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2018 Buffalo Bills starters, 53-man roster, schedule prediction

The Buffalo Bills roster heading into the 2018 season (starters in bold)::

QUARTERBACK (2): Nathan Peterman , Josh Allen

The Bills' quarterback competition was already looking to come down to Peterman and Allen, so it made sense for the Bills to get something in a trade for AJ McCarron. They then made the decision to start Peterman over Allen, rewarding Peterman for a strong preseason while likely showing consideration for a road-heavy start to the Bills’ schedule.

RUNNING BACK (4): LeSean McCoy, Chris Ivory, Marcus Murphy, Taiwan Jones

Besides the uncertainty surrounding McCoy and an ongoing police investigation in Georgia, this position position seemed set entering the weekend, with Murphy emerging this preseason and Jones sticking for special teams.

FULLBACK (1): Patrick DiMarco

There were no questions at this position entering the weekend.

WIDE RECEIVER (6): Kelvin Benjamin, Zay Jones, Jeremy Kerley, Andre Holmes, Ray-Ray McCloud, Robert Foster

The top four at this position were set before Saturday, and the release of Corey Coleman opened the door for Foster, an undrafted rookie from Alabama, to make the squad.

TIGHT END (4): Charles Clay, Jason Croom, Logan Thomas, Khari Lee

The Bills continue a trend from last season in keeping four tight ends, with Croom replacing Nick O'Leary after he flashed more athletic upside this preseason.

OFFENSIVE LINE (9): Dion Dawkins, Vladimir Ducasse, John Miller, Jordan Mills, Ryan Groy, Marshall Newhouse, Russell Bodine, Wyatt Teller, Conor McDermott

The Bills named Groy their starting center on Monday, and Bodine is the backup. The Bills kept Newhouse, a veteran, as their swing tackle over the less experienced De'Ondre Wesley. The surprise was McDermott remaining on the 53-man roster for a second season after he slipped to the third-team offense in training camp. Wesley practiced with the second team.

DEFENSIVE LINE (8): Jerry Hughes, Kyle Williams, Star Lotulelei, Trent Murphy, Shaq Lawson, Eddie Yarbrough, Harrison Phillips, Adolphus Washington

The Bills are perhaps a little low on numbers at this position given Williams (knee) and Murphy (groin) have been sidelined in recent days. Not keeping an extra player could signal good health for either player, or mean the Bills are looking at the waiver wire for assistance.

LINEBACKER (6): Lorenzo Alexander, Tremaine Edmunds, Matt Milano, Deon Lacey, Ramon Humber, Julian Stanford

The Bills parted ways with 2017 sixth-round pick Tanner Vallejo in favor of Stanford, whom they signed as a free agent this offseason. Stanford has not practiced or played since suffering a nose injury last Sunday.

SECONDARY (9): Tre'Davious White, Vontae Davis, Micah Hyde, Jordan Poyer, Rafael Bush, Taron Johnson, Phillip Gaines, Siran Neal, Lafayette Pitts, Ryan Lewis

Pitts sticks on the 53-man roster for a second season over Breon Borders and undrafted rookie Levi Wallace, likely because of his special-teams ability. The slight surprise was Dean Marlowe, who practiced with the second-team defense and was part of several special-teams units this preseason, being released. The Bills drafted Neal, a safety, in the fifth round.

SPECIALIST (3): K Stephen Hauschka, P Corey Bojorquez, LS Reid Ferguson

The Bills initially kept Colton Schmidt over veteran Jon Ryan, whom they signed Aug. 21 to compete with Schmidt. But Buffalo then claimed Bojorquez off waivers from the New England Patriots. He is an undrafted rookie who did not punt for the Patriots this preseason, perhaps in an effort by New England to keep him under the radar.