ORCHARD PARK — In the aftermath of Saturday’s preseason finale, nearly 40 Buffalo Bills players are going to receive a gut-wrenching message.
When the roster is trimmed to 53 players Tuesday, many players will see their goal of playing in the NFL slip away, and while some will latch onto the practice squad in Buffalo or elsewhere, others may never get another shot. There are players who assuredly know their fate, but there are still tight battles for roster spots and somebody has to get cut.
One of those battles is for the final defensive end spot or spots. The Bills carried six defensive ends last season, but have also gone with five in the past, with the first four slated to go to A.J. Epenesa, Von Miller, Greg Rousseau and Dawuane Smoot.
Throughout training camp, rookie Javon Solomon has been in a tight race with incumbent Kingsley Jonathan, veteran Casey Toohill and ex-practice squad player Kameron Cline. The Bills can’t keep all four, and with the starters set to rest against the Carolina Panthers Saturday, they should get plenty of action in their final audition.
“The gift and the curse is that we’ve got a few defensive ends in this room that can play in the NFL and they deserve to be on rosters,” Bills defensive line coach Marcus West said. “The curse is we’ve only got so many spots on our roster. Kudos to them to develop themselves to be in this position, but either one of them can play and (three out of four) of them have played on an active roster.”
Through the first two preseason games, Solomon appears to be in the lead position, not only because he’s been the first of the group to enter both games, but also due to the fact that teams prefer not to cut draft picks. Meanwhile, this is Jonathan’s third training camp with the Bills and he made the final roster outright last season, appearing in 13 games.
Cline was claimed off waivers from the Indianapolis Colts last year and spent 2023 on Buffalo’s practice squad. Toohill, meanwhile, did not play in the first two preseason games due to a groin injury, but he recorded five sacks for the Washington Commanders last season and he’s a known commodity.
Solomon is the baby of the group, and since he arrived in Buffalo, he’s been known for asking questions, finding any tips from veterans that might help. He’s also been one of the last players off the practice field each day, whether it’s hitting the two-man sled, working on hand fighting or his footwork.
Coming to Buffalo as the all-time sack king at Troy — which produced Hall of Famer DeMarcus Ware and former Pro Bowler Osi Umenyiora — Solomon has relished playing in the first two preseason games, which allowed him to adjust to the speed of the game. While Solomon hasn’t registered a sack yet, he had four quarterback hits in 24 snaps against the Pittsburgh Steelers, including one on Justin Fields that forced an incompletion and a punt.
“I always kind of liked the idea of having a target on your back,” Solomon said. “When people get 100% certain, that’s when people get relaxed and I always want to feel like there’s pressure — constant pressure — so I always have to grow and grow and grow and always finding out what I can do better.”
A big factor in deciding who to keep likely comes down to special teams. All four players have been required to partake in special teams drills since the start of training camp, with Jonathan having the most experience in that department.
Jonathan logged 316 special teams snaps during his five years at Syracuse and 186 of his 333 NFL snaps have come on special teams. At 6-foot-4, 260 pounds, Jonathan delivered one of the biggest hits of the game on a punt against the Steelers.
“It’s one of those things that I’ve accepted and making it the best I can do,” Jonathan said. “I’m really athletic and strong, physical and I can go down there and make some noise. So I’m buying into using special teams to make the team better. I’m just trying to make the most out of the reps I get out there.”
Like Solomon, Jonathan — who is likely the rookie’s top competition for a roster spot — has been noticeable during the preseason, logging four tackles in two games, while also recording a sack against the Steelers to help seal the win.
Jonathan has experienced both sides of cutdown day, with the disappointment of being cut in 2022 and the joy of making the team a year ago. His mindset hasn’t changed from his first camp and it’s what he plans to use going into Saturday’s game.
“First training camp, being a rookie, being undrafted, scrapping, crawling, doing everything I can make a team,” Jonathan said. “That’s really the same mentality I still have. There’s always been a chip on my shoulder, being undrafted. Taking that mentality every game I’m going into, especially the preseason, when I’m trying to make the team.”
Injury report
Bills coach Sean McDermott did not have an injury update for some key players, but delivered some optimistic news. McDermott didn’t commit to the idea, but he feels that everyone on the injured list — save for linebacker Matt Milano — has a “real good” chance to play Week 1, including receivers Curtis Samuel and Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
The Bills added safety Terrell Burgess to the injury report and he will not play after straining his hamstring in Wednesday’s practice. Cornerback Taron Johnson is also dealing with a quad injury and was held out of Thursday’s practice for precaution, while center Will Clapp is in concussion protocol after exiting Tuesday’s practice early.
Additionally, Samuel (toe), Valdes-Scantling (neck), quarterback Mitchell Trubisky (knee), tight end Quintin Morris (shoulder), offensive tackle Travis Clayton (shoulder), linebacker Baylon Spector (calf) and safety Damar Hamlin (hamstring) did not practice Thursday.
Safety Cole Bishop (shoulder) wore a red non-contact jersey for the third practice in a row, while safety Mike Edwards (hamstring) and linebacker Nicholas Morrow (groin) participated in 7-on-7 drills.