When the Buffalo Bills opened their training camp at St. John Fisher University, there was exactly one starting position that was potentially up for grabs, the cornerback spot opposite starter Christian Benford.

It was going to be rookie first-round pick Maxwell Hairston against veteran Tre’Davious White who had rejoined the Bills after a year away, seeking to find his former All-Pro glory.

And in reality, given coach Sean McDermott’s lean towards veterans, it was probably a longshot that Hairston would have beaten out White to start in Week 1 when the Bills have a hugely difficult task staring them in the face, Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday Night Football.

Roster cuts were announced Tuesday and now that the Bills have reduced their roster to 53 men, we still don’t know who’s starting at cornerback thanks to injuries to both White and Hairston.

“I don’t really know where we’re at in terms of the health of those guys,” McDermott said Saturday after the preseason finale in Tampa. “I think we’ll know a little bit more when we get back in a day or two, and we’ll go from there.”

As expected, the Bills placed Hairston on injured reserve with the designation to return. That means he’ll have to miss at least the first four games, a tough break for a player they were at least hoping could have won the starting job for the opener.

There continues to be a blackout on news surrounding White’s leg injury which he suffered in practice last Thursday, so we don’t know if the Bills believe he’ll be ready to start against the Ravens. He is on the initial roster, though, but if he can’t play early and could be a gameday inactive for a week or two, the Bills are down to Ja’Marcus Ingram and rookie sixth-round pick Dorian Strong, and neither of those options are ideal.

They released Dane Jackson Tuesday but will likely try to get him back on the practice squad. If they do, they could always elevate him to start for White. However, while Jackson made 28 starts for Buffalo between 2020-23, he did not have a good training camp and preseason, this after a rough 2024 season in Carolina where he signed as a free agent.

The Bills might be in the market for a veteran cornerback free agent in the coming days once cuts are made and they can scour the waiver wire. One player no longer available is Rasul Douglas who just signed with the Dolphins after spending the previous year and a half starting opposite Benford for Buffalo.

Among free agent corners who did not go to a training camp and remain unsigned, it’s not exactly an attractive list as it includes Assante Samuel Jr., Stephon Gilmore, Kendall Fuller, Michael Davis and Cameron Sutton.

Buffalo Bills 53-man rosterQB: Josh Allen, Mitchell Trubisky;RB: James Cook, Ty Johnson, Ray Davis, Reggie Gilliam (FB);WR: Joshua Palmer, Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, Elijah Moore, Curtis Samuel, Tyrell Shavers;TE: Dalton Kincaid, Dawson Knox, Jackson Hawes;IOL: Connor McGovern, O’Cyrus Torrence, David Edwards, Alec Anderson, Sedrick Van Pran-Granger;OT: Dion Dawkins, Spencer Brown, Ryan Van Demark, Chase Lundt;DE: Joey Bosa, Greg Rousseau, AJ Epenesa, Landon Jackson, Javon Solomon;DT: Ed Oliver, DaQuan Jones, Deone Walker, TJ Sanders, DeWayne Carter;LB: Matt Milano, Terrel Bernard, Dorian Williams, Joe Andreessen, Shaq Thompson;CB: Tre’Davious White, Christian Benford, Taron Johnson, JaMarcus Ingram, Brandon Codrington, Dorian Strong, Cam Lewis;S: Taylor Rapp, Cole Bishop, Damar Hamlin, Jordan Hancock;ST: Tyler Bass (K), Brad Robbins (P), Reid Ferguson (LS).

Here are a few other observations I have on the initial roster construction:

Tyrell Shavers would not be denied

Once the report came that wide receivers Laviska Shenault and KJ Hamler were being waived, that was an indication that the Bills were going to ride with Brandon Codrington as their return man, even though he really doesn’t offer any other positional value to the team.

It was thought all along that if the Bills were going to keep six receivers, the sixth spot would come down to Shenault, Hamler and Shavers. They’re keeping six, and Shavers was the obvious choice for the last spot behind Khalil Shakir, Joshua Palmer, Keon Coleman, Elijah Moore and Curtis Samuel.

He constantly showed up in practice and he played well when given the chance on offense in the three games as he caught six passes for 123 yards and a touchdown. Just as important, the coaching staff tested him on special teams because the non-starting receivers have to contribute in that area. Shavers played a total of 24 special teams snaps split between all four core units – kickoff return and coverage, punt return and coverage – and he was involved in three tackles which was a good sign.

“It’s awesome when you see players develop, right?” McDermott said Saturday. “And he’s worked his butt off. Watching him, first year, and then last year he got his moment in a game, and then, now this year, another step forward. Makes the play, and now this special teams component that he is really being intentional about. He doesn’t have the big background in it, but you can tell how bad he wants to make the team, because he’s taking this special teams piece very seriously.”

Defensive line puzzle will get complicated

Because edge rusher Michael Hoecht and tackle Larry Ogunjobi are both about to start serving six-game suspensions, the Bills had a pretty clear-cut path when trimming the roster to 10 linemen.

At tackle it’s DaQuan Jones, Ed Oliver, DeWayne Carter and rookies TJ Sanders and Deone Walker. At edge it’s Greg Rousseau, Joey Bosa, AJ Epenesa, Javon Solomon and rookie Landon Jackson.

But when Hoecht and Ogunjobi return, the Bills will need to make moves. At first glance, the players who could be on the bubble in late October are Solomon and Carter if the Bills get there and everyone is healthy and available.

Because both are second-year players, Carter a third-round pick and Solomon a fifth-rounder, it would be a bad look to move on so quickly from one or two or even both of these 2024 picks, so they would probably pursue trade options in the hope of recouping a third-day pick in the future.

It’s possible they could look to trade Epenesa who is in the final year of his contract, but he’s a trusted veteran so that seems unlikely. Ogunjobi could be the one who gets released, but those decisions are still a little ways away.

Offensive line had a couple surprises

After a summer during which second-year guard-center Sedrick Van Pran-Granger never saw the field, the natural assumption was that he’d start the season right where he’s been – on the physically unable to perform list. That would have meant a minimum of four games missed, but given his inactivity, he could have used that time to get ready to play.

Alec Anderson was a lock as an interior backup, and one of the two veteran options who were in camp, both of whom have started in the NFL, Kendrick Green and Dan Feeney, could have tided them over until Van Pran-Granger was ready.

Well, he’s apparently ready because before the final roster was announced, he was activated from the PUP list so he will be on the 53-man roster. Of course, it seems likely that he’ll be an inactive player early in the year, but the Bills can cover him because Chase Lundt – who made the team – has been used as a guard and a tackle so he could slide inside in a pinch.

And then there was the case of tackle Tylan Grable who has been in concussion protocol for nearly three weeks. He’s going on injured reserve with a designation to return, so that helped clear a path not only for Lundt but also Ryan Van Demark.

A mixed bag among newcomers

As of last week, the Bills had signed 21 veteran free agents dating back to the start of the offseason, players of varying ages and experience, to their 90-man roster. As of now, the only players who made the team – not counting Hoecht and Ogunjobi – Palmer, Bosa, White, punter Brad Robbins, and linebacker Shaq Thompson.

Among the more prominent free agents who seemed to have the best chance to make the team but did not were Jackson, Shenault, Green, and safety Darrick Forrest. For a team with an established roster like Buffalo’s, this isn’t all that much of a surprise, but of these players, the biggest disappointment was Forrest as he could not beat out Damar Hamlin or rookie fifth-round pick Jordan Hancock.

As for the nine-man rookie draft class, the only player who did not make it was seventh-round wide receiver Kaden Prather who suffered an injury early in camp and never had a chance.

Who did the Bills cut?QB: Mike White, Shane Buechele;RB: Frank Gore Jr.; Elijah Young;WR: Laviska Shenault, KJ Hamler, Stephen Gosnell, Deon Cain, Kristian Wilkerson;TE: Zach Davidson, Keleki Latu, Matt Sokol;OL: Kendrick Green, Dan Feeney, Travis Clayton, Jacob Bayer, Mike Edwards, Richard Gouraige, Rush Reimer;DL: Paris Shand, Marcus Harris, Casey Rogers, Zion Logue, Jordan Phillips, Nelson Ceaser;LB: Edefuan Ulofoshio, Jimmy Ciarlo, Keonta Jenkins;CB: Dane Jackson, Daequan Hardy; Garnett Hollis, Zy Alexander;S: Darrick Forrest, Wande Owens, Tre Herndon;Injured reserve: CB Maxwell Hairston, OT Tylan Grable;Reserve/Suspended: Larry Ogunjobi, Michael Hoecht.

Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for four decades including 35 years as the full-time beat writer for the D&C, he has written numerous books about the history of the team, and he is also co-host of the BLEAV in Bills podcast/YouTube show. He can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com, and you can follow him on X @salmaiorana and on Bluesky @salmaiorana.bsky.social.