By CHUCK POLLOCK, Sun Senior Sports Columnist
This won’t be a pleasant 2 1/2 days for Bills coach Sean McDermott and his staff.
Under the best of circumstances, NFL coaches hate the time before roster cutdown day.
Having to say good-bye to three-dozen players who gave it their all for nearly a month only to find it wasn’t good enough is as tough on the messenger as it is on the victim.
But for McDermott and his crew, this season is tougher than usual.
There’s reducing the 90-player roster down to the 53-man regular-season squad with a 16-person practice squad.
That leaves 21 players and that number is often reduced further by machinations with the injury lists.
However, what makes this season so difficult for Buffalo is that three positions — cornerback, safety and wide receiver — have been impacted by injury to the extent it affects the decision-making process.
In Saturday night’s 23-19 preseason finale victory at Tampa, wide receiver Tryrell Shavers’ one-handed, 11-yard touchdown reception likely earned him a roster spot, Middle linebacker “Buffalo Joe” Andreessen, the walk-on from UB, after a lousy game in the 38-0 loss at Chicago, rediscovered his mojo and tied for the team lead in tackles (six) and Jim Chiarlo (pronounced CHAR-lo), a linebacker from the U.S, Military Academy, continued his inspired special teams play, made four tackles and recovered a fumble in his late bid to make the squad.
But the latter two are peripheral stories and don’t address the real issue.
At wideout, Kahlil Shakir, the team’s best receiver, is nursing a high ankle sprain, but is expected to join the team for the season opener and team up with fellow starters Keon Coleman and Joshua Palmer. Shavers figures to be No. 4. But then what?
Will the Bills keep five or sox wideouts and who among the remaining candidates — Laviska Shenault, Curtis Samuel, Elijah Moore, K.J. Hamler and Kristian Wilkerson — makes the squad.
Then there’s the mess at cornerback and safety.
AT CORNER, opposite Christian Benford, the two leading candidates — Tre’ Davious White, Buffalo’s top pick in 2017, and Maxwell Hairston, this year’s first-rounder, both have knee injuries and the Bills have been decidedly evasive about their return.
If neither is available for the opener, the job will fall to either Dane Jackson, a former Buffalo draft pick who struggled most of training camp, or free agent JaMarcus Ingram … neither of them an encouraging choice.
And, finally, there’s safety.
Taylor Rapp has one starting spot locked up, but the other is a mystery. McDermott, general manager Brandon Beane and the defensive coaches have thrown their bodies out of joint defending Cole Bishop, last year’s second-rounder. But he’s been injured most of the time (shoulder last season, quad this year).
If he hasn’t recovered to start the opener, the options are journeymen Damar Hamlin, Cam Lewis or fifth-round draft choice Jordan Hancock, who might just be the best of the three.
BUFFALO’S offensive line and running backs are solid, but despite their popularity, tight ends Dawson Knox and former first-rounder Dalton Kincaid have been pedestrian, at best.
On defense, the linebackers are quality but the same can’t be said of the line.
During the offseason, McDermott and Beane lamented the defensive line’s no-show in the postseason., especially two years ago against Cincinnati.
Their answer was signing injury-prone edge rusher Joey Bosa (calf, hip, foot, groin, toe, hand, back) — and two players, end Michael Hoecht (pronounced Hoyt) and tackle Larry Ogunjobi who must serve six-game suspensions for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing statute before joining the team.
The other additions were a trio of draftees: tackles T.J. Sanders (2nd round) and Deone Walker (fourth) and end Landon Jackson (third).
Sunday afternoon, the Bills released six players: defensive backs Zy Alexander and Garnett Hollis Jr., defensive end Nelson Ceaser, offensive lineman Rush Reimer, tight end Matt Sokol and running back Elijah Young. In addition, wide receiver Grant DuBose was waived injury.
This won’t be a pleasant 2 1/2 days for Bills coach Sean McDermott and his staff.
Under the best of circumstances, NFL coasches hate the time before roster cutdown day.
Having to say good-bye to three-dozen players who gave it their all for nearly a month only to find it wasn’t good enough is as tough on the messenger as it is on the victim.
But for McDermott and his crew, this season is tougher than usual.
There’s reducing the 90-player roster down to the 53-man regular-season squad with a 16-person practice squad.
That leaves 21 players and that number is reduced further by machinations with the injury lists.
However, what makes this season so difficult for Buffalo is that positions — cornerback, safety and wide receiver — have been impacted by injury to the extent it affects the decision-making process.
In Saturday night’s 23-19 preseason finale victory at Tampa, wide receiver Tryrell Shavers one-handed, 11-yard touchdown reception likely earned him a roster spot, middle linebacker “Buffalo Joe” Andreessen, the walk-on from UB, after a lousy game in the 38-0 loss at Chicago, rediscovered his mojo and tied for the team lead in tackles and Jim Chiarlo (pronounced CHAR-lo), a linebacker from the U.S, Military Academy continued his inspired special teams play made four tackles and recovered a fumble in his bid to make the squad.
But the latter two are peripheral stories and don’t address the real issue.
At wideout, Kahlil Shakir, the team’s best receiver, is nursing a high ankle sprain, but is expected to join the team for the season opener and be joined by fellow starters Keon Coleman and Joshua Palmer. Shavers figures to be No. 4. But then what?
Will the Bills keep five or Sox wideouts and who among the remaining candidates — Laviska Shenault, Curtis Samuel, Elijah Moore, K.J. Hamler or Kristian Wilkerson — makes the squad.
Then there’s the mess at cornerback and safety.
At corner, opposite Christian Benford, the two leading candidates — Tre’Davious White, Buffalo’s top pick in 2017, and Maxwell Hairston, this year’s first-rounder, both have knee injuries and the Bills have been decidedly evasive about their return.
If neither is available for the opener the job will fall to either Dane Jackson, a former Buffalo draft pick who struggled most of training camp, or free agent JaMarcus Ingram … neither of them an encouraging choice.
And, finally, there’s safety.
Taylor Rapp has one starting spot locked up, but the other is a mystery. McDermott, general manager Brandon Beane and the defensive coaches have thrown their bodies out of joint defending Cole Bishop, last year’s second-rounder. But he’s been injured most of the time (shoulder last season, quad, this year).
If he hasn’t recovered to start the opener, the options are journeymen Damar Hamlin, Cam Lewis of fifth-round draft choice Jordan Hancock, who might just be the best of the three.
Buffalo’s offensive line and running backs are solid, but despite their popularity, tight ends Dawson Knox and former first-rounder Dalton Kincaid are pedestrian, at best.
On defense, the linebackers are quality but the same can’t be said of the line.
During the offseason, McDermott and Beane lamented the defensive line’s no-show in the postseason., especially two years ago against Cincinnati.
Their answer was signing injury-prone edge rusher Joey Bosa (calf, hip, foot, groin, toe, hand, back) — and two players, end Michael Hoecht (pronounced Hoyt) and tackle Larry Ogunjobi who must serve six-game suspensions for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing statute before joining the team.
The other additions were a trio of draftees: tackles T.J. Sanders (2nd round) and Deone Walker (fourth) and end Landon Jackson (third).
Sunday afternoon, the Bills released seven players: defensive backs Zy Alexander, Tre Herndon and Garnett Hollis Jr., defensive end Nelson Ceaser, offensive lineman Rush Reimer, tight end Matt Sokol and running back Elijah Young. In addition, wide receiver Grant DuBose was waived injured.
That’s 13 to go.
Chuck Pollock, a Wellsville Sun and Hornell Sun senior sports writer with over four decades of experience in WNY college and professional sports coverage.
