Will the Bills keep a third quarterback on the 53-man roster this season?
The Buffalo Bills have traditionally kept two quarterbacks active under head coach Sean McDermott. The only time I can really remember the team having three active quarterbacks was during the 2017 season when Joe Webb was playing special teams. While he might have had a big impact on one snowy game, more often than not the Bills only carry two active quarterbacks.
During the 2018 season, for example, Buffalo had a rookie Josh Allen along with Nathan Peterman and Derek Anderson. However, since Allen’s ascension into the upper-echelon of NFL quarterbacks, the Bills have trended towards using one extra spot on the 53-man roster elsewhere.
Could that change in 2024? In today’s installment of “91 players in 91 days,” we profile the man battling for that third QB spot on the roster.
Name: Shane Buechele
Number: 6
Position: QB
Height/Weight: 6’, 210 pounds
Age: 26 (27 on January 8, 2025)
Experience/Draft: 3; signed with the Kansas City Chiefs as a UDFA following the 2021 NFL Draft
College: SMU
Acquired: Signed with Bills on August 31, 2023 following his release by the Chiefs
Financial situation (per Spotrac): Buechele signed a reserve/futures deal with Buffalo on 1/24/2024. It’s a one-year deal worth a total of $1.025 million, of which $40,000 is guaranteed in the form of a signing bonus. The total amount of the contract also represents the cap hit Buechele carries if he makes the roster, and the signing bonus represents the dead-cap charge the Bills will carry if they release him.
2023 Recap: Buechele spent the preseason with the Chiefs, and he appeared in all three of Kansas City’s exhibition contests. He completed 29-of-45 passes for 349 yards, three touchdowns, and three interceptions in those games. He added two rushing attempts for 14 yards and a touchdown. He was released by the Chiefs as part of their final roster cuts on August 29, 2023, and he signed with Buffalo’s practice squad two days later. He remained on the practice squad for the duration of the season.
Positional outlook: Buechele is a clear third of three quarterbacks on the roster, as Josh Allen sits atop the depth chart followed by Mitchell Trubisky.
2024 Offseason: Buechele is healthy and he participated in OTAs.
2024 Season outlook: It’s extremely unlikely that Buechele takes a regular-season snap for the Bills, and if he does, it means that something has gone horribly wrong. It’s also very unlikely that Buechele makes the 53-man roster given the team’s preference for a two-man room with a third QB on the practice squad. In all likelihood, it’s that practice-squad position that Buechele is looking to keep.