ORCHARD PARK - Buffalo Bills tight end Keleki Latu - like hundreds of other NFL hopefuls - spent an uncomfortable weekend praying that a recognizable number from One Bills Drive didn’t pop up on his phone.
In the NFL, they don’t call you if you’ve made the team, only if you don’t. So as the Bills’ hierarchy was making decisions on how the initial 53-man roster would look, Latu relied on his agent to keep him abreast on anything he might have heard, and as the hours ticked away Saturday and Sunday, the 24-year-old was twisting in the wind.
Finally, a little after dinner time Sunday, the Bills announced their final cuts and Latu’s name was not on the list.
“I didn't feel like it was real to be honest,” he said Tuesday after practice. “I felt like this
was just a dream still, and I just called my mom, called my girlfriend, texted my brother (Colts’ defensive end Laiatu Latu) immediately and said I made it. And then I was excited to see the guys coming back in the next day.”
Why Keleki Latu made the Bills' initial 53-man roster
Latu making the roster, at least for now, was somewhat surprising because it means the Bills are carrying four tight ends on the active roster. That’s uncommon in the NFL. Most will keep three and stash one on the practice squad, and that was the long held belief for Buffalo as the summer played out, that Latu would start the year on the practice squad.
Instead, the Bills are going without a fullback as they released Ben VanSumeren - who was quickly signed by the Chiefs to their practice squad - and Latu essentially took his roster spot.
Latu joined the Bills last year as an undrafted free agent and showed enough to earn a practice squad spot, but he was called up when Dalton Kincaid got hurt and wound up playing in five games, making four catches for 35 yards, three of which resulted in first downs.
“That young man has come a long way from 12 months ago,” president/general manager Brandon Beane said. “I don't think he was nearly pushing for a roster spot coming out of the (2025) rookie camp, but he's just gotten better and better to the point last season, we ended up expiring all his elevations,” Beane said.
“He's a guy that Josh Allen and all of his offensive teammates trust. The thing that I saw - the passing game was there last year, but I think this guy really focused on his play strength and his run blocking, being a more complete tight end. He's a longer levered guy, so it's easier for guys to get up under his pads, but him just getting his leverage, getting his hands, his angles. It's a hard room to make. We went extra there, we've usually kind of gone with three, but again, you're trying to keep your best 53 players that you can, and I thought he earned that opportunity.”
Latu was still processing what happened Tuesday, but it hit him that yeah, he made the team, during the practice.
“Yeah, it does feel real,” he said. “Stepping in the huddle with the ones, that was awesome. Seeing my O-line look awesome, it's like my idols right there, just standing right in front of me so I just want to prove to them that I belong here. They're veterans, they have a lot of experience and a lot of accomplishments and I want to do the same. At the end of the day, they're the ones I'm going on the field with, so they're my family, they're my brothers.”
What Keleki Latu's role could be in the Bills offense
Chances are the Bills probably won’t have four tight ends active on the game-day 48-man roster. Kincaid, Dawson Knox and Jackson Hawes have clearly defined roles and Latu will be available in case someone has to miss a game or two or more.
What Brady enjoyed seeing is how Latu used last year to develop and learn. He wasn’t just biding his time on the practice squad; he was grinding to make sure that if he was called up, he was ready to contribute.
“I think (Keleki) has just continued to get better as a football player these last few years,” Brady said. “He had the opportunity when the guys got injured last year, and he took advantage of it, staying after (practice) doing what he had to do with Rob (Boras, the tight ends coach), living in the weight room. And then you see that translate to the field.
“And man, he had such a good offseason and led into training camp, and he was so solid and so consistent with what he's doing. He's a guy that can line up in a lot of different roles, and it brings more versatility to that tight end room. And you got four guys and all the different personnel groupings we can do with it and move guys around, it should make my life a little easier.”
Just because he made the team, nothing changes in his work habits. He knows he’s probably not going to be active until someone goes down so Latu will spend his time crafting his all-around game in practice, and he has excellent mentors in front of him to help.
“I just looked at as an opportunity to learn from the veterans, just seeing how Dalton moves in the pass game, how Dawson thinks mentally during the runs and his technique, and Jackson the way he blocks and runs routes,” Latu said. “I was also in the same boat last year, just trying to absorb everything. I just put my foot in the door and I’ve got to prove myself at this point.”
Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for more than four decades including 37 years as the full-time beat writer/columnist for the D&C. He has written numerous books about the history of the team, and he is also co-host of the BLEAV in Bills podcast/YouTube show. He can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com, and you can follow him on X @salmaiorana and on Bluesky @salmaiorana.bsky.social.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Bills TE spent cutdown weekend waiting for a call that never came
