ORCHARD PARK — The Buffalo Bills got a head start on trimming their roster to the NFL-mandated 53 players by making several moves Sunday, none of which were all that surprising.
Released were quarterback Anthony Brown, wide receiver Damiere Byrd , offensive lineman Kevin Jarvis, defensive end Rondell Bothroyd, linebackers Deion Jones and Shayne Simon and cornerback Kyron Brown.
Also, the never-ending injury issues at safety led to both Terrell Burgess (hamstring) and Dee Delaney (knee) being placed on injured reserve.
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These moves got the roster down to 82, so there’s still a long way to go before the reduction deadline at 4 p.m. Tuesday.
Parting ways with Jones was the only decision that warranted a little inspection.
The ninth-year veteran signed with Buffalo in the offseason after spending the first six seasons of his career with the Falcons, then one each with the Browns and Panthers. He has 109 games of NFL experience with 91 starts, 731 tackles, 12 sacks, five forced fumbles, two recoveries and 13 interceptions, five of which he returned for touchdowns. He made the Pro Bowl in 2017.
His ability to back up on the inside and outside figured to serve him well in Buffalo, but even though the Bills have lost veteran Matt Milano for most of the season, they are sticking with their youth at the position. It now looks like 29-year-old Nicholas Morrow, another free agent signing with six years in the NFL with the Raiders, Bears and Eagles, will be the Bills’ most experienced linebacker.
Jones’ departure probably means that behind starters Terrel Bernard (third season) and Dorian Williams (second), the Bills will keep Baylon Spector (third) and rookie Edefuan Ulofoshio, and assuming Morrow makes it, if they keep a sixth linebacker (which they always have under Sean McDermott), Buffalo native Joe Andreessen could be the guy.
Andreessen wasn’t quite as noticeable in the preseason finale against Carolina as he was the week before in Pittsburgh, but throughout the summer, he’s been a rising player and one of the feel-good stories as a local kid. He signed as a rookie undrafted free agent and originally was one of the longest shots to make the team.
The Lancaster High and University at Buffalo product finished the preseason with 23 tackles though he struggled in pass coverage as he allowed nine receptions on 10 targets into his area for 101 yards. If Andreessen does survive the cut, he would likely be a special-teams-only player in 2024.
Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for four decades including 35 years as the full-time beat writer for the D&C, and he has written numerous books about the history of the team. He can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com , and you can follow him on Twitter @salmaiorana .
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Buffalo Bills cuts 2024 tracker: Cuts have started, see who moves on
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