Early Buffalo Bills roster prediction for 2020

Safeties (4): Micah Hyde, Jordan Poyer, Dean Marlowe, Jaquan Johnson

The Bills take continuity to heart by bringing back the same safety group from last season. Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer are one of the best safety duos in the league and look to repeat their dominance next season. The recently extended Poyer finished second on the team in tackles last season and recorded five takeaways, while Hyde recorded 72 tackles and two takeaways.

Dean Marlowe and Jaquan Johnson return for another season in Buffalo in purely a depth role. Neither player put up impressive statistics last season, but they were serviceable when called to action. Given the Bills are bringing five cornerbacks onto the roster, there will be sufficient depth in this secondary in case of an injury.

Specialists (3): Tyler Bass (K), Corey Bojorquez (P), Reid Ferguson (LS).

In the all-important kicker battle, I have the edge going to the Bills’ sixth-round pick Tyler Bass over the veteran Stephen Hauschka. Hauschka was borderline abysmal last season, going 22 for 28 on field goals and missing two extra points; he went 1 for 5 from 50+ yards and made the Bills hesitant to kick a long field goal in their playoff loss versus Houston. Bass was one of the best collegiate kickers in the country, so I can see the rookie beating out Hauschka in the preseason.

Corey Bojorquez was pretty solid last season, downing nearly half of his punts inside the 20-yard line. He did have one punt blocked last season, but I blame that more on the protection in front of him than Bojorquez himself. In a battle versus former Jets kicker Kaare Vedvik, Bojorquez wins out due to familiarity in the system.

Long snapper Reid Ferguson will also remain on the roster for his third season in Buffalo. The Bills have brought in zero competition at the long snapper position to my knowledge, so he’s safe for yet another year.