The Buffalo Bills still have one preseason game left, but the roster math is already getting real.
After Thursday night’s exhibition against the Pittsburgh Steelers inside the new Highmark Stadium, Buffalo will have to start trimming toward the 53-man roster. The league’s cutdown deadline lands Sunday, August 30 at 6:00pm EST, so the Bills technically have some breathing room. Still, the final preseason game is usually the last big checkpoint before the decisions start coming fast.
That makes this a good moment to look ahead at what Buffalo’s 2026 practice squad could wind up looking like. The practice squad has become a crucial part of roster building, and the NFL’s rules shape that group pretty tightly.
Since COVID, practice squads have been capped at 16 players. Up to six veterans can be included, and those players can have any number of accrued NFL seasons.
The other 10 spots are reserved for players with two or fewer accrued professional seasons. There’s also one additional slot for an International Pathway Program player, which would push the group to 17.
For context, Buffalo’s 2025 practice squad opened with Travis Clayton as the IPP player and included Kendrick Green, Dan Feeney, Keleki Latu, Shane Buechele, Frank Gore Jr., Andre Jones Jr., Jordan Phillips, Zion Logue, Keonta Jenkins, Jimmy Ciarlo, Dane Jackson, Jalen Kimber, Jordan Poyer and Sam Franklin.
Looking at the current 2026 roster, there are a number of young players who fit the practice squad eligibility rules. Among the names in that mix are Ja’Mori Maclin, Max Tomczak, Mac Dalena, Stephen Gosnell, Quentin Skinner, Chase Lundt, Da’Metrius Weatherspoon, Ar’maj Reed-Adams, Bruno Fina, Keleki Latu, Ian Wheeler, Frank Gore Jr., Shane Buechele, Cade Denhoff, Andre Jones Jr., Zion Logue, Zane Durant, Keonta Jenkins, Theron Gaines, Jimmy Ciarlo, Kani Walker, Toriano Pride Jr., Jordan Dunbar, Te’Cory Couch and Wande Owens.
For this projection, though, the Bills only use three veteran spots, leaving room to add more experienced players later if needed.
My Buffalo Bills 2026 practice squad projection
WR: Ja’Mori Maclin, Stephen Gosnell
OL: Chase Lundt, Ar’maj Reed-Adams
TE: Keleki Latu, Shane Zylstra
RB: Frank Gore Jr.
QB: Shane Buechele
DL: Zion Logue, Zane Durant
LB: Joe Andreessen, Jimmy Ciarlo
CB: Toriano Pride Jr., Jordan Dunbar
S: Te’Cory Couch, Wande Owens
Maclin looks like a safe bet at receiver, and Gosnell has made a case for himself with three catches for 44 yards in two preseason games. At tight end, Latu and Zylstra stand out as the most likely to be called on during the season, and the sense here is that both would be on the 53-man roster if the numbers allowed it.
Gore Jr. and Ian Wheeler are viewed as basically interchangeable, and Wheeler is projected on the regular roster in the latest 53-man projection. On the offensive line, Lundt is the developmental tackle, while Reed-Adams is the inside player with the higher upside.
Up front on defense, Logue is described as a classic 4i/5tech project, while Durant is the long-range option at 0T, 1T or even some 3T down the line.
Andreessen and Ciarlo have done enough this summer, especially in preseason action, to look like worthwhile practice squad pieces. In the secondary, Pride Jr., Dunbar, Owens and Couch are kept for their versatility, with the ability to line up in different spots because of their quickness and experience handling multiple roles.
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