The 2014 Buffalo Bills season was the franchise's 45th season in the National Football League, 55th season of competition, second under head coach Doug Marrone and the first in franchise history without Ralph Wilson as owner. While the change to the Bills’ roster has been mostly positive this offseason, safety is the one position that is likely to be significantly affected by a free-agent departure. Despite being an undrafted free agent, Robey quickly emerged as the team’s slot cornerback in nickel defensive packages, and he excelled in that role in both covering slot receivers and at aggressively making plays around the line of scrimmage. Jarius Wynn has just 45 total tackles and 8.5 sacks in six NFL seasons, while Ikponmwosa Igbinosun has yet to play in a regular-season game since going undrafted in 2012. Searcy, who filled in at strong safety during those first five games of last season, continued to be a key player all season long and might be the early favorite to win the starting job. Of the 15 blockers currently on their roster, 11 of them weigh at least 320 pounds. That said, it's evident the Bills are looking to put pressure on Spiller and Jackson, who could both become free agents in 2015. Corbin Bryant and Stefan Charles are solid interior defensive linemen who performed well in limited action last season, but the fourth defensive end spot is one where the Bills might want to look for a veteran left on the market. Long Shots to Make Roster: FB Evan Rodriguez, RB Ronnie Wingo. That contract certainly makes Carpenter the favorite to win the job, but Hopkins deserves a fair shot to compete. 5/6. Defensive end Mario Williams, penetrating defensive tackle Kyle Williams and nose tackle Marcell Dareus are all Pro Bowlers who rank among the NFL's best players at their positions. In those contests, including one start, Tuel completed just 44.1 percent of his passes and threw three interceptions to just one touchdown. Johnson has intriguing developmental measurables, but the team is unlikely to save a roster spot for him if he cannot prove he can make an immediate impact on defense and special teams. Regardless of who starts where and who doesn't start, Williams, Searcy and Meeks should all end up playing a role for the Bills in the upcoming season. But while Gragg has legitimate competition for his spot, it isn't formidable. Dan Carpenter earned himself a new contract with an exceptional 2013 campaign. An explosive wideout who can beat defenders deep with his speed but also make defenders miss and run through contact to extend plays in the open field, Watkins gives the Bills a level of playmaker they did not previously have at the position. SS: Da’Norris Searcy/Duke Williams/Jonathan Meeks, 5. A productive tackler and playmaker at Vanderbilt, Ladler was considered a likely Day 3 draft pick until a 4.70-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine, according to NFL.com, hurt his draft stock. Pears and Hairston will likely have to fight for their roster spots, too, as seventh-round pick Henderson, out of the University of Miami, has the talent to top both of them on the depth chart. 2014 Buffalo Bills Starters, Roster, & Players: 9-7 (2nd in AFC East), Coach: Doug Marrone, ProBowl: Dareus, Williams Kyle Williams, Marcell Dareus and Mario Williams lead one of the NFL's best defensive lines. Add Watkins and Williams to 2013 second-round pick Robert Woods and third-round pick Marquise Goodwin, and the Bills' receiving corps could emerge into one of the NFL's most dynamic groups in 2014. There will be no shortage of competition on special teams heading into the 2014 season with long snapper Garrison Sanborn looking to be the only Buffalo Bills specialist with a safe roster spot for the upcoming year. He has enough arm strength and athleticism that he could win the third-string job if he is able to earn a roster spot after rookie minicamp. The 2013 seventh-round pick didn't play much last season, but he has the athleticism and receiving ability to line up all over the field and potentially give the team a legitimate No. Jacquies Smith, who has been in the NFL since 2012, has also never played in an NFL regular-season game and is more of a ‘tweener who would fit better as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme. The Bills made it clear all offseason, both verbally and through their lack of any major additions at the position, that they are fully committed to starting EJ Manuel, who's going into his second NFL season, as the quarterback. Lewis was initially released by the Bills after a late trade to the team last preseason, but he ended up being elevated from the practice squad and becoming the fill-in starter for Buffalo when Manuel went down with injuries. UPDATE, 1:30 p.m. The Bills defense continued its strong play from last season, finishing first in the league with 54 quarterback sacks. T.J. Graham/Chris Hogan/Marcus Easley, Long Shots to Make Roster: Ramses Barden, Kevin Elliott, Brandon Kaufman, Cordell Roberson, Chris Summers. The Bills used a seventh-round pick to select Randell Johnson out of Florida Atlantic, but depending on how many linebackers Buffalo decides to keep, he might have to beat Powell or Bradham to earn a spot on the 53-man roster. Another area the Bills made necessary revamping to this offseason was the offensive line. Spiller suffered from a disappointing drop-off in production this past season, while the 33-year-old Jackson is at a point in his career where he could face an uphill battle to sustain his starting-caliber level of performance. Jajuan Harley, Kenny Ladler*, Deon Broomfield*, Derek Brim*. That said, he is a skilled, technically sound player who could project both outside and inside and should be able to step up if injuries force the team to call upon him. ET Tuesday: The Bills officially announced the additions of nine undrafted free agents Tuesday afternoon. Manny Lawson, who Bills director of player personnel Jim Monos confirmed Friday is also moving to defensive end, can provide solid rotational depth behind Williams and Hughes. Buffalo Bills players listed alphabetically or numerically. Watkins should be a mainstay on the field for the Buffalo offense, but with his athletic traits and versatility, he is a player the Bills should be able to use creatively to move all over the formation. Mario Butler, Brandon Smith and Mike Carter have all done nothing of note in the NFL, while Darius Robinson was a one-year starter at Clemson who is very much a long shot to make the roster. Undrafted free agent additions Damien Jacobs (Florida) and Colby Way (Buffalo) are both undersized, athletically limited defensive tackles who are unlikely to be more than camp bodies. Gragg is also an undersized player who doesn't add much as a blocker, and he will have to prove himself worthy of greater contributions to even secure a roster spot if the Bills are to only keep three tight ends. Doug Legursky was an upgrade when he took over for Colin Brown at left guard five games into last season, but that’s not saying much. That’s where the team’s new additions could factor in immediately. Long Shots to Make Roster: DT Damien Jacobs, DT Colby Way. While Spiller and Jackson have combined for 4,752 yards and 24 touchdowns from scrimmage over the past two seasons, Brown has totaled 1,018 yards and six touchdowns. There shouldn’t be much reason for the Bills to want to change the top of their cornerback depth chart. But while Searcy is an aggressive playmaker who is active in run support, he has some issues with deep coverage and is best suited to remain in a situational role. Kiko Alonso is the star of the Bills' linebacker corps. View player positions, age, height, and weight on FOXSports.com! Nigel Bradham will be among the players fighting for a spot on Buffalo's 53-man roster. Quarterbacks (3): EJ Manuel, Thad Lewis, Jeff Tuel, Running Backs (4): C.J. Guiton was a backup for the Buckeyes but performed well when he was called into duty. But while the Bills have two strong options at kicker, they have two weak options at punter. At 38 years old, Brian Moorman looked well past his prime last season, averaging just 41.2 yards per punt, the second-worst average among NFL players with at least 40 punts last season. Though Stephon Gilmore missed five games and never quite looked to be himself after suffering a wrist injury last season, the 2012 first-round pick has the potential to be an excellent No. The Bills are relying upon EJ Manuel to develop in his second year as the Buffalo Bills' starting quarterback. The Bills new-look defense will have a new and improved linebacker corps for the 2014 season. The deck looks stacked against Ronnie Wingo, who appeared in two games last season, but he will need injuries in front of him to have a real shot to make the 53-man regular-season team. 4 overall pick, should immediately become the go-to weapon for Buffalo's passing game in 2014. The team's three undrafted free agent signings indicate that there is likely to be another roster spot at the position for depth. Still, depth at the back end of the roster is a lingering concern for the Bills defensive line, especially at defensive end. Assuming Robey performs as well in the preseason as he did in his rookie season, however, he should be able to hold down that job. If he struggles, that could prompt the team to look for another punter on the free agent market. There's plenty of new talent for head coach Doug Marrone and quarterback EJ Manuel to work with on the Buffalo Bills' 2014 roster. The browser you are using is no longer supported on this site. 4 wideout, as he is a player opposing defenses must account for every time he is on the field. The Bills recently traded with the Philadelphia Eagles to add Bryce Brown at running back. A strong top trio at the position, however, didn't stop the Bills from bringing in competition this offseason. Even as the Buffalo Bills shift back from a 3-4-based defense to a 4-3 alignment, their starting defensive line remains the strongest unit of their team. Bills director of player personnel Jim Monos. Its only additions at the position have been Jajuan Harley, who has yet to play in an NFL game after going undrafted out of Middle Tennessee State in 2013, and three undrafted rookies from this year’s class: Vanderbilt’s Kenny Ladler, Iowa State’s Deon Broomfield and Buffalo’s Derek Brim. Williams has the advantage of experience (69 games, 54 starts), but he has performed underwhelmingly in his NFL career. There should be a legitimate competition in training camp for the third-string quarterback job. With the 2014 NFL draft now complete and undrafted free agent signings also mostly taken care of, the Buffalo Bills’ 90-man preseason roster is largely set. While the Bills will not be inclined to cut Carpenter after giving him a $2.15 million signing bonus, according to Spotrac, Hopkins is a younger kicker with a bigger leg and therefore could outperform Carpenter in training camp, in which case the team would make a mistake not to retain the second-year player.
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