The NFL’s deadline to reduce rosters to their regular-season limits has passed. The Bills pared down to 53 players on their active roster, signaling the 2025 regular season has arrived.
Who made the team, and what led to the Bills making those decisions? How do some of the positions look now that we have the early-season answers?
Here is a complete analysis of the Bills’ initial 2025 active roster.
Quarterback (2)
Josh Allen, Mitchell Trubisky
The Bills showed their hand in the preseason finale that the backup quarterback competition was over when they didn’t use either Trubisky or Mike White. Trubisky had been the better quarterback of the two over the final two weeks of preseason and training camp, which led the Bills to make Trubisky the backup to Allen for the third time over the last five years. As the Bills have spoken highly about White and Shane Buechele, it would not be a surprise if they tried to carry two quarterbacks on the practice squad this season.
Released: Mike White
Waived: Shane Buechele
Running back (4)
James Cook, Ray Davis, Ty Johnson, Reggie Gilliam (FB)
Although Frank Gore Jr. had a nice summer and preseason, keeping four traditional running backs was always a long shot. Cook, Davis and Johnson will all have their specific roles on offense, much like they did in 2024, and the Bills will likely try to get Gore back to the practice squad.
Waived: Frank Gore Jr.
Wide receiver (6)
Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, Joshua Palmer, Elijah Moore, Curtis Samuel, Tyrell Shavers
The answer fans were waiting for arrived Tuesday. Shavers, who Bills head coach Sean McDermott raved about during training camp and put together an outstanding preseason, has made the initial 53-man roster. Shavers gives the Bills someone who played at all three receiver positions during camp and provides excellent depth, while also showing special teams ability late in the preseason. Outside of the Bills keeping six receivers, there weren’t any surprises at receiver. Both Moore and Samuel have a fully guaranteed base salary in 2025 and have built a good rapport with Allen during the summer practices they participated in. The team hopes Samuel can continue to build on his strong late-season performances from 2024.
Released: Laviska Shenault, KJ Hamler
Waived: Kristian Wilkerson, Stephen Gosnell, Deon Cain
Tight end (3)
Dawson Knox, Dalton Kincaid, Jackson Hawes
Much like it was at running back, there wasn’t much of a decision at tight end for the Bills. Knox and Kincaid will be staples on offense, as Hawes could be game day active for special teams and mix in on a handful of offensive snaps throughout the game. Hawes’ strength is as a blocker, so he would be a compelling game day option. The Bills wouldn’t have to rely as heavily on jumbo packages with six offensive linemen on the field.
Waived: Zach Davidson, Keleki Latu
Offensive line (9)
Dion Dawkins, David Edwards, Connor McGovern, O’Cyrus Torrence, Spencer Brown, Alec Anderson, Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, Chase Lundt, Ryan Van Demark
The Bills were able to keep all 10 of the offensive linemen they wanted; they just had to make one tiny sacrifice to do it and keep a roster spot available for another position. Second-year player Tylan Grable, whom the Bills are extremely high on, is heading to injured reserve to begin the season. Grable has been in concussion protocol, and rather than trying to rush him back to play within the first month of the season, they’ll keep him on IR for at least the first four weeks.
Grable did practice in a non-contact jersey for the first two of three sessions last week, but was not spotted on the field during the third practice. Putting Grable on IR means the Bills will likely look to Van Demark to be their top reserve offensive tackle, with Anderson as their top interior backup. The Bills are planning to sign veteran interior offensive lineman Kendrick Green to their practice squad if another team doesn’t come calling for the 53-man roster, according to a league source. It would not be a surprise to see Green get used for game day call-ups early in the season as Van Pran-Granger ramps up from his injury. The Bills activated Van Pran-Granger from the physically unable to perform list, despite the second-year player not practicing once this summer due to a calf injury.
Injured reserve (designated to return): Tylan Grable
Released: Dan Feeney, Kendrick Green
Waived: Mike Edwards, Richard Gouraige, Travis Clayton, Jacob Bayer
A.J. Epenesa will be the top backup defensive end, at least while Michael Hoecht is serving a six-game suspension. (Shawn Dowd / USA Today)
Defensive end (5)
Greg Rousseau, Joey Bosa, A.J. Epenesa, Javon Solomon, Landon Jackson
With Epenesa proving this summer that he’s firmly the team’s top backup defensive end for at least the first six games, it removed any idea that the Bills could try to trade him to free up a roster spot. Solomon proved to be an asset on special teams last year and continued to show his ability as a pass rusher throughout the summer, making him an easy keep and likely to be active every week. The 2025 third-round pick Jackson has raw ability, though he didn’t challenge Epenesa at all in the summer. The big question will be where the Bills find a roster spot for Michael Hoecht once his six-game suspension is over, but that’s a long way down the road in NFL terms.
Reserve/Suspended: Michael Hoecht
Waived: Paris Shand
Defensive tackle (5)
Ed Oliver, DaQuan Jones, T.J. Sanders, Deone Walker, DeWayne Carter
There was some intrigue at defensive tackle earlier in the week when the team signed Jordan Phillips once again, though the practice squad was always the direction and thought process behind bringing in the soon-to-be 33-year-old. The Bills want to see how their three young players, Sanders, Walker and Carter, develop behind the two clear starters in 2025. By the time Larry Ogunjobi’s suspension is over in six weeks, the Bills will have a much better idea about how this group is performing. If it’s playing well enough, it makes you wonder where the roster spot will come from for Ogunjobi, because six defensive tackles — all of whom do not play special teams — is a difficult thing to carry. For now, that’s another problem for another day.
Reserve/Suspended: Larry Ogunjobi
Released: Jordan Phillips
Waived: Zion Logue, Marcus Harris, Casey Rogers
Linebacker (5)
Terrel Bernard, Matt Milano, Dorian Williams, Joe Andreessen, Shaq Thompson
The biggest intrigue of the group was with Thompson, who played for McDermott in Carolina and looked good in training camp before sustaining a hamstring injury. Thompson will provide the Bills with another veteran presence in the linebacker room and a potential option for them to turn to should Williams or Andreessen struggle in spot start duty. It remains to be seen how much he’ll be used on special teams. Jimmy Ciarlo, who was featured on “Hard Knocks” last week, looks like a rock-solid practice squad player. The team’s practice squad could be a future option for Edefuan Ulofoshio, a fifth-round pick in 2024.
Waived: Jimmy Ciarlo, Keonta Jenkins, Edefuan Ulofoshio
Nickel (2)
Taron Johnson, Cam Lewis
Johnson is one of the most important defenders on the team, and Lewis is one of the most important special teams and defensive depth players on the roster. The Bills likely didn’t give much thought to parting with either of them.
Waived: None
Cornerback (4)
Christian Benford, Tre’Davious White, Dorian Strong, Ja’Marcus Ingram
The biggest answer of the day was given on rookie Maxwell Hairston and White. For Hairston, beginning the year on injured reserve means he’s out from practice and games for the first four weeks. Although it will cost him more practice time, this clears a roster spot and removes any pressure to return early from his injury. White avoiding IR is a big win for the Bills after he left the final practice of training camp early with a lower leg injury. Whether White will be ready for Week 1 is a different conversation.
The first reported cut of the morning was Dane Jackson, who spent his first four seasons with the Bills before signing as a free agent with the Panthers in 2024. His return to Buffalo didn’t go as planned in 2025, but there could be roster gymnastics at play. Rather than subjecting Ingram — Jackson’s main opponent for the final cornerback spot — to waivers, they instead chose to cut Jackson. Ingram spent all of last season on the 53-man roster, and he could have been an attractive waiver claim target. Because Jackson is a vested veteran, he is not subject to waivers and could be re-signed to the practice squad if no other team signs him to the 53-man roster.
Injured reserve (designated to return): Maxwell Hairston
Released: Dane Jackson
Waived: Daequan Hardy
Safety (4)
Taylor Rapp, Cole Bishop, Damar Hamlin, Jordan Hancock
The Bills are moving forward with Rapp and Bishop as their starting safeties, with Hamlin as experienced depth, and Hancock as the intriguing young player with potential. The team signed Darrick Forrest before drafting Hancock, and as camp progressed, it was clear that when the rookie lined up at safety, he was playing at an advanced level for his NFL experience. Forrest never really stood out during the summer. The Bills may look to sign a different safety to their practice squad.
Released: Darrick Forrest
Specialist (4)
Tyler Bass (K), Brad Robbins (P), Reid Ferguson (LS), Brandon Codrington (KR/PR)
Having two suspended players allowed the Bills to keep one or two luxury positions to begin the season, and Codrington qualifies as one of them because his only likely function is as a returner. He was their best answer at punt returner this summer, which is probably the most prominent reason for him to stick, though he faced competition for kickoff return duties from rostered players Ray Davis and Ty Johnson. Keeping Codrington removes any temptation to put the punt returner duties on Shakir immediately, as Shakir has missed all of August with a high ankle sprain. If the Bills don’t have any long-term injuries when Hairston, Grable, Hoecht or Ogunjobi need to come back, Codrington could be one they consider releasing from the 53-man roster.
Waived: None
(Top photo of Tyrell Shavers: Kim Klement Neitzel / Imagn Images)
Source link
