Buffalo Bills 53-man roster and depth chart projection

A detailed look into both roster locks and surprise additions in this Bills 53-man roster projection — plus, catch up with the latest episode of “Leading The Charge”

The Buffalo Bills have just started their preparations envisioning the 2024 NFL season, going through the second week of OTAs. It's our first chance to see new faces in Bills gear, and the coaches are also getting their first opportunity to meet with players and envision how they should be able to use them when the real thing begins.

With that in mind, it's never too early to look at the roster and, with the information we have for now, try to guess which of those players would be the starters and who would make the 53-man roster if the season started today.

Here’s a look at the team’s OTA active roster, per Sal Capaccio:

Bills begin OTAs today. They are voluntary. Here is their active roster. pic.twitter.com/hfz0bv4Bv8
— Sal Capaccio (@SalSports) May 21, 2024

Without further ado, here’s my first crack at predicting the Bills’ 2024 NFL season Week 1 roster.

Buffalo Bills 53-man roster, 2024 OTAs edition

Quarterbacks (2)

Starter: Josh Allen
Reserve: Mitch Trubisky

No surprises here. Josh is the face of the franchise, and the team goes as far as Josh can carry them. Trubisky was signed back to the roster to offer a familiar face at the backup quarterback spot. No reason to carry a third quarterback on the 53-man roster.

Running Backs (3)

Starter: James Cook
Reserves: Ty Johnson, Ray Davis

Cook is the starter and an up-and-coming NFL star — a player who can elevate the offense to a whole new level. Johnson has proven himself as a reliable number-two back, offering some speed and reliability coming from the bench. Davis was a very productive back in college and has shown that he can adapt quickly to new teams and produce in whatever role you need him to. He certainly will contribute as a rookie.

With this group, I don't see the necessity of carrying a fourth running back on the roster — there's always the option of carrying a good one on your practice squad and it certainly will happen. Whether it's Frank Gore Jr., or a seasoned vet, it's up in the air right now.

Wide Receivers (6)

Starters: Khalil Shakir, Curtis Samuel, Keon Coleman
Reserves: Marques Valdes-Scantling, Mack Hollins, Chase Claypool

Despite all the turnover in this room, I see the top five well-established already — Shakir, Samuel, and Coleman as the three versatile starters, with MVS rotating in as the field-stretcher of the group. Mack Hollins seems to be the savvy vet who will be ready to step in whenever he's needed in the offense, but also playing a key role with special teams.

Atlanta Falcons v Chicago Bears — Mack Hollins should play an important role on special teams.

Then there’s the question of the sixth wide receiver — will the Bills carry him on the roster? I believe so. Not carrying a fourth running back allows them to add a sixth receiver as long as he offers special teams value. There will be a battle for this spot with several different guys offering different skill sets — Claypool, Justin Shorter, and Tyrell Shavers are big, physical guys who offer size, catch radius, and potential as gunners on special teams. K.J. Hamler and Andy Isabella are the burners on offense, but also guys who could be fighting for the returner job.

At this point, I have to go with Claypool here. He's the guy who's played the best in his NFL career so far, and with the way head coach Sean McDermott has been impressed with his early commitment, it's hard to not have him ahead of his peers right now.

Tight Ends / Fullbacks (4)

Starter: Dalton Kincaid
Reserves: Dawson Knox, Quintin Morris, Reggie Gilliam

This group is pretty much locked, in my opinion. Kincaid is the new starter and likely a focal point of the passing attack. Knox, despite a lot of people already writing him off, will still be an important contributor. In fact, I hesitated in naming the third wide receiver (whoever you believe will end up as the main slot option between Shakir and Samuel) as a starter instead of Knox. We'll see a lot of 12-personnel (one back, two tight ends), and the veteran will be a staple there.

Quintin Morris is the most dependable backup option at the tight end position when the Bills, for some reason, can't count on Kincaid or Knox. Gilliam is an important piece on special teams, and a true fullback who can also play a bit of tight end when needed.

Offensive Line (10)

Starters: Dion Dawkins, David Edwards, Connor McGovern, O’Cyrus Torrence, Spencer Brown
Reserves: Ryan Van Demark, La’el Collins, Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, Alec Anderson, Tylan Grable

Despite some turnover in this room, I don't see many battles for starting positions among the group for now. Dawkins, Torrence, and Brown are locked in at the left tackle, right guard, and right tackle spots, respectively. Then, the more you listen to the coaches and McGovern himself talking about the move to center, the more you realize that moving him to the pivot has been the plan all along. All of them seem very excited about it.

NFL: DEC 23 Bills at Chargers — The “tip of the spear”, McGovern seems excited to embrace his new role.

Left-guard would be the only position up for grabs, and Collins has experience playing there. However, Edwards was a starter at left guard for offensive line coach Aaron Kromer with a Super Bowl-winning team and has been with the Bills longer. Short of a catastrophic training camp and preseason, it's his job to lose.

Among the backups, Collins should be the first option off the bench, especially to fill in at guard or right tackle. Van Demark and Anderson are young veterans the Bills have kept around and worked with recently, and it seems they're happy with their development. Van Pran-Granger has a lot of potential at the center position and will be worked out as a guard as well.

Carrying ten offensive linemen may seem questionable, but the Bills have lost some of their draft picks there recently when trying to slot some of those guys on the practice squad (Alex Austin, Nick Broecker, and Jack Anderson come to mind). So, with the infusion of youth being a focus this offseason, I can see general manager Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott making an extra effort to carry guys like Grable on the 53-man roster.

Defensive Line (10)

Starters: Greg Rousseau, Ed Oliver, DaQuan Jones, Von Miller
Reserves: Dawuane Smoot, DeWayne Carter, Austin Johnson, A.J. Epenesa, DeShawn Williams, Javon Solomon

Buffalo has three of their four starters from a year ago returning in Rousseau, Oliver, and Jones. Miller will also be back and, hopefully, he should be closer to the Von we saw when he first joined instead of the post-injury, ghostly version from 2023. I have him as a starter over Epenesa for a couple of reasons — I still have hope we can see some good contributions from him, and I still don't trust the former second-round pick as an every-down edge.

AFC Divisional Playoffs - Kansas City Chiefs v Buffalo Bills — A fully recovered Von Miller could help the Bills immensely in 2024.

Epenesa will still be valuable as the top option off the bench, forming the second unit alongside Smoot, Johnson, and one of Carter (the talented rookie), and Williams (the savvy vet who's been a starter in his previous two teams). Solomon closes the group as a third-down specialist — he will probably need some time to develop as a well-rounded 4-3 edge but he can make an impact early, rushing the passer.

Linebackers (6)

Starters: Terrel Bernard, Matt Milano
Reserves: Dorian Williams, Nicholas Morrow, Deion Jones, Edefuan Ulofoshio

The Bills normally start just two linebackers — with nickel cornerback Taron Johnson essentially filling in as the weakside linebacker in the base 4-3 defense. With that said, we saw last season how valuable it is having quality depth at the position, and it seems Brandon Beane made sure he wouldn't find himself in the same situation he faced last season regarding the linebacker depth.

Bernard and Milano are locks as the starters and leaders of this room. Those guys, together, can impact the game in so many ways that I see them as the key to success of the entire defensive unit. They'll be essential to the pass defense, with their prowess in coverage but also with how they can help the pass rush due to their abilities as blitzers. Milano and Bernard’s interchangeability is vital to disguise the looks of the defense, kind of replacing what Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer were able to do from the safety position in the past.

However, it's no secret the Bills’ star linebackers aren't the biggest players in the world. Their small size for the position may contribute to having them nicked up more often than we'd like to see. Entering his sophomore year, I expect Williams will be able to become the go-to replacement whenever one of the starters needs to sit. Morrow offers the floor there as a veteran who has experience with the green dot, calling the Philadelphia Eagles' defense last season.

Even more experienced than Morrow is former Atlanta Falcons All-Pro Deion Jones. One of the best linebackers in the league some years ago, Jones surely is past his prime and hasn't played at that level at his last two stops, with the Cleveland Browns and Carolina Panthers. Anyway, even in the twilight of his career, I feel like he joined the team to fill the role they envisioned for Christian Kirksey a year ago, and that later had to be filled by A.J. Klein out of necessity — the experienced veteran who can be a coach on the field and help in the film room. He can add some value there, more than the often-injured Baylon Spector has recently added. To replace Spector's role on special teams, Ulofoshio should be able to be counted on as a rookie.

Defensive Backs (9)

Starters: Rasul Douglas, Christian Benford, Taron Johnson, Cole Bishop, Taylor Rapp
Reserves: Kaiir Elam, Mike Edwards, Cam Lewis, JaMarcus Ingram

Buffalo Bills v Miami Dolphins — Christian Benford has established himself as a very good starting cornerback for the Bills.

The retooled defensive backfield has Douglas and Benford starting outside, with All-Pro Taron Johnson at the nickel spot. Then I see Bishop and Rapp as the starters right now. Edwards, the free-agent addition, hasn't been able to work on the field with his new teammates yet due to a shoulder injury but he should have enough time to prove himself and fight for a starting spot.

Cam Lewis may surprise some people as an underdog in this battle for a starting role at safety — if he impresses as he did last offseason, he'll get some looks. He also doubles down as Johnson's backup in the slot. Elam is trying to salvage his Bills career and will be the first option off of the bench, at least for now. Ingram is a guy who's stuck around and has shown some potential. Depending on this duo's performances during the preseason, Buffalo could look at the preseason cuts or even the trade market, in search of more reliability out of their backup outside corners.

Specialists (3)

Starters: Tyler Bass, Sam Martin, Reid Ferguson

Bass will make the team again — his contract is too punitive for the Bills to move on from him right now, and there's no guarantee they can do better than him. He wasn't as good last season but we've seen his potential in the past. Hopefully, a rebound season is on its way. Ferguson is a special team's stalwart.

Then there’s the punter competition between Martin and the undrafted rookie, Jack Browning — with Matt Haack being released Friday, May 31 for the team to sign the as-of-now-positionless Gable Steveson.

Perhaps harming Haack from the start here was the Bills’ decision to go with an injured Martin, instead of Haack, against the Kansas City Chiefs last postseason. Browning, though, is believed to be a real contender. The owner of a powerful leg, capable of kicking through the strong Orchard Park, NY winds — it kind of reminds me of when the Bills drafted Matt Araiza to become the team's long-term solution at the position, only to be undone by his off-the-field issues.

Despite facing some competition, for now, I'd still go with Martin as the choice. The Bills could have avoided paying him a $1 million-plus roster bonus yet didn't. They brought in some competition but none of those guys are as dependable as Martin is right now. We'll see if Browning can impress in his camp and preseason opportunities.

Team Captains (8)

Josh Allen, Dion Dawkins, Dawson Knox, Von Miller, Terrel Bernard, Taron Johnson, Mack Hollins, Reid Ferguson

The Bills had eight team captains last season, so I decided to go with this number yet again. Three offensive captains, three defensive ones, and two on special teams.

New England Patriots v Buffalo Bills — Terrel Bernard is the true leader of this new version of the Bills defense.

On Offense, Allen is a no-brainer, it'll be his sixth season in-a-row as a team captain. Dawkins, who was a team captain in the past but lost it for some reason, is now ready to take on the leadership of the offensive line group and regain the "C” on his chest. Knox is one of the longest-tenured offensive players on this team and should be counted on as a leader among the pass-catching group.

On defense, Miller is a walking legend and I can't see a world where his teammates don't vote him captain. Bernard, though, established himself as the true leader and quarterback of the defense and, rightfully, will earn the "C” on his chest for the first time in his career. Johnson is the last remaining piece of a defensive backfield that made history in Buffalo and should take over the leadership role in the new retooled group.

On special teams, Ferguson is the most reliable player there and, by all accounts, Hollins has already taken a leadership role among his new teammates and was described by Brandon Beane recently as a “glue guy” — always having a positive attitude towards his teammates.

Final thoughts

I had a hard time cutting the rookie cornerback/kick returner Daequan Hardy. He definitely could win the return job and become an option as the backup nickel, plus, as I've written above, Beane might try his best to avoid losing his 2024 draft picks. The problem is, to keep Hardy I might have to cut another rookie, and with McDermott himself being on record about expecting more star players to be willing to play special teams and take on the return responsibilities after the rule changes, it wouldn't be a surprise to see guys like Curtis Samuel, Khalil Shakir and even James Cook getting some looks there.
Another guy who might find a role as the team's returner specialist, and can also contribute on offense as a deep threat, is K.J. Hamler. I don't see the Bills carrying seven wide receivers on the roster, but it's also not out of the question. If Hamler brings great special teams value, it would essentially be like carrying six receivers and four running backs.
In both of the scenarios cited above, the cut to make the roster spot available would be in the offensive line. Right now, I'd go with Anderson as the choice.

Buffalo Bills 53-man roster and depth chart projection — OTAs edition