The Buffalo Bills know they have an excellent quarterback at the center of their offense. Who Josh Allen’s immediate backup will be is still a mystery. Buffalo signed Mitchell Trubisky, but his knee problem might keep him from being Allen’s first-choice quarterback. In response to that concern, the Bills have chosen to go in a different direction by adding Mike White, a former Miami Dolphins and New York Jets backup quarterback. After being cut by the Dolphins on cutdown day, White immediately signed with the Bills, joining his third AFC East franchise in as many years. Western Kentucky produced White.
What astonished White most about the last week was how quickly things happened for him and his new crew. White states, “I got released in Miami and drove up to Tampa where I lived” following the Bills practice. “Josh texted me with two emojis of eyes after (Brandon) Beane called my agency. I know it happened really rapidly.” White is 2-5 as the starting quarterback for the Jets in his first three seasons in the NFL, with nine touchdowns to thirteen interceptions.
In the NFL, White is just as useful as a third quarterback as a depth piece. Trubisky might possibly start the season as Allen’s backup quarterback if he is not ready to play straight away.
Four Buffalo Bills practice squad members with a strong likelihood of playing in 2024.
A week from now, the Buffalo Bills will kick up their 2024 campaign. Bills Mafia is very eager to watch some football now that the lengthy wait is almost over. The Bills visit Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals to start the season at home.
With their roster set, Buffalo fans can now concentrate on the players who currently make up the final 53-man roster. Joe Andreessen, a linebacker from Buffalo, made the most news during the final roster cuts. Not every player on the roster, though, was able to lock down a slot.
Each preseason ends with Brandon Beane having to make difficult choices about who to keep and who to release. Beane was fortunate, though, to get some of those players back on the practice squad. Players from the practice squad have appeared in regular season games for the Bills in recent years. When players on the practice squad get called up to the 53-man roster, they must seize the chance, whether it was simply to provide depth or due to an injury.
There are four players on the practice squad who, in one way or another, might see some action with the Bills this season.
OL Willie
Josh Allen is a franchise quarterback, therefore you have to protect him up front at all costs. Will Clapp’s starting experience is invaluable, so having him on the practice squad is a steal even though the Bills have their offensive lineman ready for action this season. The fact that the Bills were able to retain him was unexpected.
Though Buffalo is fully confident in rookie Sedrick Van Pran-Granger and Connor McGovern, Clapp is a wonderful insurance policy in case something were to happen to the inside of the offensive line.
Tyrell Shavers, wide receiver
Tyrell Shavers, who was well-liked and respected by coaches and players, was the subject of a lot of excitement leading up to the preseason. He was arguing at one point that he should be added to the roster rather than players like Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Chase Claypool. However, Shavers’ hopes of making the team were dashed by a lackluster preseason.
To be fair to Shavers, receivers are limited in their options when the quarterback plays poorly. Shavers won’t play for the Bills right away, but if this new wide receiver room doesn’t work out the way the coaching staff hopes, there’s a good chance he’ll be brought up.
Daequan Hardy, CB
The Bills’ decision to cut Daequan Hardy during roster cuts came as a bit of a surprise. Buffalo selected him in the draft this season because of his special teams background, which made him a viable option to return kickoffs and punts. Not to mention, Hardy must not have performed as well as others during training camp and the preseason because the Bills like to load up the secondary.
The fact that Hardy was chosen by this government, which supports progress, gives him an edge. In fact, Hardy’s chances of seeing more action than normal this year are the best.
RB Frank Gore Jr.
According to Pro Football Focus, the fan favorite was the most highly rated running back during the preseason. After the draft, Frank Gore Jr. was signed by the Bills as an undrafted free agent. Throughout the preseason, Gore Jr. showed glimpses of brilliance, but he was the odd man out in the running back room alongside James Cook, Ty Johnson, and Ray Davis. In the meanwhile, Gore Jr. might have the chance to be brought up and even get a few carries himself if an injury does occur in the Bills’ running back corp.