Kingsley Jonathan

Bills Set 53-Man Roster

After waiving six players yesterday, the Bills cut 18 more players today to get themselves down to the 53-man roster limit:

Released:

Waived:

Placed on reserve/PUP:

Placed on reserve/suspended:

We heard about some of Buffalo’s bigger moves earlier today, including the release of O.J. Howard and Duke Johnson. Greg Mancz is one of the most experienced players to get cut, with the veteran having appeared in 63 games across seven NFL seasons. His positional versatility was expected to land him a roster spot as a backup offensive lineman, but the team ultimately opted for a younger option. Mancz certainly didn’t help his case when he missed the preseason finale while recovering from a foot injury suffered during practice.

Tanner Gentry and Alec Anderson are both candidates to return to Buffalo via the practice squad. Gentry has bounced on and off the Bills roster over the previous two seasons without getting into a game. Anderson started 10 games at UCLA last year before landing with the Bills as an undrafted rookie.

Matt Barkley has spent the past four seasons in Buffalo. He got into eight games with the Bills between 2018 and 2020, completing 53 of his 97 pass attempts for 788 yards, three touchdowns, and four interceptions. He was demoted to QB3 in 2021 following the acquisition of Mitchell Trubisky, and Barkley didn’t end up seeing the field last year. He was eyeing a similar role in 2022 with Case Keenum now serving as Josh Allen‘s primary backup.

Bills Add 11 Undrafted Free Agents

May 15: The Bills have added 10th and 11th players to their UDFA list, signing Marshall offensive lineman Will Ulmer, as Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus tweets, and defensive lineman C.J. Brewer from Coastal Carolina, according to Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com.

Ulmer started a school-record 57 games for the Thundering Herd, and his run-blocking prowess and mean streak have been praised by scouts. As one might expect for a UDFA, however, his technique is said to be quite raw at this point.

Brewer was a five-year contributor for the Chanticleers, utilizing the fifth year of eligibility granted due to COVID-19. In his last three years, Brewer contributed a combined 14.0 sacks and 27.5 tackles for loss, impressive numbers for a player who lines up mostly on the interior of the line.

Both players were able to secure their new roster spots after successful tryouts at the Bills’ rookie minicamp.

May 14: The 2022 undrafted free agent class’ reveal is nearly complete. The Bills became the latest team to unveil their UDFA contingent:

Once viewed as a potential early- or mid-round draftee, Wydermeyer fell to the UDFA level despite forgoing his senior season with the Aggies. The 6-foot-3 tight end caught 40 passes for a career-high 515 yards and four touchdowns as a junior and was a regular in the SEC program’s offense in each of his three College Station seasons — each ending in second-team All-SEC acclaim.

Fuller spent time as Wydermeyer’s teammate, transferring to Tulsa after four seasons with Texas A&M. Kerstetter started at four O-line positions (all but left tackle), while Anderson spent most of his Bruins career at right tackle. Owen started all 52 career games at Northwest Missouri State, one of Division II’s top programs. Blackshear spent three seasons at Rutgers and two at Virginia Tech; he led the Hokies in rushing (757 yards, six touchdowns) last season.