There will be some important storylines to follow after practice for the Buffalo Bills, who start their mandatory minicamp on Tuesday. One is the rise of Chase Claypool and whether or not he can maintain consistency using these methods as well. In addition, there are a few significant games that the Bills should keep an eye on. These could result in the release of some veterans before they even travel the hour and twenty minutes to Rochester for training camp.
As we previously mentioned, the Bills are embarking on a new era in football, which may lead to the release of more veterans this summer. The Bills are attempting to maintain their Super Bowl window, and they may soon make cap-clearing moves similar to those they made a few short months ago.
During this three-day minicamp, the Bills hope to gain more insight into the state of these position battles and determine whether signing free agents off the street can benefit this team more. Recall that the Bills gained an additional $10 million in cap space following the release of Tre White last week. The roster is still being constructed. Last year at this time, the Bills added Leonard Floyd via free agency. We might witness another move along those lines if there are still quality players available.
The Bills can use those roster spots for more urgent needs by cutting these veterans now, and it also gives those players a head start in finding a team before training camp. Let’s examine two players who the Bills may cut in the near future.
Willie Clapp
The Bills signed Will Clapp to compete at center, but they could cut Clapp before he even starts because they drafted Sedrick Van Pran-Granger and still have Alec Anderson, who the staff values, on the roster. Clapp was signed by Buffalo after playing two seasons and making fourteen starts for the Los Angeles Chargers.
The talk surrounding Georgia product Van Pran-Granger right now will make Clapp’s experience insufficient to keep him on the team. Clapp was signed as insurance in case the Bills were unable to locate “their guy” in the draft, with the expectation that he would be able to challenge for the backup position of Connor McGovern. The Bills could now do him a favor by allowing him to sign with a different team that needs depth at center.
The offensive line depth that the Bills possess is abundant, and many of them are adaptable enough to play a variety of positions. In addition to Connor McGovern, Alec Anderson plays both guard and center. They have the Center depth to not miss a beat if Clapp is out if someone gets hurt or doesn’t play as well as they had hoped. Though Clapp has the ability to immediately become a member of a 53-man roster, the Bills have too much depth in their lineup to warrant his continued presence.
Sam Martin
In 2023, Sam Martin averaged 45.8 yards per punt, which was the lowest since the 2019 Detroit Lions season. Unfortunately for Martin, he is 34 years old, and Jack Browning of the Bills is a possible replacement on the team. According to Spotrac, Buffalo would save an additional $1.6 million in salary cap if Martin were released. After two seasons with Martin leading the team, the Bills would decide to go younger, even though it wouldn’t be due to salary cap considerations.
After the draft, Buffalo signed Browning, another product of San Diego State. In his final two years of college, he averaged 46.1 and 45.4 yards per punt with a long of 66 yards. In addition, he filled in as the team’s kicker, making 35 out of 47 field goal attempts while in college and all 53 extra point attempts.
Whether or not Browning can hold out for Tyler Bass is a crucial question that needs to be addressed. The Bills place a high value on their punter’s ability to hold for their kicker, and since Browning played kicker in college as well, it’s unlikely that he has any experience there. If Buffalo really wants Browning on the roster, they could give him a crash course in holding this summer, much like they did with Matt Araiza not too long ago.
Jones, Deion
The linebacker position was very important to the Bills heading into this offseason. The team selected Edefuan Ulofoshio in the draft and added Nicholas Morrow and Deion Jones via free agency. Given uncertainties surrounding Matt Milano’s availability to start the season, the Bills desired to have as much depth as possible at the position. Still unanswered is whether there is too much depth at linebacker.
If Milano is unable to play in Week 1, the Bills have Terrel Bernard, Dorian Williams, and Nicholas Morrow as their starting lineup. However, how many backups do they maintain? It’s probably two, and the first two people to apply for that position are Edefuan Ulofoshio and Baylon Spector. Deion Jones, their other veteran addition, is now jobless as a result.
Jones spent the previous season with the Carolina Panthers before joining the team in May on a free agent contract. Having started for eight seasons, he could be of more use to a team that is in greater need of a linebacker than the Bills are. Even if Jones doesn’t end up on the team, the Bills needed this signing in retrospect after the draft. For Jones to have any effect or produce any film that other teams looking for a linebacker could watch, there is simply too much depth here. Jones is not one of the five linebackers that the Bills currently have on their roster.
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