Some football seasons are different than others. Some years there are undrafted rookies and late round picks usurping established veterans for roles on the final roster.
The 2011 NFL season is not one of those years. The abbreviated offseason that was good of OTAs and mini-camp has taken valuable time away from fringe players drafted in the late rounds and signed as UDFAs.
There are a few battles being waged for starter and reserve spots on the Bills roster. Demetrius Bell, Andy and Chad Rinehart make up a triangle of dispute on the left side of the line. However, all three are locks to make the team.
Additionally, Marcus Easley is inching closer to a starting position at wide receiver by means of an injury to Donal Jones. Would this be a battle had Jones’ cappa been detated from his body? Maybe not yet, but Easley’s raw talent would have eventually earned him playing time.
I am still not sold on Donald Jones. He is a great special teams contributor and he blocks well. However he doesn’t always catch a ton of passes. Unfortunately that is the main duty of a wide receiver. I think he, Naaman Roosevelt and Buster Davis are all close for the two final WR spots on the roster. Easley, Stevie Johnson, David Nelson and Roscoe Parrish are all locks and I see the Bills keeping six players at WR. That leaves two spots to be fought over between four players (if Kamar Aiken is a real possibility).
With Aiken being a prime practice squad candidate, I see the battle coming down to the three vets. While I would like to see the Bills take a chance on Davis and get him in a regular season situation, he simply hasn’t done enough this preseason to warrant a spot. So despite the difference is skill level, Jones and Roosevelt are the final two wide outs for the Bills.
The back up positions on the offensive line also remain a mystery as the Bills have assembled a menagerie of journeymen and no-names to back up their starters. Chris Hairston seems to have cemented his spot as the sixth offensive lineman while the remaining two or three spots remain a mystery. Geoff Hangartner should be a simple choice to back up at center and guard. He has experience at both positions and is better than the other choices. However he makes too much money and could be a likely cut. Mansfield Wrotto is probably the next best option since he can play both guard and tackle, that leaves Cordaro Howard and Ed Wang for the final spot. My picks for the reserve linemen would be Hangartner, Hairston and Wrotto. However, don’t be surprised if it ends up being Hairston, Wang and Wrotto.
Defensively things are quite hairy. There is quite a bit of contention over the numbers that will be kept at each position. Will it be eight linemen and nine linebackers? Do they keep eight and ten? Personally, I keep ten linebackers, but that means moving Arthur Moats back outside. Realistically, Moats is going to battle Chris White for the final inside linebacker spot behind Nick Barnett, Andra Davis, Kirk Morrison and Kelvin Sheppard.
On the line Kellen Heard has made a serious case to stick around. His ability to play both nose and end in the 3-4 makes him an attractive option. That likely pushes Mike Jasper to the practice squad, but that is ok. He will thrive after a year with that unit. He will be joined by Robert Eddins, the linebacker who doesn’t have a spot on the roster but would be a waste to lose. Chris White could also land on the practice squad if the staff chooses to keep Moats.
In the defensive back field there shouldn’t be any surprises. Reggie Corner could be forced it by Justin Rogers. However, the Richmond product hasn’t seen the field much due to injury. Josh Nesbitt would be worth keeping on the practice squad due to his limited experience at safety and his versatility as a wildcat QB.
Despite lacking a number of bubble battles and intriguing roster decisions, this final preseason game should offer some interesting insights into the talent the Bills have deep on their roster.
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