10 sleepers for Buffalo Bills entering training camp that have a realistic path to make 2024 roster

10 sleepers for Buffalo Bills entering training camp that have a realistic path to make 2024 roster

who are the sleepers entering training camp that can realistically push to make the Buffalo Bills roster I have 10 players to keep an eye on today on lock down bills you are locked on bills your daily Buffalo Bills podcast part of the locked on podcast Network your team everyday what’s up bills Mafia uh it’s Joe Marino author of go bills and Buffalo’s run also the co-host of the lock on NFL scouting podcast and I’m your host of locked on bills want to thank you for making lockon bills your first listen every day and a big welcome and shout out to our every dayers you know who you are those of you who never miss a single episode I appreciate y’all being here very very much I’d also like to invite you to subscribe or follow for free on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcast we’re part of the locked on podast podcast Network your team every day well folks welcome in the inspiration for today’s episode actually comes from a conversation that I had with a member of the lockon bill subex community and this person straight up asks like who are the roster sleepers who are the guys that maybe we’re not thinking about that have a realistic chance to make this Buffalo Bill Squad in 2024 and so I thought to myself that’d be a great podcast episode and so I’m coming to you today with 10 players that I consider sleepers one at almost every position that I think have a realistic chance to make this roster and these aren’t your household names we’re not talking about Josh Allen and Matt Milano and Ed Oliver and Dion Dawkins today we are getting to the bottom of the roster but these guys I think have a realistic path to make it and so like I mentioned 10 players and I want to give them to you in a specific order actually the order in which I find them to be the most intriguing and within that there’s kind of an emphasis on the order being realistic in terms of they have a realistic chance to make it or not but it’s really about just Intrigue in general so let’s do it and the one position that I don’t have any player to offer to you is quarter back qb1 is Josh Allen qb2 is Mitch trabis Shane Buell is the third quarterback on the roster I mean there’s nothing to talk about there but there is something to talk about at every other position and I want to start with wide receiver and I actually have two wide receivers that I want to offer the first one is Tyrell Shavers Tyrell Shavers is a 2023 undrafted free agent out of San Diego State so he spent last year on the bills practice squad another big bodied guy 64211 over 33 in arms not a very Dynamic Athlete only an Ras score of a 4.36 but this guy played at a at three different schools he went to Alabama to start his career then he went to Mississippi State then he finished his career at San Diego State not a super productive career catching the football only 66 catches for his college career obviously his best production came late uh with San Diego State but where he really made noise in college and I think this is a big deal in terms of his path to making the Bills roster with special teams over 400 career special teams snapsy was widely considered a special teams Ace has the San Diego State record for blocked punts with three and that type of stuff right special team contributions they can be tiebreakers when you’re trying to sort out who your sixth wide receiver is going to be and so when I look at the Bills wide receiver Corp and I consider the collection of big bodied receivers that already exist in Keon Coleman and Marquez Val des scantling and Chase Claypool and Ma Hollands I don’t look at any one of those four and feel overly good about their special teams contribution outside of ma Hollands I think M Hollands will be a big time special teams contributor for the bills but could Tyrell Shavers bump Chase Claypool it’s possible Chase Claypool not much of a proven track record on special teams I know sha mcder has complimented his effort and that capacity to this point in the offseason but Tyrell Shavers is going to come in with more reps plus he was part of the mix last year with Matthew Smiley I’m not predicting this but I think it’s possible you’re talking about wide receiver five and six could the tiebreaker be the Special Teams pedigree and you’ve heard Brandon Bean on two occasions this offseason praise Tyrell shavers for his effort he’s been around the facility he’s evidently worked very hard so we’ll see I think he can force the issue here maybe maybe crash this party when it comes to the wide receiver mix in 2024 I do have one more wide receiver that I want to offer and in my analysis for tyell Shavers I talked about there’s so many big bodies and if they want to roster a bunch of big bodies I’m sure there’s a special team’s emphasis and Co so tyros shers could make it based on special teams well the next player that I want to offer is a guy that has a completely different skill set than pretty much anyone else in this pills wide receiver Corp and that’s KJ hamler so KJ hamler still very young he turns 25 in July was the number 46 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos out of Penn State and he has just had so many different injuries in a very short amount of time Big Time hamstring issues a torn ACL and then a medical condition and I’m surely not going to pronounce this correctly but it’s pericarditis so he’s had some he’s had a lot of things and that’s discouraging and projecting him to making this bill’s roster but he does have the pedigree of being a high draft pick and that wasn’t like a surprise to anybody I think he was widely accepted as a top 50 Prospect in that 2020 draft based on his big playability right very very explosive receiver that won down the field and create a big plays for Penn State and I think that’s what inspires me to consider KJ hamler as a roster sleeper is that he does bring something different to the table 59 180 pounds and he’s a speed Merchant and he’s also had in his brief NFL career to this point he’s had some opportunities in the return game including as a punt returner so I’ll stop short of predicting him to make the the roster but if the bills wanted that other type of profile with speed shiftiness you know explosive plays through just being faster than other people KJ hamler seems to be a logical choice so put KJ hamler and Tyrell Shavers down to make this roster what’s funny if you go back to my first 53 man roster projection after the draft I had Shavers and hamler making the roster I might have had Isabella point being that the signings of Marquez vales scantling and Chase Claypool changed that right but it wasn’t that long ago that I was thinking about these guys as realistic roster options and of course injuries will dictate a lot of things but I think you can look at both of those players and find some unique qualities within their skill sets and kind of create the argument the next player that I want to get into is really different than the other ones those guys have very modest NFL resumes this guy has a big- time NFL resume and it’s linebacker Dion Jones Deion Jones 29 years old he turns 30 in November was a second round pick back in 2016 number 52 pick out of LSU by the Atlanta Falcons 61 225 ran 438 in the a 40-yard dash super Dynamic Athlete and he very quickly became a starter and an impact player for the Atlanta Falcons I mean he was generally regarded as one of the best linebackers in the NFL for like a five-year stretch signed a big contract extension in 2019 four years 57 million again that’s 2019 that’s a lot of money and then in 2021 things started to decline I guess for Dion Jones and in the root of that was a shoulder injury and this shoulder injury was been kind of problematic for a few years was actually traded to the Browns in 2022 where he played in 11 games with five starts and then in 2023 spent the year with Carolina 13 games with three starts and actually played a little bit better so for his career 91 starts had some playoff runs with the Falcons not that same guy that earned the big contract extension in 2019 but what inspires me with Dion Jones is we’re talking about a shoulder injury and the calling card for him has always been athleticism well I mean a shoulder injury is not a lower extremity where you’re really concerned about explosiveness being completely taken away I know he’s going to be 30 very soon but I think it’s well worth our time to consider him to make this roster linebacker depth as you know was a problem for the bills last year because it was so stressed I mean your top three guys were basically gone by the end of the year you lose Milano in week five Terrell Bernard can’t go against Kansas City in the playoffs you’re signing AJ Klein off the street Tyrell dodson’s trying to play on one arm Dorian Williams wasn’t ready to go Bay Spectre gets injured anytime he gets breathed on I mean it was tough right and so can you correct some of that by having Dion Jones as part of your mix I know that the bills will probably roster six linebackers Terrell Bernard and Matt Milano being two of them and then it’s a bunch of young players that are really in the mix to be the reserve players of course not considering Nicholas Morrow who I think will make this team but you’ve got a lot of space for guys like Dorian Williams Balin Spectre Edan Osio who’s a draft pick this year as a fifth rounder maybe you just want more experience as part of this mix so that way if you do experience attrition at that position once again that you have not only a Nicholas Morrow but a Dion Jones as well I think the complicating Factor here that pushes me away from Dion Jones as a possibility is the structure of his contract he signed a one year two million excuse me Oney year $1.2 million deal none of that money is guaranteed by comparison Nicholas Mo Moro has $500,000 guaranteed not a a complete compl deal breaker but it’s something to be mindful of and if you roster Dion Jones you’re you’re pretty much saying no to either Bal Spectre Edon Osio and maybe that makes sense for Bale Spectre who’s always injured Edan yosio you know it’s he’s a draft pick this year he’s had an injury history it’s it’s tough to kind of sort that out but I could be convinced that there’s a place for Dion Jones on this roster all right folks that’s the opening cast of characters plenty more to get to including some trench players and a special team are coming up on the other side of it so be sure to stick with Me Passion drive and patience what brings home the winning trophy is also what keeps your ride or die alive eBay Motors has everything you need to maintain your vehicle and level it up to Peak Performance from superchargers roof racks exhaust kits LED headlights and more whether you’re into speed power or style eBay Motors has got you covered with over 122 million parts for your number one ride or die you’ll always find exactly what you’re looking for and with eBay guaranteed fit your part is guaranteed to fit your ride every time or your money back because with eBay Motors you’re burning rubber and not cash with all the parts you need at the prices you want it’s easy to turn your car into the MVP and bring home that win so keep your ride or die alive at ebaymotors.com eligible items only exclusions apply eBay guaranteed fit only available to us customers all right folks let’s get back into it here the next player is a defensive lineman and I want to bring up the wrestler Gable steveson this is a fascinating situation you know sha McDermot and his love for wrestling and Gable stepson’s status among the wrestling world is a really intriguing marriage and he’s under siiz we don’t know how long his arms are he’s never played football but this dude is one hack of an athlete and wrestlers understand leverage they understand how to use their hands and perhaps there’s at least some pass rush upside here and that’s a big thing right like if you can Rush that’s intriguing it’s not like he’s just a big space eater that is underdeveloped mentally that doesn’t understand how to defend the run I mean this guy shoot this Gap beat this guy tackle that quarterback right like we can we can simplify this and I I don’t have expectations here I have I have honestly no idea what to expect it’s going to be intriguing to watch but here’s why I’m bringing him up of course there is the wrestling factor that matters but the whole possibility that he could be good and keeping in mind I mean this is a highly accomplished athlete Olympic gold medalist the best of the best at whatever he did this is somebody that knows how to work is driven like you don’t get to that place athletically without being wired a certain way so in the world where he does Flash in preseason you see some skill and you’re like oh maybe this is going to be a thing you’re going to be real nervous about exposing him to waivers and threading the needle could be difficult I mean you’re the team that gave him this opportunity but if you’re not going to roster him if you’re GNA if you’re going to play him in preseason and then plan on waving him and then hoping to get him back on the practice squad if he’s worth a damn right like if he goes out and shows things on tape in preseason other teams are going to be interested you’re talking about interior pass rush everybody wants that and so here’s the Dilemma if he’s actually showing some promise can he clear wavers but is he going to show enough promise where you’re actually just going to put him on your roster and if so like what’s the consequence there because you’re not going to roster six defensive tackles I don’t think is he gonna bump DeShawn Williams I feel like it’s it’s a proposition of he’s either good and you roster him because you’re afraid of exposing him to waivers or he’s not that good and you bring him back to your practice squad and you kind of realize pretty quickly that this is going to be a long road fascinating right but there’s some interesting Dynamics there that suggest to me that hey maybe right like maybe let’s move on to the offensive line where I have Richard garage down I’ve talked about him quite a bit and what really inspired me to start bringing him up was learning that he’s taken guard reps at OTAs and I think that versatility is going to matter a ton and so he was a 2023 undrafted free agent out of Florida he spent last year on the practice squad and that’s good news because we’ve seen this path of practice squad to the active roster I mean for so many players Quint Morris cam Lewis Alec Anders Ryan vandemark Ike bucker this is definitely a thing right and so Richard garage as a player who spent last year on the practice squad that I thought had good tape at Florida that popped at the Senior Bowl that I thought played good in the preseason last year you know could he be the next in line of the Ryan vandemar Alec Anderson Aaron comr practice squad to roster pipeline maybe now he certainly lacks athleticism and I think those athletic restrictions led to him being undrafted but if he’s going to be able to play guard I think that’s going to matter and I think he can play guard in college he had over 1100 snaps at left guard so I’m keeping an eye on him if he can build on what he showed us last year in preseason show some versatility he can make some noise the next guy is the Special Teams guy and that’s Jack Browning the undrafted free agent rookie punter out of San Diego State was a walk- on to San Diego State eventually became a scholarship athlete as a punter spent the last two seasons as their punter 45.8 yards per attempt that’s best in school history that matters because the punt God miza was also part of this has a 42.2 net average solid was also the place kicker for San Diego State the last two seasons 35 of 47 on field goals was four of six from Beyond 50 he had a 61 Yer in 2023 and so that’s cool right like oh yeah he’s a punter that also can kick and you love that idea the problem there is the holding Dynamic right if you’re the field goal kicker that means you’re not the holder and you can argue that holding is every bit as important of a function of a punter as punting you’ve got to be a skilled and consistent in holding for field goals right those are points direct points and so can he do it it’s the same conversation we had about mat arizo and the Bills draft him all this Talent as a punter but he was also a kicker but can he hold and I’m I’m sure it’s not a difficult thing to learn but reps matter in anything in life reps matter time on task doing things you’re you do that you’re going to get better at it and certainly he’s aware that this is a big part of his evaluation and his opportuni is being able to prove that he can hold and we know that he’s gotten those chances to do it for Tyler bass in OTAs what’s complicating here is Sam Martin and maybe you don’t think Sam Martin’s that good I don’t right I think he’s I mean maybe he’s an average punter he was streaky last year but the bills allowed Sam Martin’s 2024 salary to fully guarantee back in March now it’s not a ton of money excuse me it’s not a ton of money it’s $1.55 million that’s you know that’s not going to prevent you from moving on if he’s not your guy but it is fully guaranteed and so he would have to inspire the bills that not only is he a better option as a punter but he can come in and hold and one of the the recent narratives that have coming out that have come out that I don’t really understand is some knocks on Sam Martin as a holder I’ve never thought that he has issues holding like and he’s a long-term NFL punter I think that’s just the latest excuse to make us feel better about Tyler bass and whatever the heck happened to him last year I mean Sam Martin was his holder the year that he was really good and got the contract extension so I’m not buying that Sam Martin all of a sudden can’t hold but I look I I recognize that Jack Browning is Meaningful competition for Sam Martin and uh if he’s got the upside to be better and if you think Sam Martin’s bad I’m not really concerned from concerned about going from bad to bad I like to go from bad to hey maybe this can be better right like I’m interested there so Jack Browning all that to say Jack Browning as a path as an undrafted free agent all right I got more players to get to a safety a tight end a running back and a cornerback so be sure to stick with me this show is sponsored by better help comparison is the thief of joy and it’s easy to Envy other people’s lives it might look like they have it all together on their Instagram but in reality they probably don’t therapy can help you focus on what you want instead of what others have so you can start living your best life it’s helpful for learning positive coping skills and how to set boundaries it empowers you to be the best version of yourself it’s not just for those who’ve experienced major trauma stop comparing and start focusing with betterhelp visit betterhelp.com loock onday to get 10% off your first month that’s betterhelp.com locked on all right let’s get into these other players I have down the next one is a safety and that’s D Delany was an undrafted free agent out of Miami played Corner uh then grad transferred to Citadel bounced around early in his career with the Jaguars Dolphins Jets Washington he winds up signing with Tampa Bay in 2021 and this is where his career stabilized he was with the bucks for three seasons as a contributor 52 games he played in with five starts over the last three seasons with the Bucks three interceptions and seven pass breakups in the NFL and he was targeted a total of 66 times so three interceptions and seven pass breakups on 66 Targets in coverage had 14 career interceptions in college so there’s a clear resume of ball production here and over the last three seasons with Tampa Bay played almost 800 snaps of special teams so proven special teams background can play Corner can play safety has ball skills I mean come on there’s there’s something here to be interested in I think at a minimum he adds meaningful competition to the bottom of the safety depth chart you think about guys like dear Hamlin Kendall Williamson maybe cam Lewis there’s a lot to be intrigued with now I think the pills will roster four safeties and Taylor r Mike Edwards and Cole Bishop are three of those four so like they’d have to either say no to cam Lewis instead of D Delaney or roster five but obviously one injury changes all of this but I am not sleeping on D Delaney I think that he’s got a reasonable chance um and as experience and has versatility he’s intriguing to me so is Trey mcky at tight end Trey mcky is 25 years old was a 2021 third round pick by the Chargers recent third round pick 20 in and in first two seasons with LA 28 games played 12 starts in two seasons he was waved early in 2023 signed to the bills practice squad spent the season or you know like the last half of the season on the bills practice squad and then he signed a Futures deal one thing that I always remember with Trey mckitty is a conversation that I had with an NFL scout on Trey mck he was super high on mcky coming out of college and mcky had a very quiet college career uh Four Seasons 56 total catches 624 yards spent the first three seasons at Florida State then he transfers to Georgia for his last season has a very small role for Georgia but this scout was like really high on him he was hyp hyping him up I’m like we are we serious right now um and then he winds up being a top 100 pick and I was like okay all right maybe there’s something here um and got a chance to to get some run early with the Chargers of course waved after year well during year three I don’t think that Trey mcky can beat out Quinton Morris for the tight end three job but he’s one snap away right one snap away from something happening to cancade Knox or Q Morris and Trey mck is gonna be on this roster so I’m I’m aware of of this possibility and he’s on my radar interested to watch him in preseason this year the next guy is running back Frank Gore Jr 22 years old and undrafted free agent rookie out of Southern Mississippi very similar to the Trey mcky conversation in that the bills are going to roster three tight ends just like the bills are gonna roster three running backs James Cook Gray Davis Ty Johnson I don’t think Frank Gore Jr can beat out any of them but he’s one snap away one snap away from being on this roster the only other running back on the team is Darren Evans and Darren Evans has been cut seven times since being a third round pick in 2020 so he’s far from anybody’s roster lock now Frank or has his own limitations he’s small 58 198 pounds an RA score of a06 I’ve never seen one that low small I mean small and slow is not not the combination you’re looking for to to be an NFL player but what was productive in college over 4,000 yards and 26 touchdowns across Four Seasons he’s tough and physical and he’s going to get a great opportunity to showcase himself throughout camp and preseason and the bills gave him a decent amount of money in terms of signing bonus as an undrafted free agent again one snap away so I’m keeping an eye on him and the last player I want to bring up I have a hard time calling him a sleeper because I think the path is wide open for him to make the roster but it would be the first time you made the roster and that’s Jamarcus Ingram the cornerback I mean the bills if they roster four outside corners Jamarcus Ingram is gonna make it you got Christian Benford rul Douglas KY elim and the fourth guy’s Jamarcus Ingram Kiren Brown’s his most meaningful competition and then some undrafted free agents and keeping in mind Jamarcus Ingram has spent the last two seasons on the bills practice squad and I I thought he was awesome at training camp last last year I really enjoyed him I think he’s had two good preseas already for the bills he’s appeared in five regular season games for the bills over the last two seasons so Demarcus Ingram I mean I label him a sleeper but it’s kind of hard to Envision the path for him not making the roster I think the path for him to not make the roster is this the Bills roster of course three outside corners instead of four Benford Douglas elim and what they do is a roster of fifth safety and that fifth safety is either cam Lewis or D Delaney who they think can also play outside corner in a pinch and that’s the path right outside of that I think Ingram’s gonna make it a CB4 so it should be fascinating training camp is just a few weeks away and you know I just I love exploring this team from every imaginable lens and angle that’s what we do I mean we have plenty of time here on this podcast we are daily all year long including the six weeks from otaa to training camp and so I try to find as many creative angles as I can to discuss this team including you know obviously a great conversation that I had in our subtext that inspired this but I I thought this was a a unique and intriguing way to consider this team like I mean I could talk about Greg rouso and Terrell Bernard all day long and we’re going to have those conversations but these guys matter too right I me we’re talking about guys that could be knocking on on the door of making this team and getting a jersey on game day and having a real impact for this 2024 season i’ I’d be willing to bet that some of these guys do make it right like they’re not all long shots it’s never Chuck that’s one thing I say it all the time but whether you’re predicting games in the NFL you’re predicting rosters you’re predicting stats whatever it’s never just hey the most logical thing right like this makes the most sense that’s what’s going to happen it never it’s never that way these are real human beings that you know they change and evolve and that influences how things are perceived and the decisions that are made in terms of who makes the roster so there you have it folks my Sleepers for the roster in 2024 I hope that you enjoyed I hope that you’ll come back I hope that you’ll take a second to rate review share and subscribe to this podcast have a great rest of your day go bills and look forward to catching up with you again real soon

The Buffalo Bills roster once again promises to be a tough one to make but there are several sleeper candidates that are on the bubble who can realistically push to make the squad. On today’s episode, Host Joe Marino shares 10 sleepers to keep an eye on during Buffalo Bills Training Camp. The show is focused on the Buffalo Bills, Sean McDermott, Brandon Beane, Joe Brady, Josh Allen, Tyrell Shavers, KJ Hamler, Tre McKitty, Richard Gouraige, Frank Gore Jr., Gable Steveson, Deion Jones, Ja’Marcus Ingram, Dee Delaney, Jack Browning, James Cook, Dalton Kincaid, Khalil Shakir, Von Miller, Ed Oliver, Matt Milano, Chase Claypool, Dawson Knox, Quintin Morris, Terrel Bernard, Rasul Douglas, Damar Hamlin and more!

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