Roster trimming sees Bills’ dismiss big names
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When the Buffalo Bills trimmed the roster to fifty-three players, many back-up players were cut to make room for possible new veterans fresh off the waiver wire. However, the Bills took this to the extreme when they cut some pretty significant names from their own roster.
James Hardy was a second round draft choice for the Bills which usually makes your place guaranteed on the team. However, after three lack-luster and injury prone seasons, the 6’6″ target has seen his stock fall right off the chart. As a result, Hardy is stuck looking for a new job.
Joique Bell was another surprising cut from the Bills, following a very good summer and preseason. It is very likely that Bell will find a job with another team as he has shown tremendous versatility and skill. Many people (myself included) felt Bell was pretty much a lock to make the cut-down roster because of the depth he added to an already deep backfield. Given the injury issues and the difficulty of the running back position, I am shocked the Bell is no longer a Buffalo Bill.
Levi Brown, rookie seventh round pick from the University of Toledo was also cut. This is only surprising to me because I felt he was a good project quarterback that could fill in roster space at the third place on the depth chart. Of course for that to happen, the Bills would have had to trade away one of their three quarterbacks that were trying to win the starting job. I believed the smart move would have been to trade one of those guys for an offensive lineman, but I guess it wasn’t to be.
The Buffalo Bills have also added a few veterans that were cut from there previous teams, including former Miami Dolphin tight end David Martin. Martin has been a relatively successful player that provides depth to a position that currently has none.
Starters to see limited action against the Lions
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Usually the starters would see only limited action in the final preseason game of the year and this will be no exception. Tonight’s game against the Detriot Lions, slated for a 6:30 p.m. start will feature the Buffalo Bills’ starters for only about “12-14 snaps” as indicated by Chan Gailey on Buffalobills.com. Gailey also stated that the purpose for the number of reps was simple, keep the starters in rhythm without risking injury.
Come back tonight for a full recap on the Buffalo Bills final preseason game.
Bills rumored to be interested in Quarterback Leinart
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ESPN’s Adam Schefter has reported that the Arizona Cardinals are looking to part ways with quarterback Matt Leinart, just a day after it was announced that he wouldn’t be the starter for the Cardinals in their final preseason game.
According to Schefter, the Buffalo Bills are included on a list of three teams that are showing immediate interest in Leinart, including the Oakland Raiders and the New York Giants. The Giants are in need of a good quality back-up quarterbackafter Jim Sorgi suffered a season ending shoulder injury. Sorgi has spent the majority of his career as the Peyton Manning’s back-up in Indianapolis.
To the contrary however, are the reports from the Buffalo Bills that state they haven’t in fact been in contact with the Cardinals. The possibility of interest from the Bills wouldn’t be surprising, given that their offensive coordinator was the running backs coach in Arizona. If this had come up as a possibility during mini-camps and OTAs, it would have been very possible Leinart would be jogging out of the tunnel in a Bills jersey.
Do the Bills really want or need Leinart though?
Simply put, the answer is no. The Bills seem to have their quarterback depth chart figured out and I wouldn’t be surprised if they traded away Ryan Fitzpatrick, Brian Brohm, or both. As this has become Trent Edward’s team yet again, he will have one last chance to showcase his skills. If he succeeds, the Bills have a franchise quarterback. If he fails, like most predict he will (myself not included), then the Bills draft a franchise type quarterback next season. Bringing in a Matt Leinart into a sub-par and volatile quarterback battle wouldn’t have improved the situation and probably is that reason it wasn’t happened.
Wide Reciever battles are shaping up as season draws close
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Is there any doubt as to who is the number one receiver for the Buffalo Bills? Simple answer, no.
However, as simple of an answer as that was, the rest of the depth chart at wide reciever seems to be up in the air. With such a young receiver core group, it is easy to see why the Bills will struggle to determine this going into week one of the regular season. Believe it or not, the wide receiver depth chart is beginning to look deeper and deeper with each played preseason game.
With all of the questions surrounding who will be the number two receiver for the Bills, here are hopefully some answers:
Third year wide receiver Steve Johnson has shown that he has what it takes to stretch a defense both vertically and across the middle of the field. He also has shown his quickness and ability to gain separation in tight coverage. Johnson’s biggest attribute though, may be his 6’2″ height.
Sixth year veteran Roscoe Parrish is also fighting for that same spot that is up for grabs. Parrish possesses many of the same qualities as Johnson, but is much smaller physically. He has shown to have much more explosive speed though, as seen in Saturday’s contest with the Bengals. Although he only caught three passes for thirty four yards last season, he will very likely be on the field often.
Third year receiver Chad Jackson has also joined the mix in the fight for the second spot on the depth chart. Jackson has been relatively ineffective in his three year career, but has shown bright spots all throughout this off-season.
Between these three candidates, they caught six passes for a combined sixty-three yards in 2009. With that type of production, it is hard to imagine great success for the Bills. However, Buffalo Bill Head Coach Chan Gailey has shown the offensive know-how to get all of these guys involved throughout the preseason, including Parrish’s four catch, fifty-six yard game that included a touchdown.
If I had to guess, I would say that Parrish could very well sneak up and steal the job from Johnson, who is currently listed as number two on the depth chart. Parrish’s years of experience combined with Gailey’s offensive schemes could provide for a breakout year.
Lynch likely to play against the Lions
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After testing his ankle, Marshawn Lynch is expected to play against the Detroit Lions in Buffalo’s final preseason game on Thursday, September 2. I would expect for Lynch to be in a limited role on Thursday, as the Bills press closer to the start of the regular season.
Fred Jackson also returned to the practice field on Tuesday after having the cast on his hand containing the broken bone removed.
Both of these items are good news for Bills’ fans. The likely depth chart for the Bills’ first regular season game will feature C.J. Spiller as the number one running back followed by Lynch.
Stay tuned for more information as it comes.
