The official roster is set for the 2021 season. The final 53 features 11 defensive linemen, five corners, six linebackers, four safeties, four running backs, six wide receivers, two tight ends, nine offensive linemen and two quarterbacks.
General manager Brandon Beane met with the media on Wednesday to discuss final cuts and the makeup of this year's squad.
1. LS Reid Ferguson's status
It was a bit of a surprise to see long snapper Reid Ferguson a part of final cuts in order to get to 53. But no need to panic though because Ferguson will be back. Beane had to make the roster move in order to place wide receiver Marquez Stevenson on the Injured Reserve.
"Reid will be back on the roster," Beane explained. "The subsequent move will be Marquez Stevenson will be put on IR. His foot has still been nagging him. He actually had re-hurt it before that punt return against the Bears, and believe it or not still took that thing back. And that's why he got shut down then. It's still nagging him. The best thing is to let it calm down, so we'll put him down. So we'll go down to six wide receivers, we'll get Reid back on."
The Buffalo Bills' 53-man roster for the 2021 season is here. Scroll through to learn about the players on this year's team.
QB Josh Allen, No. 17 - Signed a six-year extension after setting a single-season franchise records for passing touchdowns (37), completions (396), 300-yard games (8), passer rating (107.2), completion percentage (69.2), passing yards (4,544), and total touchdowns (46) in 2020.
QB Mitchell Trubisky, No. 10 – The No. 2 pick in 2017 reached the playoffs twice in four seasons with Chicago before joining the Bills on a one-year deal during the offseason.
RB Zack Moss, No. 20 – The second-year running back caught a touchdown pass from Josh Allen in Buffalo's preseason finale against Green Bay.
RB Matt Breida, No. 22 – Fleet-of-foot running back signed a one-year deal during the offseason after averaging 4.9 yards per carry in four seasons with San Francisco and Miami.
RB Taiwan Jones, No. 25 – Veteran back has returned 82 kickoffs for 1,890 yards in his career.
RB Devin Singletary, No. 26 – The third-year running back rushed for 687 yards on 156 carries and caught 38 passes for 269 yards in 2020.
FB Reggie Gilliam, No. 41 – Rushed for two touchdowns during Buffalo's preseason win over Chicago.
WR Emmanuel Sanders, No. 1 – Veteran newcomer ranks eighth in the NFL with 8,619 receiving yards since 2010.
WR Marquez Stevenson, No. 5 – Rookie returned a punt 79 yards for a touchdown during the preseason win over Chicago.
WR Cole Beasley, No. 11 – Named a Second-Team All-Pro in 2020, when he set career highs in receiving yards (967) and receptions (82).
WR Gabriel Davis, No. 13 – Fourth-round pick made an impact as a rookie in 2020, catching seven touchdowns during the regular season before amassing 85 receiving yards in Buffalo's Wild Card game against Indianapolis.
WR Stefon Diggs, No. 14 - Named a First-Team All-Pro in 2020 after becoming the first player in Bills history to lead the NFL in catches (127) and yards (1,535).
WR Jake Kumerow, No. 15 – Caught a touchdown on his first NFL reception in 2020 during Buffalo's win over Denver.
WR Isaiah McKenzie, No. 19 – Versatile offensive weapons scored touchdowns as a receiver, a returner, and as a passer in 2020.
TE Dawson Knox, No. 88 – Recorded three touchdowns in 2020, his second NFL season.
TE Tommy Sweeney, No. 89 – Appeared in six games as a rookie in 2019 before missing last season with myocarditis resulting from COVID-19.
C Mitch Morse, No. 60 – Veteran has started 86-of-86 career games played, including seven playoff appearances.
OG Ike Boettger, No. 65 – Appeared in a career-high 12 games during the 2020 regular season, including seven starts at left guard, before starting all three of Buffalo's playoff games.
OL Ryan Bates, No. 71 – Returns for a third season in a reserve role on the Buffalo offensive line.
OT Tommy Doyle, No. 72 – The Bills drafted Doyle in the fifth round (161st overall) after he earned First-Team All-MAAC honors during a shortened senior season at the University of Miami (OH).
OL Daryl Williams, No. 75 – Signed a three-year contract extension after starting all 16 games at right tackle in 2020.
OT Dion Dawkins, No. 73 – The left tackle has not missed a game in four NFL seasons.
OL Cody Ford, No. 74 – The third-year offensive lineman has started games at both guard and tackle during his young career.
OT Spencer Brown, No. 79 – Buffalo's third-round pick (93rd overall) in the 2021 NFL Draft spent last season training with former All-Pro tackle Joe Staley.
OG Jon Feliciano, No. 76 – The versatile offensive lineman returns to Buffalo after signing a three-year contract extension in March.
DE Greg Rousseau, No. 50 – Buffalo's first-round pick in 2021 made an early splash, registering two sacks in three preseason games.
DE Jerry Hughes, No. 55 – The longest-tenured Bills player ranks fifth in team history with 51 sacks.
DE A.J. Epenesa, No. 57 – The defensive end progressed steadily as a rookie in 2020, playing at least 34 percent of defensive snaps in each game after the bye.
DT Justin Zimmer, No. 61 – Recorded 21 tackles in 2020, including the game-winning forced fumble against New England in Week 8.
DT Ed Oliver, No. 91 – Registered 34 tackles, three sacks and six tackles for a loss in 2020.
DE Boogie Basham, No. 96 – Selected 61st overall by the Bills in the 2021 NFL Draft, Basham tallied one sack and two tackles for loss during the preseason.
DE Efe Obada, No. 93 – London native became the first player from the NFL International Pathway Program to make a 53-man roster with Carolina in 2018.
DT Vernon Butler, No. 94 – Defensive tackle posted 18 tackles, including five for a loss, and a forced fumble during his first season with the Bills in 2020.
DE Mario Addison, No. 97 – The veteran returns for his second season in Buffalo after leading the team with five sacks in 2020.
Space-eating defensive tackle returns to the Bills after opting out of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
DT Harrison Phillips, No. 99 – Nominated by teammates for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award in 2020.
LB Tyler Matakevich, No. 44 – Led the Bills with 10 special teams tackles in 2020.
LB Tremaine Edmunds, No. 49 – The fourth-year linebacker is one of two players in NFL history to record 300-plus career tackles before the age of 23, along with five-time All-Pro Luke Kuechly.
LB A.J. Klein, No. 54 – Registered 4.5 sacks during the month of November last season, which led all NFL linebackers.
LB Andre Smith, No. 59 – Appeared in 12 games with the Bills in 2020, recording seven tackles on defense with one tackle for a loss.
LB Tyrel Dodson, No. 53 – Undrafted linebacker returns for his third season in Buffalo after posting 20 tackles in 10 games in 2020.
LB Matt Milano, No. 58 – The Bills went 10-0 last season in games with Milano, who returns on a four-year extension.
CB Taron Johnson, No. 24 – The nickel corner left his mark on Buffalo's postseason run, intercepting Baltimore QB Lamar Jackson and returning it 101 yards for a game-changing touchdown in the Bills' 17-3 Divisional Round victory.
CB Tre'Davious White, No. 27 – Named Second-Team All-Pro last season and earned his second Pro Bowl selection.
CB Dane Jackson, No. 30 – Started at cornerback and registered an interception in his NFL debut against the Jets last season.
CB Siran Neal, No. 33 – Played 62-percent of special teams snaps in 2020, a career high.
CB Levi Wallace, No. 39 – Undrafted cornerback enters his fourth season with the Bills after ranking second on the team in interceptions (2) and passes defended (9) in 2020.
S Jordan Poyer, No. 21 – Since joining the Bills in 2017, Poyer is the only NFL player with 400-plus tackles, 10-plus interceptions, and five-plus sacks.
S Micah Hyde, No. 23 – The veteran is one of four defensive backs in the NFL with 17-plus interceptions and four-plus sacks since 2013.
S Damar Hamlin, No. 31 – Sixth-round pick led the University of Pittsburgh in tackles (67) and pass breakups (7) last season.
S Jaquan Johnson, No. 46 – Sixth-round pick in 2019 is entering his third season with the Bills.
K Tyler Bass, No. 2 – Returns for his second season after setting a franchise record with 141 points as a rookie in 2020.
P Matt Haack, No. 3 – Joins the Bills after four seasons in Miami, where he stands as the Dolphins' all-time leader in net punting average (39.9).
LS Reid Ferguson, No. 69 – Long snapper signed a three-year contract extension in May.
2. Beane calls the Darryl Johnson trade "a tough call"
The Bills kept 11 defensive linemen, which makes it the most crowded position group on the team. If defensive end Darryl Johnson made the roster, he would have made it 12 but the seventh rounder was traded to the Panthers in exchange for a 2022 sixth round pick.
Beane said it was difficult to trade Johnson, but ultimately it came down to who would be active on game days.
"Darryl was a tough call," Beane explained. "It really was. At the end of the day, we had probably the most value that we could get for him and it was, which way you can do it. He has that special teams value. Heath's (Farwell) probably disappointed that we weren't able to get him there, but there's only so many you're going to be able to get up on game day as it is and we just couldn't find a way to keep seven defensive ends."
Beane said they thought getting a sixth round pick in the trade was the best move for the team as a whole.
Scroll to see the best photos from the Bills' practice at Highmark Stadium on September 1, 2021.
Buffalo Bills Training Camp at Highmark Stadium, September 1, 2021. Photo by Bill Wippert
Reggie Gilliam (41), Rob Boras, Dawson Knox (88). Buffalo Bills Training Camp at Highmark Stadium, September 1, 2021. Photo by Bill Wippert
Levi Wallace (39), Emmanuel Sanders (1). Buffalo Bills Training Camp at Highmark Stadium, September 1, 2021. Photo by Bill Wippert
Will Greenberg, Stefon Diggs (14). Buffalo Bills Training Camp at Highmark Stadium, September 1, 2021. Photo by Bill Wippert
Tre'Davious White (27) drives Devin Singletary (26) and Emmanuel Sanders (1). Buffalo Bills Training Camp at Highmark Stadium, September 1, 2021. Photo by Bill Wippert
Tremaine Edmunds (49). Buffalo Bills Training Camp at Highmark Stadium, September 1, 2021. Photo by Bill Wippert
Leslie Frazier. Buffalo Bills Training Camp at Highmark Stadium, September 1, 2021. Photo by Bill Wippert
Mario Addison (97). Buffalo Bills Training Camp at Highmark Stadium, September 1, 2021. Photo by Bill Wippert
Devin Singletary (26), Matt Breida (22). Buffalo Bills Training Camp at Highmark Stadium, September 1, 2021. Photo by Bill Wippert
Emmanuel Sanders (1). Buffalo Bills Training Camp at Highmark Stadium, September 1, 2021. Photo by Bill Wippert
Josh Allen (17), Justin Zimmer (61). Buffalo Bills Training Camp at Highmark Stadium, September 1, 2021. Photo by Bill Wippert
Daryl Williams (75). Buffalo Bills Training Camp at Highmark Stadium, September 1, 2021. Photo by Bill Wippert
Daryl Williams (75). Buffalo Bills Training Camp at Highmark Stadium, September 1, 2021. Photo by Bill Wippert
Josh Allen (17), Mario Addison (97). Buffalo Bills Training Camp at Highmark Stadium, September 1, 2021. Photo by Bill Wippert
Josh Allen (17), Ryan Bates (71). Buffalo Bills Training Camp at Highmark Stadium, September 1, 2021. Photo by Bill Wippert
Dawson Knox (88). Buffalo Bills Training Camp at Highmark Stadium, September 1, 2021. Photo by Bill Wippert
A.J. Epenesa (57), Justin Zimmer (61). Buffalo Bills Training Camp at Highmark Stadium, September 1, 2021. Photo by Bill Wippert
Spencer Haws, Jeff Mazurek. Buffalo Bills Training Camp at Highmark Stadium, September 1, 2021. Photo by Bill Wippert
Reggie Gilliam (41) Buffalo Bills Training Camp at Highmark Stadium, September 1, 2021. Photo by Bill Wippert
Matt Haack (3), Tyler Bass (2). Buffalo Bills Training Camp at Highmark Stadium, September 1, 2021. Photo by Bill Wippert
Tremaine Edmunds (49). Buffalo Bills Training Camp at Highmark Stadium, September 1, 2021. Photo by Bill Wippert
Emmanuel Sanders (1). Buffalo Bills Training Camp at Highmark Stadium, September 1, 2021. Photo by Bill Wippert
Josh Allen (17), Mitchell Trubisky (10). Buffalo Bills Training Camp at Highmark Stadium, September 1, 2021. Photo by Bill Wippert
Mitchell Trubisky (10), Matt Breida (22). Buffalo Bills Training Camp at Highmark Stadium, September 1, 2021. Photo by Bill Wippert
Tre'Davious White (27). Buffalo Bills Training Camp at Highmark Stadium, September 1, 2021. Photo by Bill Wippert
Tommy Sweeney (89), Will Greenberg. Buffalo Bills Training Camp at Highmark Stadium, September 1, 2021. Photo by Bill Wippert
Cole Beasley (11). Buffalo Bills Training Camp at Highmark Stadium, September 1, 2021. Photo by Bill Wippert
Dion Dawkins (73). Buffalo Bills Training Camp at Highmark Stadium, September 1, 2021. Photo by Bill Wippert
Josh Allen (17). Buffalo Bills Training Camp at Highmark Stadium, September 1, 2021. Photo by Bill Wippert
Damar Hamlin (31). Buffalo Bills Training Camp at Highmark Stadium, September 1, 2021. Photo by Bill Wippert
Sean McDermott. Buffalo Bills Training Camp at Highmark Stadium, September 1, 2021. Photo by Bill Wippert
Buffalo Bills Training Camp at Highmark Stadium, September 1, 2021. Photo by Bill Wippert
Buffalo Bills Training Camp at Highmark Stadium, September 1, 2021. Photo by Bill Wippert
Buffalo Bills Training Camp at Highmark Stadium, September 1, 2021. Photo by Bill Wippert
Buffalo Bills Training Camp at Highmark Stadium, September 1, 2021. Photo by Bill Wippert
Buffalo Bills Training Camp at Highmark Stadium, September 1, 2021. Photo by Bill Wippert
Buffalo Bills Training Camp at Highmark Stadium, September 1, 2021. Photo by Bill Wippert
Buffalo Bills Training Camp at Highmark Stadium, September 1, 2021. Photo by Bill Wippert
Buffalo Bills Training Camp at Highmark Stadium, September 1, 2021. Photo by Bill Wippert
Buffalo Bills Training Camp at Highmark Stadium, September 1, 2021. Photo by Bill Wippert
3. The numbers game
With 11 defensive linemen, every position group can't be stacked. Beane admitted 11 is about as heavy as he felt comfortable with at that spot. Even though they went heavy at defensive line for a reason, Beane didn't want to choose numbers first over talent when deciding the final roster.
"We really tried to keep the best 53 and not say, we're going to keep x number of running backs, x number of receivers, tight ends," Beane explained.
That means six linebackers, five corners and four safeties makeup the rest of the defense. The worry about keeping 12 defensive linemen came down to what position groups could be in jeopardy on game day.
"I knew once you start getting 10, 11, I would've loved to have kept Darryl and go 12," Beane explained. "But we just couldn't get thinner because on game day, you get to that 48, we're going to have too many D-linemen on the sidelines and we're going to be really thin if we lose another tight end or lose a linebacker, DB. Most of those guys that we kept will all be up on game day. So it gets to the core where you can only keep so many."
There were many players the Bills would have loved to keep but they couldn't because of the defensive line numbers. One example is tight end Jacob Hollister
"Hollister was a tough decision," Beane said. "It was really a numbers thing. I thought Jacob had a good camp. He had a really good spring. And then he had the back (injury) that slowed him a little bit, but was starting to show back in form at the Bears game. It was really a numbers thing. If we had kept another one, he's probably on the roster. It was just, we went heavy at defensive line, and unfortunately when you go heavy somewhere you got to cut somewhere else."
4. Roster health going into Week 1
The Bills have been without some key pieces over the last several practices. Defensive lineman Harrison Phillips (knee), wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie (shoulder), tight end Tommy Sweeney (foot), safety Jaquan Johnson (knee), cornerback Levi Wallace (hip), cornerback Taron Johnson (hand) and cornerback Dane Jackson (stinger) have all missed multiple practices.
Phillips, Sweeney, McKenzie, T. Johnson, Jackson and Wallace returned to practice on Wednesday and practiced in some capacity. McKenzie, T. Johnson and Jackson wore red non-contact jerseys.
"We feel good about their status," Beane said of Phillips and McKenzie specifically. "At this point, as we sit here today before practice anything can happen. But I don't think we're planning to rule anyone out for week one at this point."
Micah Hyde (excused for personal reason), Star Lotulelei (calf), Jerry Hughes (vet day), Jaquan Johnson (knee) all missed practice on Wednesday.
The team will have Friday, Saturday and Sunday off before they officially begin Week 1 prep. Beane said he is hoping with the long weekend, they will get most of the players back and practicing in some capacity on Monday.
5. A familiar group of players on the practice squad
The Bills practice squad members were announced this afternoon and all players on it were members of Buffalo's training camp roster before final cuts. Before those players had an opportunity to get claimed, Beane was hopeful that they would get most of their group back.
"We're happy with most of the guys that we had," Beane said of players that got cut before being put back on the practice squad. "They become free agents so they do have opportunities if they're not claimed to choose a different practice squad, but we're hopeful here this afternoon to get a lot of the guys back that they go unclaimed."
Quarterbacks Davis Webb and Jake Fromm are a part of this year's practice squad. Beane was anticipating Webb would return, but wasn't sure about Fromm's status.
"Davis doesn't have to go through waivers, so he can sign back with us," Beane explained. "Pretty confident he will. And then we'll see what happens with Jake. But really proud of Jake and happy with him. We would love to keep him on the team if we can, but we'll have to see if he's claimed here in just a little while."
Here are the 15 members of the practice squad – OL Jack Anderson, DT Brandin Bryant, OL Jamil Douglas, QB Jake Fromm, WR Tanner Gentry, LB Joe Giles-Harris, DB Olaijah Griffin, WR Isaiah Hodgins, CB Cam Lewis, DE Mike Love, TE Quintin Morris, S Josh Thomas, QB Davis Webb, CB Rachad Wildgoose, RB Antonio Williams.
6. The uniqueness about this year's roster
Every season each roster has a little bit of a different feel. Beane thinks the continuity stands out most among this year's group. The biggest difference this season is in the defensive line, where Beane hopes the increase in numbers will translate to an increase in pressure.
"Continuity is probably the thing that's gotten better and better, being able to keep so many guys that some of them we thought we were going to lose last year," Beane said of the difference in this year's roster. "Offensively, I think we've kind of built it similar to how we did last season. And then defensively, the biggest difference is up front. We've really focused on retaining the back end, the back seven, and then strengthening this front four, and being able to rush in waves.
"I think that's what you'll see. If we have eight or nine up on game day, Eric Washington is going to be rotating those guys to where we're hopefully going to be able to get after this quarterback."
