The Buffalo Bills have released their 53-man roster. For now.
NFL teams were required to cut their teams to 53 by 6 p.m. Sunday, but that doesn't mean rosters are set. Attention now turns to the waiver wire. All teams must submit waiver claims by 1 p.m. Monday.
Players with fewer than four years of NFL experience are subjected to the waiver wire. And claim priority is set by draft order. The Bills have the 26th spot on the wire, if they place a claim for someone.
Practice squad rosters will start to be filled out and each team gets 16 players (17 if there's an International Player Pathway Program guy). Ten of them can have a maximum of two years accrued, while six can have unlimited experience.
But for now, the Bills roster was the most difficult to predict in years. The Bills opted to waive fullback Ben VanSumeren and kept Keleki Latu — the 10th player to make the active roster after spending a full season on the practice squad since 2017 — as the fourth tight end, indicating a shift in offensive philosophy after being one of the league's most fullback-heavy offenses in 2025.
The Bills also went light at inside linebacker and cornerback, waiving camp standouts Keonta Jenkins and Kani Walker. But more than anything, Buffalo decisions bucked what we saw throughout the preseason.
Jenkins seemed to be clearly ahead of Joe Andreessen on the depth chart, logging more reps and getting them on the first- and second-team defenses. Mike Danna seemed to be behind or neck and neck with Andre Jones Jr . at outside linebacker, but the Bills kept the veteran.
Joe Brady was unpredictable after nine years of predictability on cutdown day.
Quarterbacks (2): Josh Allen , Kyle Allen .
Cuts (1): Shane Buechele .
Analysis: No surprises here. The biggest surprise would be if Buechele didn't come back on the practice squad.
Running backs (3): James Cook , Ray Davis , Ty Johnson.
Waived (3): Frank Gore Jr., Ben VanSumeren (fullback), Ian Wheeler.
Analysis: The big surprise is that the Bills went without a fullback. The Bills ranked sixth in fullback usage last season and used VanSumeren heavily during the preseason. He could be a candidate to return on waivers.
Wide receivers (5): Skyler Bell, Keon Coleman , D.J. Moore , Joshua Palmer , Khalil Shakir .
Injured reserve (1): Tyrell Shavers .
Cut (3): Mecole Hardman Jr., Dante Pettis , Trent Sherfield Sr.
Waived (4): Stephen Gosnell, Ja'Mori Maclin, Quentin Skinner , Max Tomczak.
Analysis: The Bills went light at receiver, with Sherfield being the best candidate to stick around. It's the first time in a while the Bills haven't allocated a spot to a special teams-oriented receiver. He is another candidate for the practice squad.
Tight ends (4): Jackson Hawes , Dalton Kincaid , Dawson Knox , Keleki Latu.
Cut (1): Shane Zylstra .
Analysis: The Bills liked Latu last season. Apparently they liked him enough to keep him over a fullback. Should Latu stick on the 53-man roster after the waiver period ends, that should be an indication the Bills intend to use a lot of three-tight end sets.
Offensive linemen (10): Alec Anderson , Jude Bowry, Spencer Brown , Austin Corbett , Lloyd Cushenberry III , Dion Dawkins , Tylan Grable , Connor McGovern , Ar'Maj Reed Adams, O'Cyrus Torrence.
Waived (4): Nick Broeker , Bruno Fina, Sincere Haynesworth , Chase Lundt , De'Metrius Weatherspoon.
Traded (1): Sedrick Van Pran-Granger .
Analysis: Van Pran-Granger's future was told not only when they extended McGovern for four years, but signed Cushenberry. Van Pran-Granger couldn't get past being the third-string center, so flipping him and a seventh-round pick to the Indianapolis Colts for a sixth is good value.
Interior defensive linemen (6): DeWayne Carter , Greg Gaines , Landon Jackson , Ed Oliver , T.J. Sanders , Deone Walker .
Injured reserve (1): Zane Durant .
Suspended (1): Phidarian Mathis .
Waived (2): Travis Clayton , Zion Logue.
Analysis: Carter was a popular cut or trade candidate, struggling mightily at times during the preseason after his torn Achilles. Durant was injured late in the preseason finale, but he should be back eventually. Mathis is out for three games, but there will be roster decisions to be made.
Outside linebackers (6): Bradley Chubb , Mike Danna, Michael Hoecht , TJ Parker, Greg Rousseau , Javon Solomon .
Waived (2): Cade Denhoff, Andre Jones Jr.
Analysis: Keeping Danna is interesting. It may suggest Hoecht isn't ready for a consistent role right away. Otherwise it's a curious decision based on the personnel they have.
Inside linebackers (4): Joe Andreessen, Terrel Bernard , Kaleb Elarms-Orr, Dorian Williams .
Waived (4): Jimmy Ciarlo, Theron Gaines, Keonta Jenkins, Otis Reese IV.
Analysis: Waiving Jenkins is an interesting move. He was ahead of Andreessen throughout training camp, playing consistently with the second team and even getting first-team reps. Clearly the Bills valued Andreessen's special teams ability more.
Cornerbacks (5): Dee Alford , Christian Benford , Maxwell Hairston , Jordan Hancock , Davison Igbinosun .
Waived (4): Jordan Dunbar, Anthony Kendall , D.J. Miller, Toriano Pride Jr. , Kani Walker.
Analysis: The Broncos only kept five cornerbacks last year with Jim Leonhard on the staff. The difference is that one of them (Jordan Hancock) didn't moonlight as a safety. Rolling with three boundary cornerbacks seems risky, but that will almost assuredly change at some point during the season.
Safeties (5): Cole Bishop , Sam Franklin Jr. , C.J. Gardner-Johnson , Damar Hamlin , Jalon Kilgore.
Cut (1): Geno Stone .
Waived (2): Te'Cory Couch, Wande Owens.
Analysis: Stone had every chance to beat Hamlin for the third safety job and didn't. Part of it might have been because of an undisclosed injury, but that's how it goes. In keeping Franklin, the Bills were out of roster spots for safeties.
Special teams (3): Tyler Bass , Tommy Doman Jr., Reid Ferguson .
Cuts (1): Mitch Wishnowsky .
Analysis: Doman was better and healthier. The writing was on the wall when they drafted Doman, because teams simply don't cut drafted punters. Twenty-one of the 22 drafted in the last decade have made the final roster.
