5 Bills players with roster spot in jeopardy after 2021 NFL draft

Nick Wojton
·2 min read
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While the Bills need to see how things play out on the field first, following the 2021 NFL draft some seats are already hot.

Buffalo made eight total picks at the recent draft. After doing so, here are five players that see their roster spot in early offseason jeopardy:

CB Cam Lewis

Cam Lewis #47 of the Bills. (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)

The local University at Buffalo product has an uphill battle which is unfortunate. Cam Lewis was actually slated to get a chance to prove himself at the NFL level in the slot early in 2020 when Taron Johnson struggled, but injury quickly ended that for Lewis and now with the addition of Rachad Wildgoose, Lewis might be No. 3 on that depth chart.

DE Darryl Johnson

Bills defensive end Darryl Johnson. (AP Photo/Matt Durisko)

Even with Trent Murphy leaving the Bills, adding two top pass rushers at the draft in Greg Rousseau and Carlos Basham does not bode well for Darryl Johnson. Making things further difficult for Johnson might be the selection of Damar Hamlin, potentially a special teams ace. There are battles on all fronts for Johnson right now.

OL Ryan Bates

Bills offensive tackle Ryan Bates. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Over the past season or two, Ryan Bates was continually kept around by the Bills and the team always seemed to really like him. However, the Bills added three offensive linemen in the draft with Spencer Brown at the top of that list. In bringing in that trio, Buffalo added versatile depth that can play on the inside and outside of the line and on both the left and right side. Because of that, Bates could be on the chopping block. Bates' one big attribute has always been his versatility to play on every spot on the offensive line... but now the Bills have tons more depth to cover that.

WR Isaiah McKenzie

Bills wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie. (AP Photo/John Munson)

Of all the hot seats mentioned here, Isaiah McKenzie's might be the coolest. In drafting Marquez Stevenson, McKenzie will have to hold him off to win the return man job in training camp. However, McKenzie also is a very versatility piece on offense in general. It remains to be seen if anyone can be such a strong gadget piece.

DE Mario Addison

Bills defensive end Mario Addison. (AP Photo/Stew Milne)

Again, there's Rousseau and Basham to consider here, but also AJ Epenesa. Those three, plus Jerry Hughes, are pretty locked into next year's roster. If Mario Addison doesn't show some improvement during training camp from last year, he might be on the roster bubble. Following the draft, Bills general manager Brandon Beane did praise Addison and said he'd be a sort of mentor to these younger guys with Hughes... having said that, Beane also was very high on running back LeSean McCoy... before cutting him...

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