BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Buffalo Bills open the 2021 NFL regular season against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 12 at Highmark Stadium. The Bills finished 13-3 last season, winning the AFC East for the first time since 1995 and falling to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game.
Buffalo returns all of its core from last season and made quarterback Josh Allen one of the richest players in NFL history with a massive six-year extension.
The roster will be cut to 53 players by 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday. Here is a projection:
QUARTERBACK (2): Josh Allen, Mitchell Trubisky
Allen is the safest player on the Bills' roster and one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, and Trubisky might have established himself this preseason as one of the best backup quarterbacks in the league. But with players standing out at a few other positions, neither Jake Fromm nor Davis Webb have been impressive enough to be considered locks. The Bills will be better off keeping one on their practice squad.
RUNNING BACK (4): Devin Singletary, Zack Moss, Matt Breida, Taiwan Jones
Singletary has turned in a strong preseason, while Moss has struggled through a hamstring injury. Breida's speed and playmaking ability have lived up to the hype and Jones is a valued contributor on special teams.
WIDE RECEIVER (7): Stefon Diggs, Cole Beasley, Gabriel Davis, Emmanuel Sanders, Isaiah McKenzie, Marquez Stevenson, Jake Kumerow
Besides defensive line, there is no deeper position group for the Bills this season. Stevenson and McKenzie are locked in a battle to be the starting return man. Stevenson returned a punt for a touchdown in the second preseason game and McKenzie has turned in a fantastic summer, so both get the nod here. Kumerow has been a training camp star and Isaiah Hodgins starts the season on the practice squad.
TIGHT END (3): Dawson Knox, Tommy Sweeney, Jacob Hollister
Hollister showed some impressive run-after-catch ability during the preseason. Buffalo is excited about Sweeney's return after he missed the 2020 season. But this is Knox's show as the Bills look for him to be a difference-maker in his third season. He had a problem with drops in his first two seasons but met with a hand-eye coach this offseason to help with the issue.
OFFENSIVE LINE (9): Dion Dawkins, Jon Feliciano, Mitch Morse, Cody Ford, Daryl Williams, Spencer Brown, Ike Boettger, Ryan Bates, Tommy Doyle
The Bills' best-five offensive linemen are set and so are their immediate backups. Bates could almost bank on retiring as a Bill at this point because his ability to play every position will keep him on this roster for as long as he's willing to play. Brown is the Bills' swing tackle and Boettger serves as a swing guard. Doyle is the choice here if anyone has to go, but his status as a 2021 fifth-round draft pick likely earns him at least one year to develop.
DEFENSIVE LINE (10): Jerry Hughes, Mario Addison, AJ Epenesa, Greg Rousseau, Boogie Basham, Efe Obada, Darryl Johnson, Ed Oliver, Star Lotulelei, Vernon Butler
This is the team's most exciting position group. The various personnel rotations should make this unit more efficient than it was in 2020. Epenesa, in particular, looks like he has made a massive leap entering his second season. Harrison Phillips might make the initial 53 and start the season on IR with a chance to return later in the season.
LINEBACKER (6): Tremaine Edmunds, Matt Milano, A.J. Klein, Tyler Matakevich, Andre Smith, Tyrel Dodson
Edmunds and Milano are elite starters and Klein really came on strong toward the end of last season. Matakevich is a strong special teams performer, and Smith and Dodson earned spots with strong preseasons.
CORNERBACK (5): Tre'Davious White, Levi Wallace, Dane Jackson, Taron Johnson, Siran Neal
These names in the secondary should look familiar. White and Wallace will start the season as starters on the outside with Jackson filling in throughout the game. Johnson beats out Cam Lewis as the starting nickelback in a contract year for the 2018 fifth-round draft pick. Neal can play any position in addition to being arguably the Bills' best special teams player.
SAFETY (4): Micah Hyde, Jordan Poyer, Jaquan Johnson, Damar Hamlin
Hyde and Poyer are one of the best safety tandems in the NFL and aren't going anywhere. The Bills love Johnson's defensive versatility and special teams contributions. Hamlin narrowly beats out Josh Thomas, with the tiebreaker based on his status as a 2021 sixth-round draft pick. Thomas lands on the practice squad, if nobody picks him up.
SPECIALISTS (3): Tyler Bass (PK), Matt Haack (P), Reid Ferguson (LS)
Bass proved he was worth a sixth-round pick in 2020. Haack hasn't necessarily stood out in the preseason, but the Bills haven't brought in competition for either of them, something general manager Brandon Beane has typically done. Ferguson is the league's highest-paid long-snapper and a roster lock.