The Buffalo Bills will wrap up their preseason at home against the Green Bay Packers on Saturday at Highmark Stadium.
The Bills have won seven preseason games in a row. They have to trim their roster from 80 to 53 active players by Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET, so this is the last chance for many guys to make an impression on the coaching staff.
Here are four specific areas I’ll be watching:
Defensive Line
It’s been a point being made since Greg Rousseau and Carlos "Boogie" Basham were drafted to go along with free agent signing Efe Obada: the defensive line group is deep, and there aren’t enough spots for the amount of talent the Bills have.
Who will be the odd men out? How will that be determined? Could there even be a trade made and one of these players fetches a draft pick in return, instead of releasing him outright?
There’s no more time left to just talk about it after Saturday’s game. This is the last chance for players to show the coaching staff they are worthy of being kept. But there are some really tough choices coming here.
Return game
With Isaiah McKenzie‘s injury, is the door now open for rookie Marquez Stevenson to possibly grab the main punt and kick returner duties? Especially after his electrifying 79-yard return for a touchdown last week against the Chicago Bears.
Stevenson was hurt, himself, that game, but he returned to practice earlier this week and now may get another shot to try and supplant McKenzie for that role, or at least secure a spot of his own until McKenzie is completely healthy.
If the coaches don’t want to risk Stevenson due to his recent injury, that gives Brandon Powell and the recently signed Steven Sims chances to showcase what they can bring to the team.
Cornerback
Levi Wallace. Dane Jackson. Taron Johnson. All locks to make the team, but all also currently injured.
That leaves plenty of opportunity for players like Cam Lewis, Rachad Wildgoose, Olaijah Griffin, and Nick McCloud.
Bills coaches have always raved about Lewis’ ability and football IQ. However, they’ve also mentioned his lack of availability and that playing a role in his inability to stick on the 53-man roster. But now, he may see a lot of playing time and have an opportunity to show he can stay healthy and make plays.
Wildgoose has shown to be extremely physical, which the Bills love from their corners. Wildgoose, Griffin, and McCloud have all flashed at times and struggled at times during camp. There may be one spot open on the final roster for one of these players.
Special teams
We all know the Bills believe in having a group of core special teams players, but there are quite a few of them around the roster and not all can be kept.
It’s going to be interesting to see how they massage the numbers at each position based on those last few spots going to mainly special teams players. It will be fun to watch all of those units perform on Saturday and see who is really stepping up and trying to win a roster spot based almost purely on his ability to play special teams.
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