1. Hometown kid makes good

Bills fans in Western New York were pulling so hard for hometown hopeful, Joe Andreessen, to make the roster today that they gave him a nickname, 'Buffalo Joe.' Community momentum really reached a crescendo for the Depew native and Lancaster high school grad following an inspiring 12-tackle performance in Pittsburgh against the Steelers.

Andreessen was thrust into the starting lineup in the team's second preseason game when Buffalo sustained injuries at the linebacker position to Baylon Spector and Nicholas Morrow. With head coach Sean McDermott erring on the side of caution and sitting Terrel Bernard, Andreesen made the most of his opportunity.

He ran the defense efficiently and made plays in the run front, including a pair of tackles for loss, and had a couple of impressive open field tackles including one on Pittsburgh QB Justin Fields.

That performance, coupled with a steady outing in the preseason finale against Carolina last weekend earned him a spot on Buffalo's 53-man roster.

Coming out of that performance McDermott expressed confidence in Andreessen's instincts and feel for the game.

His presence on the roster makes it three players from the University at Buffalo for the Bills joining Ja'Marcus Ingram and Cam Lewis.

2. Only 5 wideouts

Following an offseason that saw the most turnover at the receiver position in several years, the Bills chose to keep just five wideouts on their initial 53-man roster.

Keon Coleman, Mack Hollins, Curtis Samuel, Khalil Shakir, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling all made the roster. It's not an uncommon number for Buffalo. Last year, the Bills initially carried six receivers on the roster, but soon after placed Justin Shorter on injured reserve and went with five receivers on the active roster the rest of the year.

They called up practice squad players when necessary.

3. Intra-division trade

The Bills made an interesting trade on cut down day as well acquiring DB Brandon Codrington, who also serves as a returner, from the division rival Jets. Buffalo sent a 2026 sixth-round pick to New York in exchange for Codrington and a 2026 seventh-round pick.

Codrington was an undrafted rookie signing of the Jets this past spring out of North Carolina Central. The 5-8, 176-pound prospect played cornerback and was a two-time HBCU All-American first team selection. He was also a first team All-Conference selection (MEAC) twice in his college career thanks largely to his four touchdown returns in college.

During his 2021 season, Codrington ranked third in FCS averaging 15 yards a punt return. He additionally ranked second in the MEAC conference in kick return average.

In his senior season he averaged almost 20 yards per punt return (19.6 avg) along with a pair of touchdown returns.

Defensively, he finished his college career with 93 tackles and 10 pass breakups.

The impetus for this trade was likely due to the decision to cut rookie sixth-round pick, Daequan Hardy from the roster.

Hardy appeared to have won the open returner role on the roster as he made improvements through the course of the preseason and performed well on defense at cornerback. But the coaching staff felt differently and swung a trade to presumably fill the role.

4. Milano to IR along with two others

In an expected move, LB Matt Milano was placed on injured reserve Tuesday. The linebacker already underwent biceps tendon surgery, but no word on when his rehabilitation process will begin.

Milano sustained the injury in practice prior to the Pittsburgh preseason game. There is hope the former All-Pro could return to the active roster late in the season.

Milano missed the last 12 games of the regular season and the club's two postseason games in 2023 after he suffered a complicated leg break in Week 5 against Jacksonville in London.

Buffalo also placed RB Darrynton Evans and rookie OL Travis Clayton on IR. Evans suffered a hamstring injury in the preseason finale. Clayton, the Bills' final draft pick this past spring, suffered a shoulder injury and missed most of training camp and the entire preseason.

The Bills have the ability to designate two players who are placed on injured reserve on cut down day as return eligible players. It would not be surprising if Milano was one of those two players.

5. 80 percent of 2024 draft class makes roster

Yes, most NFL teams lean in favor of draft picks making the roster as they were investments made by the club the previous spring. But when 70 percent of your draft class is selected on day three of the draft it's not as likely to see all the players stick.

Buffalo kept eight of their 10 draft choices on their initial 53-man roster.

Only Hardy and International Player, Travis Clayton did not make the squad, with Clayton given an injured reserve designation.

The draft choices who made the roster were Keon Coleman, Cole Bishop, DeWayne Carter, Ray Davis, Sedrick Van Pran Granger, Javon Solomon, Eddie Ulofoshio, and Tylan Grable.