Here are five players currently on the Buffalo Bills practice squad who could still play meaningful roles for the team in the 2024 NFL season.
The Buffalo Bills finalized their initial practice squad of the 2024 campaign last week, adding three players from outside of the organization to round out the 17-man unit (defensive end Kingsley Jonathan qualifies as an international player, allowing the Bills to retain him in an exempt spot). Though not part of the active roster, Buffalo, under its current regime, historically uses its practice squad as a talent breeding ground, a place to stash players it not only has long-term ambitions for, but individuals that it is confident to field in a pinch, if need be.
With this in mind, there are several players on the Bills’ current practice squad that one could easily envision contributing to the team this fall. We’ve tried our hand at selecting five that we feel best fit this criteria.
QB Mike White
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Buffalo wasted no time in recruiting veteran quarterback Mike White to its practice squad, hosting him for a visit just a few hours after formalizing its 53-man roster. The 29-year-old is a trusted, if not unspectacular signal-caller with a fair amount of professional experience, passing for 2,219 yards, nine touchdowns, and 13 interceptions in 14 NFL appearances. He won’t be mistaken for Josh Allen anytime soon, but a team could certainly do worse with regard to its third-choice quarterback.
He perhaps has the clearest path to an immediate role out of any player on the Bills’ practice squad, as current backup passer Mitchell Trubisky is currently sidelined with a knee injury he picked up in the preseason. Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane recently stated that the backup’s availability for Week 1 is “truly unknown,” which could pave the way for White to serve as Allen’s primary relief early in the season. Trubisky also looked generally underwhelming throughout the preseason, hyper-focusing on targets and throwing a particularly ugly interception against the Pittsburgh Steelers; Trubisky’s contract would be challenging for the Bills to get out of, but White may prove to be a more advantageous backup option than the former second overall pick.
RB Frank Gore Jr.
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Frank Gore Jr. became a fast fan favorite in Western New York after a stellar preseason in which he rushed for 163 yards on 33 attempts, good for an average of 4.9 yards per carry. He showed shades of his pops as he broke off 102 yards after contact, per PFF, meaning that nearly 63% of his rushing production came after contact. That’s pretty dang good.
The undrafted free agent’s road to a roster spot in Buffalo was always steep given its crowded backfield, as reigning Pro Bowler James Cook, fourth-round pick Ray Davis, veteran Ty Johnson, and fullback Reggie Gilliam were always penciled into spots on the 53-man unit. The team was fortunate to see the 22-year-old clear waivers and re-sign with its practice squad, making Gore Jr. a prime candidate to be a call-up should an injury occur or the team just need a burst off the bench.
WR Jalen Virgil
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If you want proof of the idea of the recently-signed Jalen Virgil potentially making an impact on Buffalo’s active roster this season, look no further than the man himself; Denver Gazette writer Chris Tomasson reported after the 26-year-old opted to sign with the Bills’ practice squad over that of the Broncos that Virgil signed with Buffalo because he felt there was a better path to the 53-man unit. It’s a fair thought from the third-year receiver out of Appalachian State, as the Bills kept just five receivers on their initial roster.
Virgil has a potentially dynamic skillset, something he flashed in Boone to the tune of 98 receptions for 1,436 yards and 11 scores. He was also an electric special teams returner for the Mountaineers, returning 37 kicks for 1,142 yards and three touchdowns. He didn’t get frequent opportunities throughout his time in Denver (appearing in just two games), but he made the most of his scant chances; his first NFL reception was a 66-yard touchdown in 2022.
Buffalo has some speed in its active receiving corps in Curtis Samuel and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, but Virgil could provide some additional juice in this category throughout the year. It also wouldn’t be shocking to see the team try him as a special teams returner given his collegiate prowess in that phase of the game.
CB Daequan Hardy
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Speaking of special teams ability, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Bills ultimately trot rookie cornerback Daequan Hardy back out as their returner at some point in the 2024 campaign. Buffalo selected the Penn State defender in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft to serve as its returner, giving him every opportunity to win the job throughout training camp and the preseason; though he improved in the role as the summer progressed, Beane stated that the team simply “[ran] out of time” in his development as a returner and needed a more reliable presence, prompting it to sign the aforementioned Virgil and trade for undrafted return specialist Brandon Codrington from the New York Jets.
Beane reiterated that the team still has faith in Hardy and may look to get him up this year. It wouldn’t be shocking to see the team fall back on Hardy as its returner should its other experiments fail; the rookie also showed promise as a defender throughout the preseason, recording three pass breakups as a boundary cornerback. With only four traditional outside cornerbacks on the roster, Hardy is the next man up should any injuries occur.
S Lewis Cine
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Though it’d be premature to dub him a ‘fan favorite,’ the Buffalo faithful grew a soft spot for safety Lewis Cine after he scorned the Jets to sign with the Bills practice squad last week. He’s one of the league’s more interesting practice squad additions; a first-round pick of the Vikings in 2022, Minnesota cut the 24-year-old last week after he tallied just one tackle in 10 appearances in two seasons.
He gets a fresh start with a familiar face at One Bills Drive, as former Georgia defensive backs coach Jahmile Addae is currently on Buffalo’s defensive coaching staff. Cine joins forces with a head coach who demonstrably gets the most out of safeties (and general defensive backs); for indication of this, look no further than Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer becoming premier players in Buffalo, or at Kurt Coleman’s 2015 season with the Carolina Panthers. For an athletic defensive back looking to get their career back on track, there’s perhaps no better coach to play for than Sean McDermott.
Buffalo’s current safety predicament makes Cine’s immediate situation as intriguing as it is. The team entered its 2024 training camp with a three-way battle to determine its starter alongside Taylor Rapp, with initial reps figured to be split between Damar Hamlin, Mike Edwards, and rookie Cole Bishop; all three of these players missed varying stretches of time with injures, preventing the safety tandem and general defense from building a rapport. Who starts in the defensive backfield opposite Rapp in Week 1 remains to be seen, and while it won’t be Cine, it wouldn’t be shocking to see the team work the third-year safety into the defense as the season progresses should he quickly pick up the scheme. His addition to the practice squad was likely viewed internally as a developmental move, but he’s demonstrably talented (he’s only three years removed from earning All-SEC honors); this could allow him to see the field this season.