Bills vs. Lions: 10 Players for Buffalo Fans to Watch

Thursday evening, September 1st, the Buffalo Bills close out their preseason schedule when they host the Detroit Lions at Ralph Wilson Stadium. The kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. EST and the game is being blacked out in Western New York, as it was not a sell-out.

The Bills currently have 80 players on their roster, and they must reduce the team down to 53 by this Saturday, September 3rd. That means 27 players will be waived, with some of them moving on to other teams, and some of them winding up members of the Bills practice squad. 

So, for all of the rookies, both drafted and non-drafted, and all of the free agents who comprised the second and third string, this is their final shot to convince Chan Gailey and the rest of the Bills organization that they deserve to be on the roster. The starters are only expected to play for one series, or a few more snaps of a second drive, but that figures to be about it. 

If you have a favorite Bills rookie, they should be in action Thursday, so come to the stadium to check them out. We now will isolate 10 Bills players you should try to watch in the Lions contest.

Kelvin Sheppard

After sitting out the first three preseason games due to injury, Bills rookie inside linebacker Kelvin Sheppard makes his debut against the Bills. First time he straps on the Bills jersey for a game, and gets a chance to play in front of the Bills fans.

If he is physically up for the challenge, he could see quite a bit of action as the coaches attempt to see how much Sheppard has been able to absorb from practice and the film room, and translating that on the field.

Sheppard doesn't need to feel pressure to excel as he won't be asked to start early in the season. He will be brought along slowly, but in terms of being able to mix it up and learn what the speed of the NFL game is first-hand, this will be an exciting night for Sheppard.

Justin Rogers

Just like Kelvin Sheppard, Justin Rogers is another Bills rookie who has seen limited game action due to injuries. He is expected to play against the Lions on Thursday night.

While Sheppard seems practically guaranteed to make the final roster, things are not as secure for Rogers. If Rogers can come out and exhibit a positive showing, he might take one of the final roster spots, where he would be used as depth for nickel-and-dime packages, in addition to contributing on special teams. If Rogers does not make the final roster, he would be a prime candidate for the practice squad, assuming that some other team doesn't claim him if the Bills had to put him through waivers first.

Rogers was thought to be something of a sleeper when the Bills drafted him in the seventh round. But due to the shorter training camp, no OTAs or mini-camps, Rogers was always trying to catch up. Getting hurt only complicated matters, so he really hopes to get some decent amount of time in this game to prove that he belongs on the team. 

Kraig Urbik

The Bills offensive line looked like a completely different unit in the span of one week. They pulled a clunker against the Denver Broncos, and then didn't allow a single sack to the Jacksonville Jaguars. That was a remarkable turnaround. Next up is the Detroit Lions and they are about as difficult a test as you could imagine for the Bills offensive line.

More specifically, this will be a good test for Bills right guard Kraig Urbik, as he will be lining up against Ndamukong Suh, for as long as the starters are going for each team. Luckily for the Bills, the first-team offensive line is catching a break as both Nick Fairley and Kyle Vanden Bosch are expected to sit out this game.

If Urbik can hold his own against Suh, that would be a tremendous confidence booster for the guard, not to mention for the rest of the offensive unit and the coaching staff. One of the main objectives is to come out of this game without any major injuries, and the way that Suh has been playing lately it would not surprise me if the Bills double-teamed him on every play to try to keep him away from any key Bills players on offense.

Marcus Easley

Marcus Easley made a strong impression last week in the game against the Jaguars. He has the chance to further his chances as the starting wide receiver opposite of Steve Johnson with another solid outing against the Lions.

The status of Donald Jones is still up in the air. As long as Jones remains questionable, Easley has the opportunity to steal the starting job. It is there for the taking, and another positive showing might be enough to convince Chan Gailey to give him a chance to open the game in Kansas City on September 11th.

Bills fans witnessed Easley's first NFL touchdown. With his size, speed and strength, it is not far-fetched to consider Easley as the candidate most likely to have a breakout year in 2011, just like Steve Johnson did in 2010.

Shawn Nelson

Shawn Nelson returned to practice this week, and it is possible that he might see some action in this game. It is very likely that this might be the final week that Nelson is on the Bills roster, so this literally might be his final chance to prove that he still belongs on the team.

Nelson has missed the majority of training camp with an undisclosed injury. That is pretty much how things have gone for him during his career in Buffalo. Missing in action.

One good week might not be enough to save his job, but maybe he can put some plays on tape that will catch another team's eye. Nelson goes down as a disappointment, because he was viewed as having so much potential and talent, but never put it all together. There are some other players who fit that description as well, who are no longer in Buffalo.

Shawne Merriman

Shawne Merriman made a big splash in the preseason opener when he was part of the Bills defense that created three sacks in the first nine plays of the game against the Chicago Bears.

Since then, Merriman has not been in another game, as he felt some tightness in his legs, so the Bills preferred him to sit out and recover. The good news is that Merriman returned to practice this week, and is slated to see some action against the Lions.

This situation to me is one that is worth watching. How long do the Bills let him go in this game? The key is to have him ready for September 11th at Kansas City. But realistically, how is he supposed to play four quarters when the most action he had was nine snaps in about a year?

If the Bills let him go for any extended period of time and he gets hurt, then it means that the same thing probably would have happened in Kansas City. Might as well let him play for a quarter and get some extended action, and then see how he feels over the next few days. You really can't baby him much from here on out, so let's see where he is at. At least the Bills have some better depth at linebacker if anything goes wrong.

Michael Jasper

Just like Justin Rogers, Michael Jasper has to make a strong impression in this game if he wants to make the final roster. They are both seventh-round draft picks, and both of them are facing an uphill battle.

Jasper is basically a project. He is raw, very big, and still working on becoming stronger and learning all of the techniques of defensive line play. If he gets a full half of action, it will be interesting to see how many plays in a row he can handle, before he tires and needs to come off the field.

He did recover a key fumble in the game against the Jaguars, so if he can make a couple plays against the Lions, that will help his chances. There is no doubt that Jasper is a fan favorite already, but if he sits on the bench for most of the game, and doesn't play, that will dull the fans' enthusiasm for him.

The other angle is to see if Jasper is put through waivers, and see if some other team will claim him that can provide him with a roster spot. The Bills defensive line is much deeper now than it was, so for Jasper to make the team, is anything but a slam dunk. Hopefully he will at least wind up on the practice squad, where the Bills could bring him up if injuries hit the defensive line.

Kirk Morrison

Kirk Morrison is the newest Buffalo Bills player, as he just signed a free-agent contract last week. This will be his first game-action as a member of the Bills, so it will interesting to see what kind of game shape that Morrison is in.

Morrison claims that he has been working out on his own, but we all know that working out and playing in a game of football are two completely different things. If he can play for about a half, and escape without any major injuries, that would be considered a positive development.

Morrison has never missed a game in his NFL career due to injury. He has played for the Oakland Raiders and the Jacksonville Jaguars. Morrison is a solid tackler, so should be able to help in the run game, as well as to help out with the pass-rush from the inside linebacker slot.

Morrison has the ability to play inside and outside, so if Shawne Merriman tweaks something, it is good to know that we have a player like Morrison ready to plug in to the lineup.

Kellen Heard

Not quite as big as Michael Jasper, but nevertheless almost as physically imposing, is defensive lineman Kellen Heard. Heard started off the preseason with a strong game against Chicago, and seems to have caught the coaching staff's attention.

The final defensive lineman spot could come down to Jasper or Heard, so it may boil down to which player does the Bills coaches think is in the best position to help the Bills win this year?

Heard is 6'6" and weighs 348 pounds. He has been causing offensive linemen fits with his size and strength. Heard was another project when the Bills brought him in to the team in 2010, but he looks like he has taken a step forward with his play.

This is definitely another player to watch Thursday night.

Chris Hairston

The Bills coaching staff and Bills fans have been obviously concerned with the quality of play of the Bills tackles. That is no secret and is widely thought around the NFL to be the Bills largest area of need.

The Bills drafted rookie tackle Chris Hairston in the fourth round of the draft. He is slated to see extended game action at left tackle, as the coaches want to throw him in there and see if his natural athleticism allows him to step up and show what he can do.

Hairston has the size and just needs some game experience, so that he can start figuring out what he needs to start working on. There is plenty of time to bring him around as the season unfolds, but it is doubtful he would be pressed into a starting role this early in the season.

Down the road, he can continue to develop and work in some snaps with the first unit in practice, as the team continues to look for competition to improve the level of play across the board.

Honorable Mention

There are just too many other players we could have mentioned, so we will lump the rest of them under the honorable mention category. 

We have two veteran wide receivers in Ruvell Martin and Craig "Buster" Davis trying to make the final roster. Levi Brown is hoping to be brought back for the practice squad, so he needs to have a good game. 

There appears to be an excess of offensive linemen as someone will probably be waived from the group of Ed Wang, Geoff Hangartner, Cordaro Howard or Mansfield Wrotto. The Bills will need to hang on to one or two of them for depth, but it is probable that two of the four will be waived. So, there is quite a lot riding on this game for players on both offense and defense.

There is the entire group of undrafted rookie free-agents who we have not brought up yet. Some of them appear to be good potential fits for the practice squad like Kamar Aiken, Zack Pianalto and Robert Eddins.