimer

Defensive end (5)

Greg Rousseau, Joey Bosa, A.J. Epenesa, Javon Solomon, Landon Jackson

Solomon has done enough on defense and special teams to stick on the 53-man roster, and may even be active on game days ahead of Jackson to open up the year. The Bills will need to figure something out for a roster spot when Michael Hoecht is ready to return from his six-game suspension, but it likely isn’t coming from this defensive end group if all are healthy.

Reserve/Suspended list: Michael Hoecht

Waived: Paris Shand, Nelson Ceaser

Defensive tackle (5)

Ed Oliver, DaQuan Jones, T.J. Sanders, Deone Walker, DeWayne Carter

With Oliver, Jones, Sanders and Walker all locks for the roster. Externally, there are some questions about Carter, the team’s 2024 third-round pick, but it would be a relative surprise for them to cut him before his second season even begins. Carter has been passed on the depth chart by Walker in recent weeks, as the rookie defensive tackle has really flashed some potential during preseason games, but Carter can help the overall depth in the event of injury. The Bills have used him at both three-technique and one-technique throughout the summer, making him a suitable rotational substitute should there be an injury.

The bigger decision is what to do with veteran Larry Ogunjobi. He hasn’t popped in a big way, and when his six-game suspension is over, it potentially puts the Bills in a roster bind with six defensive tackles, all of whom do not play special teams. If the Bills moved on ahead of final cuts, they would save over $1 million on their cap before another contract takes its place. They could always hang onto him until Week 7, see where the roster sits and decide then, but they wouldn’t get the immediate cap relief. I have them holding on for now and deciding later, but I wouldn’t be surprised by either outcome.

Reserve/Suspended list: Larry Ogunjobi

Waived: Zion Logue, Marcus Harris, Casey Rogers

Linebacker (5)

Terrel Bernard, Matt Milano, Dorian Williams, Joe Andreessen, Shaq Thompson

Bernard, Milano and Williams are all locks, and Andreessen is a strong bet to make the team for special teams reasons, too. It really comes down to keeping five or six linebackers, and then which of the remaining linebackers is atop the list. Even though he’s dealt with a hamstring injury, having the experience and versatility of Shaq Thompson in the room will be a big draw for the Bills, and Thompson also showed during training camp that he has plenty of game left, too. With only five kept, it leaves room for a pair of linebackers to be kept on the practice squad. Ciarlo has been good on special teams, and Jenkins seems like a good developmental player — both have made cases to stick, with Jenkins potentially being a free stash on IR. This could be the end of the line for Ulofoshio, a fifth-round pick in 2024 for the Bills.

Injured Reserve: Keonta Jenkins

Waived: Jimmy Ciarlo, Edefuan Ulofoshio

Nickel (2)

Taron Johnson, Cam Lewis

This is an easy duo that requires no further thought from the Bills. Johnson is the unquestioned starter, Lewis is his primary backup, and a key piece of their special teams units.

Waived: None

Cornerback (4)

Christian Benford, Tre’Davious White, Dorian Strong, Ja’Marcus Ingram

The White and Maxwell Hairston injuries complicate things, which might push the Bills closer to starting Hairston on injured reserve. They’ll want to keep four boundary cornerbacks, and whoever doesn’t make it, they’ll want back on the practice squad. Strong, with the flashes he’s shown, appears to be a lock. It comes down to Ingram against Jackson, and the tiebreaker here is that Ingram would hit waivers, while Jackson is a vested veteran and can sign anywhere immediately — the Bills would likely try to get him to the practice squad. The Bills also have two more years of roster control with Ingram. If the Bills are at full health for either Hairston’s or Hoecht’s return, Ingram could be a name they consider cutting.

Injured reserve: Maxwell Hairston

Released: Dane Jackson
Waived: Daequan Hardy, Zy Alexander, Garnett Hollis Jr.

Safety (4)

Taylor Rapp, Cole Bishop, Damar Hamlin, Jordan Hancock

Rapp and Bishop are the likely starters to begin the season, with Hamlin as their primary backup. Hancock has shown a lot of ability at the position, and when he gets to full health, he should factor into special teams upon his return. Even if Hancock is injured to begin the year, Cam Lewis will be their de facto fourth safety.

Released: Darrick Forrest, Tre Herndon

Specialists (4)

Tyler Bass (K), Brad Robbins (P), Reid Ferguson (LS), KR/PR Brandon Codrington

I included Brandon Codrington with the specialists group because, like Bass, Robbins and Ferguson, Codrington is a one-function return specialist asset only. For the Bills to keep Codrington, they’d have to consider him their best returner option. To make it worth their time, they’d need a clear path to him being game day active every single week. That last part will make it a bit more difficult without any injuries, but the Bills have some of those now. Codrington is someone they could cut to make room for a suspended player down the line, too, but for now, he sticks.

Waived: None

Practice Squad (17)**

QB Mike White, QB Shane Buechele, RB Frank Gore Jr., WR Laviska Shenault, WR Kristian Wilkerson, TE Keleki Latu, TE Zach Davidson, IOL Kendrick Green, G Mike Edwards, T/G Richard Gouraige, OT Travis Clayton (International Pathway Program), DE Paris Shand, DT Zion Logue, LB Jimmy Ciarlo, CB Dane Jackson, CB Zy Alexander, S Tre Herndon

**This is a Bills-only practice squad. It is far more likely that the team will bring in a few players from other rosters to their Week 1 practice squad, but most of the group will consist of Bills cuts.

(Top photo of Tyrell Shavers: Kim Klement Neitzel / Imagn Images)