The Buffalo Bills’ draft picks, undrafted free agents and tryout players will report to the team’s facility this weekend for rookie minicamp.
The Bills, per team policy, have not announced any undrafted free agent signings, but 12 names have been confirmed.
To wrap up a four-part roundtable this week, News sports writers Jay Skurski, Ryan O’Halloran and Katherine Fitzgerald give their take on an undrafted free agent to watch.
Virginia Tech linebacker Keonta Jenkins (7) celebrates after his interception during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Stanford, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, in Stanford, Calif.
Jay Skurski
Let’s first acknowledge it’s an uphill battle for any undrafted free agent to make the 53-man roster. Nevertheless, Joe Andreessen showed last year that it can be done, and he came to the Bills as a rookie tryout player. When trying to identify a diamond in the rough, a good place to start is the positions the Bills drafted. Those players will get every chance to make the team. Linebacker was not on the list this year, which leads me to Virginia Tech’s Keonta Jenkins. He had 184 tackles, three interceptions, 2.5 sacks and nine passes defensed in his college career. This past season, Jenkins was the fourth-highest-graded player on the Hokies’ defense, according to analytics website Pro Football Focus, finishing with a 75.7 grade in 588 snaps. To win a spot, he might have to beat out Andreessen or Edefuan Ulofoshio, a fifth-round pick last year.
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Katherine Fitzgerald
I’ll go with guard Rush Reimer out of the University of California. The Bills like a little extra insurance on their offensive line. The starters are set – all five returning from last season. And there is depth at the group, which the team also added to in the draft, selecting tackle Chase Lundt out of Connecticut. So, I can see Reimer finding a spot on the practice squad, where he can get valuable reps as he latches on to the Bills. Reimer (6-foot-5, 305) started 30 games in three years for Montana State before finishing his career at Cal, with 11 starts last season.
Ryan O’Halloran
The Bills only semi-addressed safety in the draft with fifth-rounder Jordan Hancock, who will learn both the nickel and safety spots. That creates an opportunity for a player like New Hampshire safety Wande Owens. A cool backstory is that Bills director of player personnel Terrance Gray scouted Owens in 2023 at a Yale practice. Owens was twice a first-team All-Ivy League selection (165 tackles in 29 games) before finishing at New Hampshire (111 tackles in 13 games and first-team All-CAA). The Bills’ depth chart at safety after the presumed top three of Taylor Rapp, Cole Bishop and Damar Hamlin creates an opportunity for a player like Owens.
