As you likely have heard, the NFL roster cuts deadline is today at 6 p.m. EST. And for as much as this day does feature over 1,000 players losing their jobs, I like to spin it into a positive and focus on new opportunities for released players to land gigs on different teams, including, of course, the Buffalo Bills.
Let’s track the recently cut players who I believe the Bills should consider signing before their regular season begins.
And, yes, the second and third chance opportunities ahead for many
of my former draft crushes makes today obscurely fun for the NFL Draft nerd in me.
If the Bills sign any of these players on waivers, they’ll have to be added directly to the team’s 53-man roster, which is a relatively big — but hardly unprecedented — ask. After they clear waivers, they can be added to Buffalo’s practice squad.
Released players I still believe in who could help Bills
DL Dean Lowry
The 32-year-old Lowry was the consummate dirty-work defensive lineman for seven years in Green Bay and actually amassed a low-key 42 pressures during the 2021 season. He spent 2023 in Minnesota and 2024 with the Steelers but tore his ACL last year in training camp. He’s a thick 6’6” and 296 pounds and understands how to eat blockers to free teammates along the defensive line and linebacker group.
WR Jeff Caldwell
Caldwell is only a rookie, and he did not record a reception in the preseason. His inclusion here is strictly based on his pre-draft workout — and respectable film at the University of Cincinnati. At over 6’5” and 216 pounds, Caldwell ran 4.31 with a 1.48 split and 42” vertical with an 11’2” broad jump. Those are historically awesome figures. I envision Caldwell as another Tyrell Shavers type developmental receiver on the outside if he were added to Buffalo’s roster.
Cut players with past connections to Bills
LB Tyrel Dodson, CB Alex Austin, CB Kaiir Elam, CB/returner Brandon Codrington, WR Isaiah Hodgins, DL Carlos Basham
