Which competitions am I most interested in over the next few months?
Last week, I wrote about the methodology by which I believe we can more accurately predict roster competitions. In short, “when” and “with whom” a player plays are more predictive of their roster status than “h0w” they play. Some interrogatives are more important than others, and we touched on it at length in that article. But now that we’ve set the stage, to which positional battles do we apply that logic? Knowing that Josh Allen is going to make the roster and be the starting quarterback, and knowing that our time and attention are limited resources, where do we invest the energy as we satisfy our ravenous appetite for Buffalo Bills content? Here is my personal prioritization of the most interesting roster battles for the Bills now that the 90-man roster is (mostly and likely) set along with my prediction at each and what I’m watching for in the battle:
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Mildly Interesting: WR6/7 – Trent Sherfield, Mecole Hardman, Jalen Virgil, Stephen Gosnell
Why is this the least interesting (of the most interesting) camp battles for me? Because no matter the outcome, the impact on game days for the Bills is likely to be small. The Bills will likely keep six wide receivers (with an outside chance at seven) and it’s likely going to be a special teams-focused decision at the bottom of the depth chart. D.J. Moore, Khalil Shakir, Josh Palmer, Keon Coleman, and Skyler Bell are your top five locks. Sherfield has stuck around in the league as long as he has specifically because of his special teams play (which was exhibited in his previous stint with the Bills), so my opinion is that he has a leg up for the potentially-final sixth spot on the depth chart. The key item I’ll be watching for this summer is whether or not Mecole Hardman is playing as a primary punt returner. That may be his best shot at unseating Sherfield in the pecking order.
Prediction: the Bills keep six, the WR6 is Trent Sherfield
Kind of Interesting: Punt Returner – Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, Mecole Hardman, Jalen Kilgore
Connected to the WR6 conversation above, the Bills do not appear to have a strong reason to move away from Ray Davis at kick returner after an All-Pro season. They do, however, have a decision to make at punt returner. Regardless of who they select, the player will be getting the spotlight a few times per game, so the importance of this decision ranks it above the WR6 conversation for me.
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Khalil Shakir is likely the returner with the highest floor when it comes to ball security as it stands right now, and the addition of D.J. Moore to the wide receiver room means that the team may not be putting their #1 targeted wide receiver out there as a returner (always a risk factor to consider) anymore. Keon Coleman has experience as a punt returner in college, and if the team is dead set on getting a return on their 33rd overall pick investment on him, they may decide to lean into contributions there if the former second-round pick isn’t going to be in their top three wide receivers this season. Hardman has come to be known in the league as a player with high highs and low lows, which isn’t necessarily the best trait to have in your punt returner, but it may be a meaningful factor in determining whether he makes the final roster.
The wild card in the competition is rookie defensive back Jalen Kilgore, who had a few returns in college and showed some promise, though lack of reps and time on task led to ball security issues. Could more practice at it convince the Bills to go with the rookie?
Prediction: the Bills opt for safety, Khalil Shakir is the punt returner.
Solidly Interesting: Punter – Mitch Wishnowsky, Tommy Doman, Jr.
There aren’t a lot of times I wish I was physically present at Buffalo Bills training camp. The punter competition is unironically one of the things that makes me wish I was. Being able to clearly see the way the ball comes off a foot, tracking hang time (I’ll have to rely on Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic for that), seeing placement; the camp observation articles just don’t do it justice.
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Tie goes to the rookie. It may not necessarily be fair, but when it comes to specialist battles, it frequently is the case. Wishnowsky was a 2026 addition to the team that came in and played admirably, stabilizing a position that has been in flux for the Bills for the last few years. The Bills hadn’t necessarily seen enough to stop them from drafting Tommy Doman Jr. in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft, and the second Doman’s name was splashed on the screen of NFL Network and ESPN, he became the favorite to be the team’s punter. Over the last decade 20 out of 21 punters who were drafted made their NFL team’s final roster in their rookie year, per Sumer Sports. As a rule of thumb, if teams draft them, they play them. That makes the prediction on the result of this battle, as interesting as it is due to impact on the team, fairly uncomplicated.
Prediction: the Bills follow the trend, start Doman Jr. at punter.
Very Interesting: Left Guard – Austin Corbett, Alec Anderson
Of all the camp battles on the team, the one that’s the most interesting to me (because the winner will play the most snaps) is the left guard competition. Former starting left guard David Edwards left the team in free agency for a $15.25m average annual value contract with the New Orleans Saints, and the Bills are hoping that offensive line mainstay and former jumbo tight end/6th offensive lineman Alec Anderson can follow in his footsteps as a starting left guard. If not, the team brought in the experienced and athletic Corbett on a cheap one-year contract to provide a valuable floor in the competition.
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Of all the competitions listed here, the “when and with whom” rule established last week will apply most significantly to this one. If Anderson isn’t playing in the final preseason game and Corbett is, the writing is on the wall. The detraction of Corbett’s career thus far has been his injuries. He’s a player who signed a three-year, $26.5m contract with the Carolina Panthers in 2022 before three season-ending injuries (two knee injuries and a torn biceps) in three consecutive years led to a one-year re-signing in Carolina for the 2025 season. Despite starting 11 games for the team last year (after an early season knee sprain), the recent injury history led him to a soft market in 2026 free agency, and the Bills brought him in for competition.
Prediction: Alec Anderson becomes the “next jumbo OL up”, named the starter at left guard.
Why did I not mention anything regarding the defense? I’m not sure anything there counts as a “competition” at this time. Ed Oliver, T.J. Sanders, and Deone Walker appear be the locked in as the starters on the defensive line with Landon Jackson, Dewayne Carter, Zane Durant, Phidarian Mathis, and Zion Logue backing them up. The linebackers being Greg Rousseau, Terrel Bernard, Dorian Williams, and Bradley Chubb likewise seems to be mostly in ink at this point, while second-round pick T.J. Parker, Michael Hoecht (recovering from an Achilles injury last year), rookie Kaleb Elarms-Orr, Joe Andreesen, and Javon Solomon will rotate in and man the 2nd/3rd string.
The Bills haven’t come out and vocally established any competition between second round pick Davison Igbinosun and 2025 first-round pick Maxwell Hairston. Maybe their plan is to platoon them al la Kaiir Elam and Christian Benford circa early 2024; I’ll be keeping my eye on it moving forward, but didn’t list it here.
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Ultimately, good teams have fewer roster battles and more predictability in their 53-man decisions. The probability of an undrafted free agent coming out of nowhere and establishing themselves as a contributor on the team isn’t as much of a thing with these Bills compared to the drought-era teams, but there are still interesting things. In an environment where it’s hard to always parse out what matters and what doesn’t, it can help to calibrate our eyes on what competitions matter more than others.
…and that’s the way the cookie crumbles. I’m Bruce Nolan with Buffalo Rumblings. You can find me on Twitter and Instagram @BruceExclusive and look for new episodes of “The Bruce Exclusive” every Thursday on the Rumblings Cast Network — see more in my LinkTree!
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