Seven Bills' Veterans Potentially On Chopping Block Come NFL Cutdown Day

Buffalo must make some critical roster decisions before Sunday's deadline, and a few notable veteran players on both sides of the ball might be looking for roster spots elsewhere soon.

Buffalo Bills' EDGE rusher Mike Danna runs around a dummy during a drill at the team's "Return of the Blue and Red" practice at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, on Aug. 8, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

There's only one preseason game remaining for the Buffalo Bills, and there is still plenty for the front office to figure out.

There are multiple important jobs up for grabs like at inside linebacker and wide receiver, as well as along the defensive front and in the secondary.

And, many other final roster decisions have surely yet to be set in stone by first-year head coach Joe Brady and Brandon Beane.

Jobs will be won, and jobs will be lost after the outing with the Steelers, which starts at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday. No player—outside of the select few—should feel safe.

Here are seven veterans with the most on the line when kickoff time comes around.

OLB Mike Danna

Buffalo Bills' veteran outside linebacker Mike Danna (51) cuts around a blocking sled during Day Two of Buffalo's training camp at St. John Fisher University in Pittsford, New York, on Thursday, July 30, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

When the Buffalo Bills signed veteran edge rusher Mike Danna back in May, the move was met with a bit of hesitancy from some outside observers simply for the fact that they didn’t know where the former Kansas City Chiefs’ defender fit into Buffalo’s new 3-4 scheme under Jim Leonhard.

Used both as a defensive end and a defensive tackle in Steve Spagnuolo’s multiple 4-3 defense in Kansas City during his six years with the team, Danna didn’t necessarily seem like the prototypical stand-up outside linebacker for Leonhard’s innovative alignments in terms of his agility and overall movement skills.

However, the 6-foot-2, 257-pound former Chief actually fit in fairly well to start the summer with the Bills, and it seemed as if he might latch on as one of the final players to make the roster on cut-down day, especially after the 28-year-old registered two sacks in the preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers.

But, since then, Danna has still been stuck behind third-year pass rusher Javon Solomon in terms of the rotation at outside linebacker, so it looks like he might need to do something significant on the field against Pittsburgh in order to carve out a path to the 53-man roster.

We’ll see how it goes in the coming days. But, Solomon’s special-teams prowess appears to be the main separator between the two right now in terms of their rosterability in Western New York.

S Damar Hamlin

Aug. 22, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Buffalo Bills' veteran safety Damar Hamlin (3) returns the ball up the field after making an interception against the Cleveland Browns in a preseason game at Huntington Bank Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Former 2021 sixth-round pick Damar Hamlin has had quite the NFL journey so far in his first five years in the league—for more reasons than what happened on that field in Cincinnati, Ohio, three years ago—and it appears as if Year Six as a professional might bring about even more uneasiness for the 28-year-old safety.

Despite receiving plenty of run with the first team during training camp and the preseason this summer, Hamlin has been in a steady competition with other defensive backs on the Bills like Sam Franklin Jr., Geno Stone, Te’Cory Couch, and rookie fifth-rounder Jalon Kilgore in order to earn a roster spot this upcoming regular season.

And, Hamlin’s first-team reps have been more circumstantial than anything as fellow safeties Cole Bishop and C.J. Gardner-Johnson, as well as the aforementioned Kilgore, have all been out for some time this training camp due to injury.

Buffalo Bills' defensive back Cole Bishop (24) talks with fellow Bills' defensive back Damar Hamlin (3) between drills during Day Six of Buffalo's training camp at St. John Fisher University in Pittsford, New York, on Tuesday, July 29, 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

He’s been fortunate, to say the least, and even his interception against the Cleveland Browns was a gift as the ball was tipped right to him.

Other than that, Hamlin’s play has been very uninspiring. 

He is a great locker room presence, but the wonderful personality unfortunately just has not matched the play on the field during his time in Western New York.

WR Mecole Hardman Jr.

Buffalo Bills' wide receiver Mecole Hardman Jr. (1) gets in a few extra reps with quarterback Josh Allen (not pictured) after training camp practice at St. John Fisher University in Pittsford, New York, on July 29. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

At the start of training camp, it looked like veteran wide receiver Mecole Hardman Jr. was going to sneak onto the final roster this fall.

In addition to being sprinkled in with the first-team offense at times to start the summer off at St. John Fisher University, Hardman Jr. also looked to be one of the top competitors in the battle to earn the starting job at punt returner.

While he still appears to be in a tight competition with players like Dante Pettis and Ray Davis for returning duties, the 28-year-old Georgia native has slowly fallen out of favor in the receiving room.

So, with that in mind, it looks like his time in Bills’ blue and red might be coming to a close sooner rather than later, especially if he fails to pop on the field—both on offense and special teams—against the Steelers in the preseason finale.

DT Phidarian Mathis

Aug. 15, 2026; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Buffalo Bills' defensive lineman Phidarian Mathis (72) stretches before a preseason game against the Carolina Panthers at the new Highmark Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Prior to August 14, Bills’ defensive lineman Phidarian Mathis was setting himself up to be in line for quite a role this upcoming season in Orchard Park, New York.

But, then two weeks ago his three-game suspension was announced for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy, and the tides started to change for the former University of Alabama defender, who was a second-round pick of the Washington Commanders in 2022.

Mathis’ play hasn’t fallen off since then per se, but Buffalo’s plans appear to be shifting as the team recently signed fellow veteran defensive lineman Greg Gaines to a one-year deal on August 18.

Buffalo Bills' defensive linemen Zion Logue (93) and Phidarian Mathis (72) battle during positional drills on Day Five of Bills' training camp at St. John Fisher University in Pittsford, New York, on Tuesday, August 4, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Gaines plays a similar position and style as the former second-rounder, and he’s been quite productive during his first seven years in the league.

So, it’s easy to see that Mathis’ roster status certainly isn’t stable moving forward.

The Bills don’t really have to make a decision on his future for this upcoming fall and winter until his suspension is lifted after three regular-season games, but the 6-foot-4, 312-pounder might not be wanted in Western New York after that point, especially if Gaines makes the squad and performs admirably in September.

FB Ben VanSumeren

Buffalo Bills' veteran fullback Ben VanSumeren (45) makes a catch at Bills' training camp at St. John Fisher University in Pittsford, New York, on Aug. 6, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

When Buffalo recently let go of fellow fullback Jackson Acker, some people tried to read the tea leaves that it meant veteran Ben VanSumeren was going to make the team this fall.

And, he very well could. But, it’s not cut-and-dried, so to speak. There’s a real possibility that VanSumeren could be on his way out of town by the August 30 deadline.

It’s not a guarantee that the Bills will even want to use a fullback very much on offense this year, and if that’s the case then it’s presumably a role that could simply be filled by second-year tight end Jackson Hawes.

We’ll see though. The preseason finale against the Steelers is a big one for VanSumeren  . . . unless he barely plays.

And, if so, does that mean he made the team already? It’ll be an interesting development to watch out for.

OL Sedrick Van Pran-Granger

Buffalo Bills' interior offensive lineman Sedrick Van Pran-Granger (62) gets extra reps in with assistant offensive line coach Austin Gund after the official end of Buffalo's training camp. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Third-year veteran interior lineman Sedrick Van Pran-Granger was presumed by many outside observers to be the odds-on favorite to become the top backup to center Connor McGovern this season.

But, that job seems like it’s going to go to Lloyd Cushenberry. And, if that’s the reality of the situation, then it might leave Van Pran-Granger looking for work elsewhere in the coming days.

The summer sendoff versus Pittsburgh at Highmark Stadium is huge for the former 2024 fifth-round pick even if it’s merely to put better film on tape for other prospective teams around the NFL.

The 6-foot-4, 315-pounder is only 24 years old, too. 

So, there’s still upside in terms of what he could develop into down the road, especially considering he was a linchpin along the offensive front at the University of Georgia when he was in college just a few seasons ago.

Maybe that entices some team to come calling with a trade offer before the cut-down deadline?

S Geno Stone

Aug 15, 2026; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Ja'seem Reed (86) scores a touchdown before being tackled by Buffalo Bills' defensive back Geno Stone (25) in the second quarter of a preseason game | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Veteran safety Geno Stone was considered to be a quality addition on a fairly cheap one-year deal earlier this offseason.

In fact, according to Spotrac, Stone signed for just $1.4 million, which is quite a bit less than what fellow veteran safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson signed for just days before the former Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals’ defender put pen to paper to join Buffalo back in March.

But, so far this summer, Stone’s play has revealed why his contract came at such a bargain for the Bills, despite some past success at his previous stops.

He’s been slow to process what’s happening in front of him, and it’s cost the team in the backend more than once.

It wouldn’t be shocking to see both Stone and Damar Hamlin headed out the door by Sunday’s deadline.

— Sign up for OnSI’s Free Buffalo Bills Newsletter —