Training Camp is history. Shane Buechele has a wonderful memory and the footage to show his grandchildren someday. The banged-up Bills are healing for the most part, but another setback for Tre White is troubling and has significant roster implications. The Bills’ brain trust have tough decisions before Tuesday.
Isn’t one of the perks of Bills Mafia membership a license to armchair GM and Coach? The annual August roster debates over a pint or two are a long-standing tradition. The “lower body injury” of Tre White now dominates the news cycle. For now, Tre is penciled in, but my ‘Spidey’ sense says we might see the return of Rasul Douglas if the news is bad. Anyhow, here is MY 2025 Bills roster:
QB-2: Josh Allen, Mitch Trubisky
RB-4: James Cook, Ray Davis, Ty Johnson, Reggie Gilliam
WR-7: Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, Josh Palmer, Curtis Samuel, Eli Moore, Tyrell Shavers, Laviska Shenault
TE-3: Dalton Kincaid, Dawson Knox, Jackson Hawes
OL-9: Dion Dawkins, David Edwards, Connor McGovern, O’Cyrus Torrence, Spencer Brown, Tylan Grable, Alec Anderson, Ryan VanDemark, Kendrick Green
DL-10: Gregory Rousseau, Ed Oliver, DaQuan Jones, Joey Bosa, AJ Epenesa, TJ Sanders, Deone Walker, Javon Solomon, DeWayne Carter, Landon Jackson
LB-5: Terrell Bernard, Matt Milano, Dorian Williams, Joe Andreessen, Jimmy Ciarlo
DB-10: Christian Benford, Tre White, Taron Johnson, Taylor Rapp, Cole Bishop, Cam Lewis, Jordan Hancock, Damar Hamlin, Dorian Strong, Ja’Marcus Ingram
ST-3: Tyler Bass, Brad Robbins, Reid Ferguson
IR-2: Max Hairston, Sedrick Van Pran Granger
Suspended: Michael Hoecht, Larry Ogunjobi
Notes:
QB-Nothing to see here. Including Shane Buechele on the Practice Squad, all three QBs return from last season. Hopefully Mike White gets an NFC backup job!
RB: Also cut and dried. If Gore is claimed from the Bills’ practice squad, Elijah Young has very good timing.
WR: I would like to dispute the narrative that the line should be drawn in Buffalo between WR3 and WR4-8. If Tyrell Shavers is good enough to make the roster, then he is likely to be challenging Josh Palmer and Curtis Samuel for snaps. I think a lot of the Shavers fan club perceive that his path to the roster was through Eli Moore, but I disagree.
The Bills used to have too many Smurfs, but one should always have a place in the offense. Unless there is a trade market for Samuel, his value as insurance exceeds any cap savings from cutting him. Shenault was tough, but I picked him over Codrington as a better returner for the new rules. Wilkerson should be one PS lock, with Hamler and Gosnell strong candidates as well.
TE: The depth here is fantastic. Hawes with or without the ball mowing guys down in the open field is fun to watch. Davidson redeemed himself big time against Tampa Bay, and he and Latu should both make the PS.
OL: It’s safe to say that the Bears game would have been a lot less painful if the Bills weren’t missing Van Pran Granger, Anderson, and Grable. General injury concerns are why the veteran VanDemark beats out the rookie Lundt on my 53, but if the former has a trade market, it changes the equation. Lundt and Gouriage to the PS, Van Pran Granger to IR. If the Bills want to keep a veteran there, I liked Dan Feeney’s play last night.
DL: Every roster projection I have read is the same. The interesting question is what happens when the suspensions are up?
LB: Ideally, I keep the kids that excel on ST over veteran backups on the active roster, and the best example is at LB. Jimmy Ciarlo looks like a force of nature. He may well develop into the hybrid LB/S I have hoped the Bills would draft, but for now, he’s a terror on a ST unit that needs help. I would love to see a full set of six replacement level vets on the PS including Shaq Thompson, Dane Jackson, Darrick Forrest, and Dan Feeney.
DB: If the end result is Cole Bishop and Max Hairston starting in the AFC Championship Game next January, not to worry. McDermott and Beane are well aware that the Bills do not have the luxury of slow playing all the kids on defense. If Hairston has to start the season on the regular roster, I would be more inclined to take away one OL spot than to risk losing Dorian Strong.
Next week we Forecast the Final Season at Highmark Stadium and the road to Santa Clara!
Editor’s babble: This looks like a solid roster from top to bottom. Thanks to Joe Reagan for his many contributions to our blog. You can also find Joe on Xwitter @joer969. Let’s GO BILLS!
BuffaloFAMbase.com is sponsored by 26 Shirts
Every Monday, we launch a two-week campaign of a new Buffalo-themed t-shirt design. Every purchase results in a donation to a local family in need. After the campaign ends, the shirt is typically retired. A new design is released, and a new family benefits from your fandom!
