This week marks the next step in the journey for NFL rookies, and an important one for players still needing to prove themselves.
With the NFL draft in the rearview mirror, there鈥檚 still a chance for players who did not hear their name called to showcase their talents.
The Buffalo Bills head into rookie minicamp with 12 undrafted free agents (UDFAs) that have agreed to terms with the team. That group formally will be announced Friday as rookie minicamp begins and players sign. The team will also host tryout players at rookie minicamp.
At this time a year ago, linebacker Joe Andreessen was one of those tryout players. Andreessen provides a recent example, but he鈥檚 far from the only undrafted player to have latched on with a team.
The Bills have been able to find undrafted players who carved out important roles, and around the league, the NFL runs on UDFAs.
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According to USA Today, 43 rookie UDFAs that made it through cuts and landed on active rosters across the league last season. Even more made it onto practice squads, where they had a chance to later get signed to the active roster or be elevated for games.
NFL rosters are constantly in flux 鈥 but add in all the veteran players who started as UDFA rookies, and a notable portion of the NFL player pool came into the league without having been drafted.
And while the odds are longer, going undrafted doesn鈥檛 mean a player can鈥檛 have a successful career. Twenty-two players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame went undrafted.
For the Bills, the team鈥檚 Wall of Fame includes center Kent Hull and cornerback Booker Edgerson, both of whom went undrafted. Undrafted tackle Jason Peters also made his mark on Buffalo, starting in 2004.
The Bills finished last season with nine undrafted players on their active roster. In order of time with the team, those nine were long snapper Reid Ferguson, defensive back Cam Lewis, fullback Reggie Gilliam, tight end Quintin Morris, offensive lineman Alec Anderson, defensive back Ja鈥橫arcus Ingram, offensive lineman Ryan Van Demark, linebacker Andreessen, and defensive back/return specialist Brandon Codrington.
Eight of those nine players are set to return. Only Morris is gone.
If you鈥檙e noticing a theme for that group, you鈥檙e correct: Special teams are a critical factor for any UDFA looking to make a team. Besides the positionally obvious in Ferguson and Codrington, all of the other players got involved in special teams as well.
Gilliam led the way, playing 330 snaps (73.99%) on special teams. Rounding out the Top 5 of special teams snaps were Morris, Lewis, Ingram and Andreessen, all playing 55% or more of the snaps.
Additionally, at the end of last season, quarterback Shane Buechele, who went undrafted, was on injured reserve, and there were nine other undrafted players on the Bills鈥 practice squad.
The nine undrafted players narrowly edged out the eight formerly drafted players on the practice squad (and one of those drafted players being safety Micah Hyde, who had an unusual role with the team).
This offseason, the Bills added another undrafted player, defensive end Michael Hoecht. Hoecht played just 38% of special teams snaps last season with the Los Angeles Rams, and he鈥檚 likely to have a larger role on defense.
鈥(He) knows how to rush, can play multiple spots, versatile, motor, just understands the game,鈥 general manager Brandon Beane said in March of Hoecht.
On top of those on the current roster, the Bills have relied on other UDFAs under coach Sean McDermott.
The Bills are especially strong at developing players on defense. Cornerback Levi Wallace (2018-21) and linebacker Tyrel Dodson (2020-23), both undrafted, got significant playing time for the Bills in recent years. Lewis backs up multiple positions; Ingram has been thrust in games in big moments; and Andreessen, the hometown kid, earned his opportunity, too.
The next batch of undrafted players is coming. Recent history has shown that one or more of them have a realistic chance to stick around.
