Buffalo Bills Roster Bubble Players (2023)

The Buffalo Bills added depth at many positions this year, especially on the defensive line. Poona Ford was the lone big addition from outside of the organization, as Shaq Lawson and Jordan Phillips were re-signed to one-year deals. Along with the work on the defensive line, the Bills also added multiple players to the linebacker room, including A.J. Klein, Travin Howard, and rookie Dorian Williams.

However, they won’t be able to keep everyone. So, who needs a big summer to make the roster?

DE A.J. Epenesa

The Bills drafted A.J. Epenesa in the second round of the 2020 draft. Epenesa, who many pegged as a first-round pick at the time, hasn’t lived up to team expectations throughout his tenure here. From gaining weight to try improving his game, to losing weight and becoming a quicker pass rusher, nothing has worked for Epenesa in the NFL. He is in a crowded DE room with the powerhouses of Von Miller and Greg Rousseau starting, and then Shaq Lawson and Boogie Basham, with whom he’ll be competing with this summer. Not to mention Buffalo’s post-draft addition to the room in Shane Ray. After quietly totaling 6.5 sacks last season, Epenesa will need to improve to maintain his roster spot.

AJ Epenesa now with 6.5 sacks on the season. Or another way to look at it, one more than Bradley Chubb who makes roughly $100M more. For those counting at home.

— Nate Geary (@NateGearySports) December 24, 2022

LB A.J. Klein

The Buffalo Bills re-signed A.J. Klein right before the draft as insurance if they didn’t land their guy through the draft. Now that they did, the middle linebacker room is very crowded going into training camp. With Terrel Bernard, Dorian Williams, and Tyrel Dodson all expected to compete for the starting job, Klein seems to be the odd man out in that situation.

DE Boogie Basham

After getting drafted in the second round of the 2021 draft, Boogie Basham hasn’t played up to par in his Bills tenure. Basham has totaled 4.5 sacks (2.5 in 2021, 2.0 in 2022) in his two seasons in the league, along with five QB hits and one TFL. Basham has made zero career starts, but appeared in 15 games this past season. The former Wake Forest product will likely be in a competition with Epenesa and Ray for the final DE spot.

RT David Quessenberry

The Bills signed Quessenberry to a one-year deal last offseason to provide insurance for an injured Spencer Brown. After filling in for him at right tackle (and very poorly too), the Bills decided to bring Quessenberry back on another one-year deal as they load up for training camp. With Tommy Doyle coming back from his torn ACL, Ryan Bates having guard-tackle flexibility, and rookie Nick Broeker added to the mix, Quessenberry may not have as easy of a road to a roster spot again. He will likely compete with Doyle, Broeker, and Alec Anderson for the backup RT spot.

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