Getty Sean McDermott watches from the sidelines during a Buffalo Bills game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Kingsley Jonathan earned a spot on the Buffalo Bills‘ final 53-man roster this summer thanks to a strong training camp, but the second-year defensive end may not be able to hold onto that spot for long.
The Bills face a looming roster decision with the expected return of edge rusher Von Miller, who started the season on the PUP list but is eligible to return as soon as October 2. If they choose to activate Miller this week, that will likely mean cutting another player and an insider believes that Jonathan could be the one on the chopping block.
Bills Nearing Roster Crunch
Miller isn’t the only player nearing a return to the Bills’ roster. Linebacker Baylon Spector and rookie wide receiver Justin Shorter will also both be eligible to come off injured reserve starting on Monday. If all three were to come back onto the roster this week, that would mean clearing three spots on the roster to make room for them.
Insider Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News noted that if the Bills don’t have another player to place on injured reserve, then Jonathan could lose his spot on the roster.
“If someone on the team suffers an injury against the Dolphins that will keep him out a few weeks, that player could be placed on injured reserve to make room for Miller,” Skurski wrote in a mailbag column on September 27. “If that doesn’t happen, the most likely cut would be Jonathan, who was a healthy inactive for the first two weeks of the season and plays the same position as Miller. The Bills obviously see something in Jonathan, which is why they kept him on the 53-man roster, and thus would hate to lose him. If he indeed gets cut, the team will hope he clears waivers and can be re-signed to the practice squad.”
Kingsley Jonathan Made Big Impression
Jonathan initially signed with the Bills as an undrafted rookie last offseason, making a good impression in training camp but ultimately failing to make the final roster. He was picked up by the Chicago Bears and appeared in five games before being released in November 2022 and signing back with the Bills’ practice squad.
Jonathan appeared in one game last season, then signed a futures contract with the Bills in January to return to training camp.
As Syracuse.com’s Matt Parrino reported, Jonathan appeared to be headed for the practice squad again before a late-summer trade paved the way for him to make the final roster.
“Jonathan was a long shot at the start of training camp because he was buried on the third team behind several Bills draft picks from the past few seasons. But when Buffalo decided to trade former second-round pick Boogie Basham on Tuesday before the cut deadline, a path was cleared for Jonathan to stick on the team.”
Former Syracuse DE Kingsley Jonathan is active for the #Bills today vs. the #Commanders.
Though Jonathan was a health scratch for the first two games of the season, he was active in the Week 3 win over the Washington Commanders, taking the place of veteran defensive lineman Poona Ford.
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Bills Expected to Part Ways With Standout DE at Von Miller’s Return