The Buffalo Bills are four days away from hosting their first preseason game of the year. Buffalo will welcome the New York Giants, who will be looking to show off their new rookies.
During the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, the Giants walked away with Penn State pass rusher Abdul Carter and Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart.
While Parsons should be a starter this season, there is a good chance he won’t play or see limited action on Saturday. But Dart is going to need live game reps as he is fighting for the backup quarterback job with Jameis Winston.
Heading into the preseason game, Dart is listed third on the depth chart and Winston is second. The Ole Miss star is in no danger of being cut, but it would be nice for him to win the second-string job this summer.
While rookies like Dart use the preseason to show off their skills and learn the league, so do veterans. While there won’t be a lot of veterans who are roster locks playing in the game, some who are on the roster bubble will be in uniform.
Bills Veteran Fighting For Roster Spot
The Bills have a handful of veterans who are fighting to make the team, and one is linebacker Shaq Thompson. The 31-year-old linebacker signed a one-year, $1 million contract with Buffalo this offseason.
Thompson has spent the first ten years of his career with the Carolina Panthers, appearing in 123 games. The only issue is Thompson hasn’t played in double-digit season games since he played in all 17 in 2022.
In 2023, Thompson only played in two games before suffering a season-ending broken fibula. Then in 2024, the six-foot linebacker tore his Achilles in Week 4.
Back-to-back brutal season-ending injuries are a lot to ask for an older player to bounce back from. However, Thompson does have a connection with Bills head coach Sean McDermott, who was the Panthers’ defensive coordinator for Thompson’s first two NFL seasons.
There is a chance the Bills only signed Thompson since he knows McDermott and is trying to give him one more shot in the NFL.
Thompson Could Lose His Job During Camp
It’s going to be a long shot for Thompson to make the 53-man roster, and Bryce Martino from Fansided thinks Thompson won’t have a job after the preseason.
“General manager Brandon Beane brought in an old friend, Shaq Thompson, who was with the Carolina Panthers from 2015 to 2024. Buffalo brought Thompson in to add depth to an injury-prone position, but as training camp moves along, it’s become clear that there’s not a spot on this roster for the former first-round pick,” Martino wrote. Buffalo-born Joe Andreessen and Baylon Spector seem to have the edge on Thompson, as both of them have received first-team reps throughout camp. If the Bills can stay healthy at the position, the group, headlined by Matt Milano, Terrel Bernard, and Dorian Williams, can be one of the best trios in the league, leaving Thompson looking for work elsewhere.”
Even if Thompson doesn’t make the active roster, there is a chance the Bills could sneak him on the practice squad. Thompson has Super Bowl experience, having played in the game in 2016, and would be able to help the team out in practices.
Bills’ 10-Year Veteran Could Lose His Job During The Preseason