4 Buffalo Bills Practice Squad Players With a High Chance of Seeing Action in 2024

We’re just a week away from the debut of the 2024 season for the Buffalo Bills. The long wait is coming to an end soon and Bills Mafia can’t wait to watch some football. The Bills open their season at home against Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals.

Buffalo has their roster ready to go and fans can now focus on the current players who made the final 53-man roster. The biggest headline during the last few roster cuts was Buffalo native linebacker Joe Andreessen making the cut. However, not everyone on the roster was able to secure a spot.

At the end of each preseason, Brandon Beane has to make tough decisions about who to keep and who to release. However, Beane was fortunate in that he got some of those players back on the practice squad. In recent seasons, the Bills have had practice squad players play in regular season games. Whether it was to add depth or to get injured, when practice squad players are called up to the 53-man roster, they should take advantage of the opportunity.

There are four specific players on the practice squad who could very well see action for the Bills this year in one form or another.

When you have a franchise quarterback like Josh Allen, it’s crucial to protect him at all costs. While the Bills have their offensive linemen for the season, having Will Clapp on the practice squad is a steal because he has valuable experience as a starter. It was a surprise that the Bills were able to keep him.

Buffalo has full confidence in Connor McGovern and rookie Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, but Clapp is good insurance if something happens to the interior of the offensive line.

There was a lot of hype leading into the preseason for Tyrell Shavers, who was getting a lot of recognition and respect from players and coaches. At one point, he advocated for himself to be included on the roster over guys like Chase Claypool and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. However, a lackluster preseason hurt Shavers’ chances of making the roster.

To be fair to Shavers, when the quarterback play is raw, there’s not much the receivers can do. While Shavers won’t be on the field for the Bills right away, there’s a good chance he’ll be called upon if this new wide receiver room for the Bills doesn’t pan out the way the coaching staff expects.

It was a bit of a shock when Daequan Hardy was released by the Bills during the roster cuts. He was drafted by Buffalo this year and had experience on special teams, making him eligible to return punts and kickoffs. Plus, the Bills like to go heavy in the secondary, so Hardy may not have done as much as others during training camp and the preseason.

The advantage Hardy has is that he was drafted by this regime and they believe in development. Hardy actually has the best chance of seeing more action this year than usual.

The fan favorite was the highest-rated running back during the preseason according to Pro Football Focus. The Bills signed Frank Gore Jr. as an undrafted free agent following the draft. Gore Jr. showed flashes of greatness during the preseason, but with a running back room stacked with James Cook, Ty Johnson and Ray Davis, Gore Jr. was the odd one out. At the same time, if an injury were to occur in the Bills’ running back room, Gore Jr. could get a chance to be called up and even get a few carries.