With the start of preseason action this past weekend, there is a lot of speculation on how the Bills roster will end up. I thought it would be fun to look at five players fighting for a spot after each game and determine if it was time to buy or sell.
Kraig Urbik: Urbik ended up being the whipping boy of the game on Saturday. He wasn’t able to seal many blocks and get to the next level effectively. One particular play I initially thought Urbik was terrible on was a 3rd and 8 screen to Spiller, who was tackled a yard short of the first down by Brian Urlacher. When watching live, you saw Urbik unable to engage Urlacher, but when re-watching the play you see that Eric Wood attempts to chop block Urlacher and misses, forcing Urbik to scramble. I’m not standing up for Urbik. I think that the Bills right guard situation is their most volatile. Urbik’s seeming grasp on the starting job should be in serious jeopardy. SELL
Cordoro Howard: From my perspective watching the game, I thought Howard was as bad a Bill as I have seen. He struggled in both pass and run protection and at times just flat out whiffed on blocks. Erik Pears is most likely going to be the starter heading into the season, and Howard will be the beneficiary of the team neglecting to add depth to the position. That isn’t necessarily a good thing. HOLD
Naaman Roosevelt: With the trade of Evans, Roosevelt should feel much more comfortable that he’ll make the final roster for the Bills. Donald Jones appears to be the likely candidate to get most of the first team reps, but Roosevelt made the most of his opportunities with 3 catches for 26 yards and is a reliable target for the Bills. He won’t be starting on the outside to begin the season, but Roosevelt should be a huge beneficiary of the Evans trade. BUY
Aaron Williams: Williams got his “welcome to the NFL” initiation on Saturday. He was beaten badly on successive plays, particularly on a double move by Dane Sanzenbacher, but also displayed why fans are so optimistic about his ability. Shortly after getting beat on those successive plays, Williams made a deflection and an extremely athletic play on the ball to pick off Nathan Enderle. Barring injury, Williams isn’t going to start at corner, however he’ll likely get every opportunity in the nickel to make his presence felt. BUY
Mike Jasper: Jasper is the fan favorite right now. Unfortunately, nothing he showed on Saturday displays a defining ability to get on the field this year. On the plays I tried to watched Jasper, he wasn’t pushed back but rather straight up out of his stance. He’ll need to work on his leverage and technique, much like Terrell Troup did last season. The Bills may keep him on the active roster just so that he gets that experience this year, but they may be just as well served having him on the practice squad and holding that roster spot for someone else. HOLD
Twitter: @Brianbund
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