Bills’ 2025 Initial 53-man Roster: A huge win for the defense and a fan-favorite finally lands on the official roster
A look at the initial roster for the 2025 Buffalo Bills.
The Buffalo Bills had until 4 p.m. ET on Aug. 26 to trim their roster from 90 to 53 players. With that, plenty of familiar faces are gone, some camp darlings didn’t make the cut, and the team feels that they’ve assembled a roster capable of bringing the first-ever Lombari Trophy to Western New York.
A huge win for the state of the defense, a fan-favorite finally earned his spot on the 53, and so much more. While there are plenty of moves that can still be made, let’s take a look at the team’s initial 53-man roster heading into the 2025 regular season. This isn’t the depth chart, but rather the official and initial 53-man roster that highlights what players made it and who didn’t.
Note: Players with a single asterisk (*) are 2025 draft picks and players with double asterisks (**) are 2025 undrafted free agents.
Quarterback (2)
In: Josh Allen, Mitchell Trubisky
Out: Shane Buechele, Mike White
The skinny: No real surprises here. Look for Buffalo to try and add Buechele to the team’s practice squad. The team also released quarterback Mike White. Allen is the No. 1 with Trbuskiy falling in behind. Perhaps another MVP season is in order for Allen.
Running back (4)
In: James Cook, Ray Davis, Ty Johnson, Reggie Gilliam (FB)
Out: Frank Gore Jr, Elijah Young**
The skinny: Again, no real surprises here. The team waived Young and Gore Jr. while hoping the latter is able to return on the practice squad. Gore Jr. was a fan-favorite, but for the second year in a row, he finds himself on the outside looking in with the team’s initial 53-man roster.
Wide receiver (6)
In: Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, Joshua Palmer, Curtis Samuel, Tyrell Shavers, Elijah Moore
Out: Laviska Shenault, Deon Cain, Grant DuBose, Stephen Gosnell**, K.J. Hamler, Kristian Wilkerson
The skinny: Shavers finally cracked the 53-man roster, the fan-favorite and camp darling cemented his spot on the roster with an impressive one-handed touchdown during the preseason finale. He rounds out the room of Shakir, Coleman, Palmer, and Samuel. The team released K.J. Hamler, who could come back as a veteran on the practice squad. The same goes for Shenault after the team released him ahead of the deadline.
Tight end (3)
IN: Dalton Kincaid, Dawson Knox, Jackson Hawes*
OUT: Zach Davidson, Matt Sokol, Keleki Latu**
The skinny: It was always going to be Kincaid and Dawson Knox as the one-two punch. Buffalo waived Latu, Sokol, and Davidson, meaning that Hawes lands on the 53-man roster. Between Hawes and Davidson, it was a toss-up and something we struggled with during our prediction. A strong unit with high expectations heading into the 2025 NFL regular season.
Offensive line (9)
In: Dion Dawkins, Connor McGovern, O’Cyrus Torrence, David Edwards, Spencer Brown, Alec Anderson, Ryan Van Denmark, Chase Lundt*, Sedrick Van Pran-Granger
Out: Kendrick Green, Jacob Bayer**, Rush Reimer**, Dan Feeney, Richard Gouraige, Mike Edwards
International Pathway Program: Travis Clayton
IR-DFR: Tylan Grable
The skinny: Van Pran-Granger was activated off the PUP list ahead of the roster deadline, with Clayton joining the practice squad as an exemption from the International Pathway Program. Our initial prediction had Green making the roster, but the team released him ahead of the deadline. Outside of that, our prediction was spot on with Grable and Lundt rounding out the already impressive unit for Buffalo, with Grable appearing on the IR with a designated to return tag.
Defensive line (10)
In: Joey Bosa, Greg Rousseau, A.J. Epenesa, Javon Solomon, Ed Oliver, DaQuan Jones, Landon Jackson*, T.J. Sanders*, Deone Walker*, DeWayne Carter
Out: Casey Rogers, Nelson Caesar, Marcus Harris, Paris Shand**, Zion Logue
Suspended: Michael Hoecht, Larry Ogunjobi
The skinny: The biggest surprise here is that the team kept DeWayne Carter while many speculated his tenure with the Bills would be over. Now, that’s not to say he’s going to be active on gameday. Buffalo is going to have to do some maneuvering once Hoecht and Ogunjobi are back after serving their suspension.
Linebacker (5)
In: Terrel Bernard, Matt Milano, Dorian Williams, Joe Andreessen, Shaq Thompson
Out: Edefuan Ulofoshio, Keonta Jenkins**, Jimmy Ciarlo
The skinny: Ciarlo was a fan-favorite who was waived by the team. His special teams abilities and key depth have us thinking he’ll be back with the team on the practice squad. After he clears waivers, look for his name to be brought back up with the organization. Ulofoshio, a former fifth-round pick, will also look to be back on the team’s PS if not signed by another team before then, along with Jenkins. “Buffalo Joe” cracks the 53, though not surprisingly, it’s exciting with his backstory.
Cornerback (6)
In: Christian Benford, Taron Johnson, Dorian Strong*, Ja’Marcus Ingram, Brandon Codrington, Tre’Davious White
Out: Dane Jackson, Daequan Hardy, Zy Alexander**
IR-DFR: Maxwell Hairston*
The skinny: The biggest update here is that White isn’t going to be held back on IR as of the roster deadline. With Buffalo keeping one of their IR-DFR designations for Grable, Hairston takes that last spot. A huge boost for Buffalo, having their No. 2 cornerback potentially back. At the very least, he avoids the IR-DFR designation. However, this doesn’t mean that White can’t be placed on the IR down the road, but for now, he’s on the initial roster.
Safety (5)
In: Taylor Rapp, Cole Bishop, Jordan Hancock*, Damar Hamlin, Cam Lewis
Out: Darrick Forrest, Tre Herndon, Garnett Hollis Jr.
The skinny: Our prediction was spot on as the team moved on from Forrest, Herndon, and Hollis Jr. ahead of the cutdown deadline. Leaving Buffalo with Rapp and Bishop as the starters, with Hancock and Hamlin coming in as relief, and Lewis being more of a hybrid slot corner/safety with impressive skills as a special teamer. While Buffalo didn’t fix the room, it doesn’t mean that it’s finalized. Buffalo can pick up some players through waivers after seeing who has been released by what team.
Specialists (3)
In: Tyler Bass, Brad Robbins, Reid Ferguson
Out: N/A
The skinny: Nailed another prediction, perhaps the easiest of the roster. No real movement here, just a cohesive unit. Here’s hoping the team can bring back Zach Davidson on the PS so he can be the emergency punter.
Final Word
With that, the team is set… for now. Buffalo can still look to add players with a plethora of talent immediately becoming available. Perhaps an extra safety? Regardless, for some of these players, it’s been their dream to be on an NFL roster, and they accomplished that today. For others, it was an incredibly difficult day as they looked to see where their career would take them. Hoping for nothing but the best for both categories of players.
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