Bills Central

5 under-the-radar players who could make Bills' 53-man roster

Here are five little-talked-about Buffalo Bills who could make the team's 53-man roster in the 2024 NFL season.

Kyle Silagyi

Aug 28, 2021; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos wide receiver K.J. Hamler (1) warms up before the game against the Los Angeles Rams at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: C. Morgan Engel-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 28, 2021; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos wide receiver K.J. Hamler (1) warms up before the game against the Los Angeles Rams at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: C. Morgan Engel-USA TODAY Sports / C. Morgan Engel-USA TODAY Sports
In this story:

5 under-the-radar Bills who could make the roster:

  1. WR Tyrell Shavers
  2. OT Tylan Grable
  3. WR K.J. Hamler
  4. DT Eli Ankou
  5. CB Keni-H Lovely

The Buffalo Bills made several changes to their roster in the 2024 NFL offseason, parting ways with several stalwart starters in an attempt to get younger throughout. The alterations have left the team with a still stout, but perhaps incomplete roster; there are several spots and roles to be earned at the bottom of the unit, especially when compared to recent years.

Players deemed roster long shots now will have the opportunity to earn their way onto the active unit with strong performances throughout spring and summer workouts; here are five under-the-radar candidates who perhaps have the best chance to crack Buffalo’s 53-man roster.

WR Tyrell Shavers

Aug 12, 2023; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Tyrell Shavers (80) catches a pass and scores a touchdown against the Indianapolis Colts during the second half at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 12, 2023; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Tyrell Shavers (80) catches a pass and scores a touchdown against the Indianapolis Colts during the second half at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports / Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

Tyrell Shavers’s road to One Bills Drive was prolonged and winding, but never uninteresting; a once-promising four-star recruit out of Lewisville High School in North Texas, Shavers went unselected in the 2023 NFL Draft after underwhelming stints at Alabama, Mississippi State, and San Diego State. He signed with the Bills as an undrafted free agent and flashed in the 2023 preseason, catching three passes for 45 yards and one touchdown over three games. He spent his rookie season on Buffalo’s practice squad, and though he’s a definite long shot for the active roster entering his sophomore campaign, his skill set is one that could be useful for the team on gamedays.

He would serve as intriguing boundary depth within Buffalo’s receiving corps; the 6-foot-4 wideout played almost exclusively out wide throughout his collegiate career, and while it’d be difficult to envision him supplanting Keon Coleman, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, or Mack Hollins on the depth chart, he could serve as an insurance policy should one or several of them go down with an injury. He could also be used as a red-zone target.

Shavers could be available on a weekly basis thanks to his special teams ability; he was a special teams stalwart throughout his collegiate tenure, particularly impressing as a gunner. Buffalo’s coaching staff and front office demonstrably recognize the value of special teams, long rostering Siran Neal (and, for a time, Taiwan Jones) to serve as a gunner. With Neal released in the offseason, the gunner role is open; earning this job could lead to a roster spot—and ultimate offensive opportunities—for Shavers.

Related: Josh Allen gives glowing endorsement of rookie WR: 'His play style is what we needed'

OT Tylan Grable

Mar 2, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Central Florida offensive lineman Tylan Grable (OL29) talks to the media during the 2024 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 2, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Central Florida offensive lineman Tylan Grable (OL29) talks to the media during the 2024 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Projecting a team’s sixth-round draft pick to make its 53-man roster isn’t necessarily bold, but Tylan Grable may be an exception; Buffalo selected the UCF tackle late in the draft as a developmental player, an athletic ball of clay it hopes to quietly mold into a fieldable offensive lineman over time.

He likely won’t—and shouldn’t—see the field in his rookie season, but his athleticism could make him too intriguing of a prospect to risk losing. He earned a 9.85 out of 10 relative athletic score, grading out as one of the more athletic tackle prospects over the past several decades. Combine his athleticism with his already functional, but improving play strength and the ascending nature of his game (he allowed just 10 quarterback pressures and zero sacks at UCF last year, per PFF), and it’s clear that Grable has the tools necessary to develop into a serviceable lineman. 

He wouldn’t usurp fellow depth linemen Ryan Van Demark or Alec Anderson on the depth chart, but given his athleticism, it’s not difficult to envision a lesser team claiming Grable off waivers in an attempt to develop him themselves, should Buffalo part ways with him during its final roster cutdown. This possibility could be enough to secure Grable a 53-man roster spot in his rookie year.

WR K.J. Hamler

Oct 23, 2022; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos wide receiver KJ Hamler (1) runs the ball in the third quarter against the New York Jets at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 23, 2022; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos wide receiver KJ Hamler (1) runs the ball in the third quarter against the New York Jets at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports / Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

K.J. Hamler could perhaps best be described as a reclamation project; released by the Denver Broncos last summer after an underwhelming three-year stint, the 24-year-old now links up with Josh Allen in an attempt to extend his career and rekindle the promise that once allowed him to be selected in the second round of the NFL Draft.

Hamler’s argument for a roster spot is similar to that of Shavers, but his potential role is immensely different; whereas Shavers would serve as boundary depth and as a special teams gunner, Hamler would serve as versatile slot/boundary depth behind Khalil Shakir and Curtis Samuel while also serving as a special teams receiver. Primarily used as a slot receiver throughout his collegiate career, Hamler has logged significant snaps both in the slot and on the boundary as a professional, possessing the speed and versatility that would allow him to step in for Shakir or Samuel on game days should one go down with an injury. He could also play a role on special teams as a returner, as he averaged over 20 yards per kick return throughout his time at Penn State.

Hamler is one of many ‘throws at the dartboard’ that Buffalo currently boasts in its receiving corps, but his path to the roster is perhaps the clearest due to the comparative uniqueness of his skill set. While it’s a bit premature to pencil him into your 53-man roster projections, it wouldn’t be shocking to ultimately see him sneak onto the active unit.

Related: Bills named 'best fit' for free agent All-Pro safety

DT Eli Ankou

Buffalo defenders, from left, Tyrel Dodson (53), Boogie Basham (55), Eli Ankou (51), Joe Giles-Harris (42), and Jaquan Johnson (4), create a wall of defense as they stop Denver running back Jaquan Hardy (41) on a third and short during the Bills preseason game against Denver Saturday, Aug. 20, 2022 at Highmark Stadium. Buffalo won the game 42-15. Sd 082022 Bills 1 Spts
Buffalo defenders, from left, Tyrel Dodson (53), Boogie Basham (55), Eli Ankou (51), Joe Giles-Harris (42), and Jaquan Johnson (4), create a wall of defense as they stop Denver running back Jaquan Hardy (41) on a third and short during the Bills preseason game against Denver Saturday, Aug. 20, 2022 at Highmark Stadium. Buffalo won the game 42-15. Sd 082022 Bills 1 Spts / Shawn Dowd / USA TODAY NETWORK

There currently appear to be eight roster locks across Buffalo’s defensive line—Greg Rousseau, Ed Oliver, DaQuan Jones, A.J. Epenesa, Von Miller, DeWayne Carter, Austin Johnson, and Javon Solomon. Defensive tackle Eli Ankou’s path to the roster ultimately comes down to the number of linemen Buffalo opts to keep—will it roster nine? 10? If so, will the additional players be edge rushers or interior defenders?

It’s easier to envision the Bills keeping a fifth defensive end—whether that be Dawuane Smoot or Casey Toohill—over a fifth defensive tackle, but if it’s the latter scenario that Buffalo opts for, Ankou is the likely selection. He’s a player who’s liked by the Bills’ brass and locker room, as he’s had three stints with the team over the past three seasons. The 29-year-old has appeared in five games for Buffalo, notching one sack; he’s unquestionably the fifth defensive tackle on the team’s depth chart, and while it’s difficult to imagine him usurping any other interior defenders on the depth chart, his spot on the roster is all but certain if the Bills opt to keep five at the position.

CB Keni-H Lovely

Sep 9, 2023; Syracuse, New York, USA; Western Michigan Broncos cornerback Keni-H Lovely (2) celebrates a defensive play against the Syracuse Orange during the first half at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 9, 2023; Syracuse, New York, USA; Western Michigan Broncos cornerback Keni-H Lovely (2) celebrates a defensive play against the Syracuse Orange during the first half at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports / Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Western Michigan cornerback Keni-H Lovely is perhaps the player from Buffalo’s 2024 undrafted free agent class with the clearest path to the roster thanks primarily to the lack of depth the team currently has at boundary corner—he’s only taken a handful of snaps at One Bills Drive, and he’s already the fifth cornerback on the depth chart.

The players above him don’t offer much in the way of reassurance, either; the No. 3 and No. 4 cornerbacks on the depth chart are Kaiir Elam and Ja’Marcus Ingram, neither of whom have looked consistently stellar in live-game action. Lovely usurping a recent first-round pick and a player who has been in the system for two years as an undrafted free agent is an unlikely scenario, but it’s certainly not out of the question given what we’ve seen from Buffalo’s other depth corners.

Lovely himself possesses a unique skill set; he was a bit of a ballhawk throughout his time at Western Michigan, tallying 10 pass deflections and six interceptions. He’s also a speedster, running a 4.35 40-yard dash at his Pro Day. He’s an intriguing developmental piece with the potential to get on the field in his rookie year; if there’s any undrafted free agent who has a realistic opportunity to earn a spot on the Bills’ perenially competitive roster, it’s Lovely.

Related: Prominent Publication projects Bills' winning ways continue in 2024

Honorable Mention: P Jack Browning

Jack Browning is on a cost-effective three-year undrafted free agent contract with the Bills, and that’s perhaps the biggest feather in the punter’s cap when it comes to his roster likelihood. He was productive throughout his time at San Diego State (with his average punt going for ~45 yards), but he faces an uphill battle to a roster spot given his competition in the form of Sam Martin and Matt Haack. Browning also kicked field goals in college, suggesting that he’ll have to learn how to hold at the professional level. 

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Kyle Silagyi

KYLE SILAGYI

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