Getty Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane looks on before the game against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on September 25, 2022.
After adding new depths of talent through the NFL Draft and free agency, Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane knows he will have some difficult decisions to make at the end of the summer.
Despite making no splashy moves this offseason that rival last year’s signing of All-Pro edge rusher Von Miller, the Bills filled needs with a number of lower-profile free agency signings. The team addressed needs on offense and added depth to key positions on defense, including the line.
Speaking to reporters this week, Beane acknowledged that it would mean some good players — while could include some recent high-profile draft picks — won’t make the final roster.
Brandon Beane Predicts ‘Heartache’ Ahead
The Bills this week added talent to an already deep position, signing former Los Angeles Rams edge rusher Leonard Floyd. ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberge predicted that Floyd would be a Week 1 starter as Miller continues to rehab from a torn ACL and likely won’t be ready for the season opener.
Getzenberg noted that there are “only so many roster spots to go around” at edge rusher, and the Bills may have to part ways with one of their recent first- or second-round picks — Boogie Basham, Shaq Lawson, A.J. Epenesa.
While Beane didn’t identify who might miss the cut when the Bills trim down to their final 53-man roster at the end of the preseason, he did acknowledge that there would be some tough decisions and that the team could have to cut or trade some high-quality players.
“Sometimes there’s moves you got to make. It’ll cause us a little heartache at the 53,” Beane said. “How we have to do things — whether it’s push some money down the line or release a player, trade a player that has value, you know, we’ll consider all that, especially at positions that we feel we’re deeper.”
Late-Summer Trades Coming?
As The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia noted, Beane has made a habit of swinging late-summer trades that shipped out marginal roster candidates in exchange for mid- and late-round draft picks.
“Since Beane took over in 2017, the Bills have traded away six players in late August before 53-man rosters were due,” Buscaglia noted. “Rather than having to cut a player they like, Beane has shown he prefers to get something in return to push the investment forward.”
Buscaglia noted that some pass rushers could be among the candidates, including Basham who he pegged as the most likely.
“The Bills will see what Basham shows this summer, but if they feel like he’s not going to crack their rotation in 2023, holding him and making him a healthy scratch on game days could zap any remaining trade value,” Buscaglia wrote. “Turning 26 in December, Basham might be a sunk cost at this point.”
The Bills in recent seasons have also been forced to release players that could have otherwise made the roster on other teams, which has led to some difficulty in keeping talent on the practice squad. Last season they saw other teams poach several of their promising practice squad players, including standout running back Raheem Blackshear.
