Jun 14, 2016; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Cardale Jones (7) drops to pass as offensive coordinator Greg Roman rushes during mini-camp at the ADPRO Sports Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports
The Buffalo Bills are in an odd position as a franchise and could shake things up at 2017 training camp, which could mean bad news for these five players.
The Buffalo Bills enter training camp in 2017 after an offseason that yielded a vast number of changes. The Bills fired head coach Rex Ryan before the end of the 2016 season and replaced him with Sean McDermott. After the draft, the Bills decided to go in a different direction in the front office, and let go general manager Doug Whaley.
After a short interview process, the Bills decided to go with Brandon Beane, who was previously the assistant general manager for the Carolina Panthers, a former colleague of McDermott's.
With all the adjustments on the sidelines and the front office, not too much has changed on the field. The Bills will bring back the core of their offense in Tyrod Taylor and LeSean McCoy, and their big money defensive tackle, Marcel Dareus, will return to control the inside of the defense.
Their No. 1 corner, Stephon Gilmore, left for the division rival New England Patriots, which means they will look for first-round pick Tre'Davious White to step in and fill his spot. With not that many key positions up for grabs during training camp, there are still a few players on the team who may not survive training camp. These five veterans have to change the narrative if they want to avoid being cut.
Jan 1, 2017; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Cardale Jones (7) drops back to pass against the New York Jets during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
5. Cardale Jones
The Bills quarterback depth chart is crowded, and it seems that Cardale Jones will be the odd man out. Buffalo selected Jones in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft out of Ohio State, hoping he would develop into a solid backup for Tyrod Taylor in the future.
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He had a stellar college career, leading the Buckeyes to a National Championship in the 2014 season. Jones has all the tools to become a solid NFL quarterback. He has a strong arm and a big body that is highly coveted in the NFL. The big problem for him is that the Bills are running out of time for him to develop.
The Bills signed quarterback T.J. Yates in free agency to be the backup to Tyrod Taylor, and drafted quarterback Nathan Peterman in the fifth round of the draft. When the Bills drafted Peterman, it was clear that Jones' spot on the roster was in jeopardy. If the Bills had faith that he would develop into an NFL quarterback, they would not have invested in Peterman.
Although I still think Cardale Jones has a future in this league, I think it will be tough for him to acquire a spot on the roster. Unless he has an astonishing training camp, look for Jones to be the odd man out on the quarterback depth chart.
Dec 18, 2016; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Brandon Tate (15) catches a pass before the game against the Cleveland Browns at New Era Field. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports
4. Brandon Tate
After a poor performance from the Bills wide receivers in 2016, they absolutely had to give Tyrod Taylor some more weapons. They signed Corey "Philly" Brown in free agency, and spent a second-round pick on Zay Jones out of East Carolina.
Brown has been a reliable talent for Cam Newton for the past two seasons as a member of the Carolina Panthers. Meanwhile, Jones broke the record for most career receptions in NCAA Division I history. Both these receivers should be able to step in right away and provide Taylor some assistance.
So where does that leave Brandon Tate? Quite possibly, the eight-year veteran could find himself looking for a job by the end of training camp. He was re-signed by the Bills this offseason to a one year deal, after putting up disappointing numbers in 2016.
With only eight catches for a grand total of 117 yards and no touchdowns, the Bills were expecting more production. Tate can be a threat in the return game, although I don't expect that to be enough for him to keep a spot on the roster. With Sammy Watkins returning to full health, look for Tate to be cut before training camp ends.
Aug 1, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Logan Thomas (6) throws during training camp at University of Phoenix. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
3. Logan Thomas
The former fourth-round pick of the Arizona Cardinals back in 2014, Logan Thomas has an interesting training camp ahead of him. The former Virginia Tech standout was a quarterback in college, and the Cardinals took a shot on him in the fourth round due to his big arm and athletic ability.
His career as a quarterback in the NFL has been disappointing to say the least. He has only completed one pass in his NFL career, although that pass was an 81-yard touchdown. Since the Cardinals released him in 2015, he bounced around the practice squads of the Miami Dolphins and Detroit Lions, before signing on to the Bills practice squad late in 2016. He changed his position to tight end with the Lions in a last ditch effort to salvage his NFL career.
The Bills desperately needed some help at tight end. However, I don't see Thomas being on the roster after training camp. He has a tough uphill battle ahead of him, as changing positions in the NFL is rarely successful. If he can show his athleticism in training camp and prove to be useful in the offense, than he may have a shot. With that said, I have a hard time seeing Thomas making the Bills 53-man roster for the start of 2017.
Jan 3, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Seattle Seahawks center Patrick Lewis (65) against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
2. Patrick Lewis
The Bills have plenty of depth on the interior of the offensive line, which could be bad news for Patrick Lewis. The 26-year old is entering training camp looking to sneak onto the 53-man roster. He was signed as an undrafted free agent back in 2013 by the Green BayPackers, and has bounced around the league ever since.
He was on the Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars practice squads before finding a home with the Seattle Seahawks for a couple of years. After an injury to starting center Max Unger, he was able to start in games during the 2014 and 2015 seasons for the Seahawks. After failing to claim the starting center position before the 2016 season, he was let go by the Seahawks and signed with the Bills prior to the 2016 season.
Lewis is a hard-nosed, tough interior lineman, the type of player that offensive line coach Juan Castillo values. However, there just isn't enough room on the roster for Lewis. The Bills have a lot of depth on the offensive line, and Lewis looks like he is going to be the odd man out in the group. I don't think he will have a hard time finding a team to sign with once he's let go from the Bills.
Aug 23, 2014; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills inside linebacker Preston Brown (52) looks to make a tackle on Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Bobby Rainey (43) during the second half at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Tampa Bay beats Buffalo 27 to 14. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports
1. Preston Brown
The biggest surprise of the Buffalo Bills training camp will be Preston Brown losing his starting spot. The fourth-round pick out of Louisville is entering training camp fighting for a roster spot after being a large part of the Bills defense the past three seasons. The middle linebacker has had over 109 tackles in each of his three years in the league, including 139 last season for the Bills.
With these stats, the question is, why would the Bills cut such an integral part of their defense?
Total tackles by a player doesn't always tell the whole story. Brown doesn't have the ground breaking speed a middle linebacker needs to succeed in this league. He was constantly getting beat on the outside runs last season. He also struggled in covering opposing tight ends, as he was often picked on in the passing game.
Last season, Pro Football Focus gave Brown a measly overall grade of 49.8. It's hard to see a team cutting a player with 139 tackles the previous season, yet Brown is in a tough position as he tries to regain his spot. McDermott is looking to shake things up on defense, and it could all start with cutting Brown. With second-year linebacker Reggie Ragland coming into camp gunning to take his spot, Brown could be a camp cut for the Bills.
