Maiorana: Bills 53-man roster projection holds off on filling the punter position

Things were going along so well for the Buffalo Bills as they were preparing to take their biggest swing since the early 1990s at ending their forever Super Bowl drought.

The only things creating any amount of concern heading into what could be a very special 2022 season were the elbow injury to safety Jordan Poyer, which isn’t expected to keep him out of the Sept. 8 opener at Los Angeles, and the status of cornerback Tre’Davious White, who we now realize won’t be ready for that game, and likely not for at least the first four games.

But then came the bombshell development that clearly rocked the Bills’ world, the lawsuit filed in Southern California last week that named rookie punter Matt Araiza as one of three men who participated in a gang rape of a then 17-year-old female last fall.

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It was clear Friday night in the preseason finale against Carolina that a stormy dark cloud was hanging over the Bills, and I’m not talking about the one that caused a 30-minute delay in the start time at Bank of America Stadium.

I’m not going to say that disturbing news is the reason why the Bills were so lackluster in their 21-0 loss to the Panthers, but just looking at coach Sean McDermott on the sideline, and then afterward during his press conference, his mannerisms spoke volumes. I have never seen McDermott look as shaken and somber as he was as reporters peppered him with questions.

It is not a good look for a franchise that prides itself on culture and character. But now Araiza is gone, released Saturday afternoon, and with the preseason games over, the Bills have to trim more than Araiza from their roster as it needs to be down to 53 players by 4 p.m. Tuesday. Here’s my projected team, and it does not include a punter as of now.

Quarterback

Sal’s picks (2): Josh Allen, Case Keenum.

Pretty much the only good news coming out of the loss in Carolina is that Keenum didn’t get hurt, so he’s all set to be Allen’s backup.

Cut: Matt Barkley.

Oh, and we also found out if the Bills need an emergency punter, Barkley, who will be added back to the practice squad after he’s cut, can handle it.

Running back

Sal’s picks (4): Devin Singletary, James Cook, Zack Moss, Taiwan Jones.

Again, there’s really nothing to discuss here because it was cut and dried. The only thing that could happen would be the Bills cutting Jones in order to get another player on the roster, for instance, wide receiver Marquez Stevenson.

They can do that because as a vested veteran with at least four accrued NFL seasons, Jones does not have to go through waivers if he’s released. If the Bills were to place Stevenson on injured reserve before the cut to 53, he’d have to sit out the season. But if he starts on the 53, he can go on IR and be eligible to play when he’s healthy. The Bills have a couple injured players who could benefit from a move like this.

Singletary looks like the starter, Moss will be the short yardage guy, and Cook will be utilized at first as pass catching specialist.

Cut: Raheem Blackshear, Duke Johnson.

Every year in camp, there’s a running back like Blackshear who qualifies for first-team all-preseason. He looked good, and the Bills would probably love to get him back on the practice squad, if possible. Actually, the same goes for Johnson.

Wide receiver

Sal’s picks (7): Stefon Diggs, Gabriel Davis, Jamison Crowder, Isaiah McKenzie, Khalil Shakir, Isaiah Hodgins, Marquez Stevenson.

It’s going to be fun watching Diggs and Davis work together on the outside full time (no John Brown or Emmanuel Sanders getting in the way) because we know Diggs is great, and I think Davis could become a breakout star.

In the slot, McKenzie was the clear winner in a crowded competition, but that doesn’t mean he’ll be flying solo. Crowder will get plenty of snaps, and I think the Bills should try to get Shakir on the field as he showed the ability to line up all across the formation.

The key for Shakir will be if he is used as a punt returner. That will depend on what the situation is with Stevenson who has missed three weeks with a foot injury. If Stevenson is on IR, that opens the door for Shakir on punts, and perhaps to get offensive snaps.

His playing time could be further impacted, though, on how many two tight end sets Ken Dorsey employs, or by how much Cook is lined up as a receiver rather than in the backfield.

Cut: Jake Kumerow, Tanner Gentry, Neil Pau’u.

I know this probably won’t happen because McDermott loves his special teams guys and Kumerow is a four core guy. My thought is that perhaps Hodgins can replace him in that role, but it probably won’t happen. They’ll probably cut Hodgins and hope they can bring him back to the practice squad.

Tight end

Sal’s picks (4): Dawson Knox, O.J. Howard, Quintin Morris, Reggie Gilliam.

I’m still of the belief that the Bills could trade Howard because he was wholly unimpressive all summer and was still playing late in all of the preseason games. If they can’t trade him, given his contract, they may be forced to keep him.

I’m including Gilliam here because he’s a hybrid tight end/fullback. As for Morris, I really liked how he played in the preseason - he has athletic ability, blocked pretty well, and can play special teams.

Cut: Tommy Sweeney.

Sweeney is a beloved teammate, but he doesn’t offer the same skill set Morris does. If Howard is traded or cut, Sweeney makes it. If not, I think the Bills could get Sweeney back onto the practice squad easier than Morris. That said, with Brian Daboll lurking in New York, he would probably claim Sweeney as soon as he hits the waiver wire, though he’d do the same thing with Morris.

Offensive tackle

Sal’s picks (4): Dion Dawkins, Spencer Brown, Tommy Doyle, David Quessenberry.

Doyle is currently injured and it seems likely that he’ll make the 53-man roster and then get placed on IR because it doesn’t look like he’ll be ready to go for a few weeks.

Brown is slowly, slowly working his way back from offseason back surgery, but he has played in the last two games and my guess is that, at least at the start of the season, he’ll be the starter with Quessenberry in reserve. But if he struggles, the Bills won’t hesitate to insert Quessenberry.

Cut: Luke Tenuta, Alec Anderson, Tanner Owen.

Tenuta was a sixth-round draft pick and the Bills never like cutting their draft picks, but he didn’t show much. If they can get him on the practice squad that might would be a good landing spot because he needs ample development.

Interior offensive line

Sal’s picks: (5) Mitch Morse, Rodger Saffold, Ryan Bates, Greg Van Roten, Bobby Hart.

The starting group looks solid with Morse, Saffold and Bates, but the backup situation is a little hazy. Greg Mancz is out with an ankle injury and that may have cost him in his battle with Van Roten, who can be a backup center. Hart, who really struggled in the 2021 preseason for the Bills, seems to have been revived by line coach Aaron Kromer and he can provide coverage at both guard and tackle spots.

Cut: Mancz, Jacob Capra. PUP List: Ike Boettger.

Mancz could end up getting the spot I gave to Van Roten, it’s a coin toss. Boettger will start on PUP and it could be midseason before he’s ready to contribute.

Defensive tackle

Sal’s picks (4):, Ed Oliver, DaQuan Jones, Tim Settle, Jordan Phillips.

This is such an improved foursome over what the Bills had a year ago, at least we think.

Oliver is ready for a monster season, and we know Phillips is one of those warrior types in the middle. We’ll see on Jones and Settle who are new to the team and who played very little in the preseason, but their track records, which led them to be signed in free agency, are impressive and should serve them well in Leslie Frazier’s scheme.

Cut: Eli Ankou, Brandin Bryant, Prince Emili, C.J. Brewer.

This was an excellent competition throughout and it seems that Bryant, Brewer and Emili could have chances to hook on elsewhere. Ankou won’t go on waivers so he can be brought back to the practice squad, though he suffered a hamstring injury Friday.

Edge rusher

Sal’s picks (5): Von Miller, Greg Rousseau, A.J. Epenesa, Boogie Basham, Shaq Lawson.

Miller and Rousseau are locked in as the starters and it will be interesting to see how much of a leap Rousseau makes. Remember, he played his rookie season after having not played since 2019 because he opted out of the 2020 COVID season.

Epenesa needed to shine in his third training camp and while I haven’t been as impressed as others, I do think he was better than Basham, for sure. Lawson made some splash plays in the games and he’s one of those glue and energy guys McDermott loves. Basham needs to pick it up if he hopes to be active on game day.

Cut: Mike Love, Daniel Joseph, Kingsley Jonathan.

Pretty easy decisions, and if the Bills can get any of them back on the practice squad, that’s fine. If not, there will be plenty of waived defensive linemen to choose from on the wire.

Linebacker

Sal’s picks (6): Tremaine Edmunds, Matt Milano, Tyrel Dodson, Tyler Matakevich, Terrel Bernard, Baylon Spector.

The argument can be made that Spector, who led the team in tackles in the three games, did it all against fellow second- and third-stringers. Yeah, he did. But I also like the way he played, his instincts for the ball, and you can see him being a terror on special teams if he gets the chance.

The other choices were pretty obvious. I guess it’s possible that, if the Bills do keep Spector, who was a seventh-round draft pick, that they could cut Dodson because they do essentially the same job and keeping six LBs is a little heavy given that they only play Milano and Edmunds.

Cut: Joe Giles-Harris. Suspended list: Andre Smith.

Giles-Harris could come back to the practice squad, while Smith is out six games due to a PED violation. When it’s time for him to return, I would think the Bills would cut him, especially if they still have Spector and Dodson.

Cornerback

Sal’s picks (6): Dane Jackson, Kaiir Elam, Taron Johnson, Siran Neal, Christian Benford, Cam Lewis.

Tre’Davious White will almost certainly start on PUP so the big decision is going to be which rookie - Elam or Benford - starts opposite Jackson? My guess is Elam, but I thought Benford played better in the preseason.

Lewis makes my projection because of the White injury, and he also can play inside, outside, and was even given some reps at safety in addition to his special teams duty.

Cut: Nick McCloud, Ja’Marcus Ingram, Jordan Miller. PUP: White.

McCloud was given a little bit of work as a safety, too, but Lewis is the more versatile player. McCloud could get signed elsewhere, so he may not be a slam dunk for the practice squad.

Safety

Sal’s picks (4): Micah Hyde, Jordan Poyer, Jaquan Johnson, Damar Hamlin.

Really nothing to look at here as it will be the same group as last season, assuming, of course, that Poyer doesn’t suffer a setback.

Cut: Josh Thomas.

Kicking game specialists

Sal’s picks (2): Tyler Bass, Reid Ferguson.

With Araiza gone, the Bills do not have a punter as of Sunday. If I was making the call, I would keep it that way until the waiver period ends Wednesday. That way, they can use the vacant spot to keep someone like Spector, for instance. And when it’s time to sign a punter, they can send one of the injured players (Stevenson, Doyle, or maybe Mancz if they want to keep him) to IR to create the opening.

Practice squad

It’s next to impossible to figure out which players the Bills will be able to bring back because once they’re released, they are on the open market for 24 hours and can sign anywhere.

If the Bills could pick it without interference, based on my 53-man projection, here are 13 players I’d say would be good bets to return:

QB Matt Barkley, RB Raheem Blackshear, RB Duke Johnson, WR Jake Kumerow, TE Tommy Sweeney, OL Luke Tenuta, OL Greg Mancz, OL Alec Anderson, DL Eli Ankou, DL Brandin Bryant, DL Kingsley Jonathan, CB Nick McCloud, and S Josh Thomas.

Sal Maiorana can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @salmaiorana.To subscribe to Sal's new twice-a-week newsletter, Bills Blast, please follow this link: https://profile.democratandchronicle.com/newsletters/bills-blast

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Buffalo Bills 53-man roster projection with Matt Araiza released