The end of the last preseason game is a bittersweet feeling in the football world. Yes, it means we're one step closer to the regular season, but it also means that roster cut down day is coming.
For the Buffalo Bills, how they approach those cut downs will be a crucial step in not only the success of the roster this year, but also of the organization for Bills to come. Weighing these two facets – what helps us today, compared to what helps us tomorrow – is important for GM Brandon Beane and HC Sean McDermott to consider. It could go a long way in deciding which players to keep ahead of cut down day .
Bills head coach Sean McDermott says it's a balancing act
When asked about how to weigh out what will help the team today with what will help the team tomorrow, McDermott had this to say.
"You always want to keep both in mind, and as you, as you mentioned sometimes, for one side, let's just say scouting, it's always 'hey, let's, let's keep the longer vision,' and then coaches, 'let's keep the shorter vision,'" McDermott said. "So at the end of the day, what's best for the team, I know Brandon [Beane] and I believe this, is fitting it together, right? And making decisions that are best both short term and long term for the good of the club overall."
On a roster that's currently full of young talent , recent draft picks, and undrafted free agent signings , this may be an important factor in deciding how the 2024 iteration of the Buffalo Bills looks.
Does this team want to fill the back of the roster with depth veterans, or does it want to take a longer lens approach, allowing some of these younger players to develop and continue to grow? We'll know more about their philosophy over the next few days.
McDermott keeps in mind that these are real people with real dreams
Having to cut the roster from 90 to 53 also means that 1,140 players across the league are about to see their dreams of being on an NFL roster end. For some, it will be temporary. For others, they may never get to play a down of football again.
This fact isn't lost on head coach Sean McDermott.
"It's extremely difficult, extremely difficult, the relationships that we're blessed to have formed with with these young men. You know, it's the conversations you're able to have, whether it's in spring, or at St. John Fisher at camp, or on the trip to Pittsburgh, in the off times, and the gaps between the scheduled meetings," McDermott said. "You know, you get a chance to learn that these these guys are real human beings with real lives, and that they're trying to make it right. And so you feel for them. And this is a tough business."
For McDermott, he believes highly in the men that he has had the opportunity to coach.
"This is some of what I shared with them last night, is they're all going to be just fine, no matter what happens. And that's important to know. You think the skills that these guys pick up through playing the game of football, all the life skills you pick up, I wanted them to know that they're they're prepared either way for whatever happens, they'll be prepared, and they're going to be just fine," McDermott continued.
It's the sobering reality of football. Over the next few days, the coaches and front office staffs around the league have to make decisions that will impact the lives of many. We would all be wise to keep the human element on the forefront of our minds.
Related: Buffalo Bills go unconventional route to play to strengths in final 53-man roster prediction
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