The Buffalo Bills'initial 53-man roster is set, and there were a few surprises along the way.
Damar Hamlin went from looking like a veteran fighting for a job to beating out one of Buffalo's offseason free-agent additions. Greg Gaines needed less than two weeks with the team to secure a roster spot.
On the other side, several players who appeared to have legitimate chances to make the roster are looking for work.
Here are the biggest winners and losers from the Bills' roster cutdown.
WINNER: S Damar Hamlin
Damar Hamlin wasn't guaranteed anything when he returned to Buffalo.
The Bills re-signed Hamlin to a one-year contract in March after his 2025 season ended with a pectoral injury. He played only five games last year and made one tackle. Buffalo had already signed safeties
C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Geno Stone, while Cole Bishop was entrenched as a starter.
Hamlin didn't just make the roster. He beat Stone.
Hamlin led the Bills with five tackles in their second preseason game and finished the preseason with eight tackles and two interceptions.
WINNER: WR Skyler Bell
Skyler Bell waited almost the entire preseason for his opportunity.
Then he needed one game.
The fourth-round rookie missed Buffalo's first two preseason games because of a groin injury before making his debut against Pittsburgh. Bell caught seven passes for 49 yards and took a jet sweep 28 yards for a touchdown, leading the Bills in both receiving and rushing in the game.
That performance looks even more important now as it may have helped the Bills decide to keep only five wide receivers. Buffalo released veterans Trent Sherfield, Mecole Hardman and Dante Pettis.
Tyrell Shavers begins the season on the PUP list and must miss at least the first four games.
WINNER: QB Kyle Allen
There are worse jobs in football than backing up your good friend Josh Allen. Kyle Allen returns to the backup quarterback role he held with Buffalo in 2023.
He didn't look particularly sharp early in training camp at St. John Fisher, but he was nearly perfect when the games started.
Allen completed 24 of 28 passes for 236 yards and a touchdown in Buffalo's first two preseason games. He sat out the Bills' third preseason game.
That settled whatever competition existed with Shane Buechele.
WINNER: OT Jude Bowry
Jude Bowry's first NFL preseason wasn't smooth.
The Bills selected Bowry in the fourth round with the No. 102 overall pick in April, but the rookie offensive tackle struggled at times during the preseason and then left the finale against Pittsburgh with an injury.
Bowry was wearing a walking boot after the game, raising the possibility that Buffalo could place him on injured reserve while he recovered and continued developing.
Instead, Bowry is on the initial 53-man roster.
Considering how his preseason ended, being on the initial roster Sunday qualifies as a win.
WINNER: DL Greg Gaines
Greg Gaines wasn't even a Buffalo Bill two weeks ago. Now he's on the 53-man roster.
Buffalo signed the 30-year-old defensive lineman Aug. 18 after he spent the previous three seasons with Tampa Bay. Gaines has played 108 NFL games with 34 starts and has 186 tackles, 14.5 sacks and 35 quarterback hits.
The Bills were dealing with injuries on the defensive line when they brought him in, but he wasn't just a temporary late-camp signing. Gaines had only 12 days to make his case and earned a spot.
WINNER: Bills defensive front
The Bills weren't interested in skimping on the defensive front.
Buffalo kept six defensive tackles on its initial roster — Ed Oliver, Deone Walker, Landon Jackson, T.J. Sanders, Greg Gaines and DeWayne Carter — while rookie Zane Durant going on injured reserve.
The Bills also have six outside linebackers with Bradley Chubb, Greg Rousseau, Michael Hoecht, Mike Danna, T.J. Parker and Javon Solomon.
That's 12 active roster spots devoted to the defensive front, with Durant on injured reserve and Phidarian Mathis on the suspended list.
The Bills may have some questions about their new-look defense, but they aren't lacking options up front.
WINNER: C Sedrick Van Pran-Granger
Van Pran-Granger didn't make Buffalo's roster.
He's still a winner.
There appeared to be no room for the Bills' 2024 fifth-round pick after Buffalo added veteran Lloyd Cushenberry to a center group that already included Connor McGovern.
Rather than release Van Pran-Granger and send him into the uncertainty of cutdown weekend, general manager Brandon Beane found him another job.
Buffalo traded Van Pran-Granger and a 2027 seventh-round pick to Indianapolis for a 2027 sixth-round pick. He joins a Colts roster that needed depth behind starting center Tanor Bortolini.
Van Pran-Granger appeared in 31 games with two starts during his two seasons in Buffalo. Now he gets a fresh opportunity instead of waiting to see whether somebody claims him on waivers.
LOSER: S Geno Stone
This is the other side of Hamlin's victory.
The Bills signed Stone to a one-year contract in March after he spent four seasons in Baltimore and two in Cincinnati. He entered training camp with 14 career interceptions and appeared capable of giving Buffalo experienced depth behind Bishop and Gardner-Johnson.
It never happened.
Stone struggled to distinguish himself during camp, while Hamlin kept making plays.
Buffalo ultimately kept Hamlin, Jordan Hancock, rookie Jalon Kilgore and special teams standout Sam Franklin Jr. behind the presumed starting combination of Bishop and Gardner-Johnson.
LOSER: Bills' veteran wide receiver additions
The Bills spent much of the offseason collecting veteran wide receivers. Almost none of them survived August.
Trent Sherfield signed with Buffalo in March. Mecole Hardman returned on a reserve/future contract after spending time with the Bills last season. Dante Pettis was added during training camp. All three were released.
Instead, Buffalo kept only five receivers: D.J. Moore, Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, Joshua Palmer and rookie Skyler Bell.
LOSER: Undrafted rookies
There was no undrafted rookie surprise this year.
The Bills didn't keep any of their undrafted free agents on the initial 53-man roster, although cornerback Kani Walker made a strong push.
Walker was one of Buffalo's more impressive young players during the preseason and recorded an interception against the Carolina Panthers. He appeared to have a legitimate chance to grab one of the final spots.
Instead, Walker was waived along with the rest of Buffalo's undrafted rookie class.
LOSER: The fullback position
Ben VanSumeren didn't just lose his roster spot.
The entire position did.
Buffalo signed VanSumeren to a one-year contract in April after he spent three seasons with Philadelphia, where he transitioned from a linebacker to a fullback. The Bills waived undrafted rookie fullback Jackson Acker on Aug. 17.
After Reggie Gilliam held the job for six years, the Bills will enter the Joe Brady era without a fullback on their initial 53-man roster.
LOSER: LB Keonta Jenkins
Keonta Jenkins made one last push but it wasn't enough.
The former Virginia Tech linebacker spent most of his rookie season on Buffalo's practice squad, although he recorded nine tackles in three games in 2025.
Jenkins tied for the team lead with 13 tackles this preseason, including six tackles and a sack in the victory against Pittsburgh on Thursday.
And then the Bills cut him.
Buffalo kept four inside linebackers on its initial roster: Terrel Bernard, Dorian Williams, Kaleb Elarms-Orr and Joe Andreessen.
Jenkins could return to the practice squad if he clears waivers.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Biggest winners and losers from Buffalo Bills' 53-man roster
