Born and raised in Buffalo, New York, Buffalo Bills rookie linebacker Joe Andreessen became a fan favorite overnight with his performance in week 2 of the preseason vs the Pittsburgh Steelers. It helped cap a strong defensive team performance, came on the heels of major injury news earlier in the week regarding starting linebacker Matt Milano, and occurred while depth linebackers Baylon Spector and Nicholas Morrow were also banged up.
Since the victory against the Steelers, Bills Mafia have become focused on whether or not “Buffalo Joe” would make it though the rounds of cuts and earn himself a spot on the 53-man roster. After the first round of cuts from last night, it would appear his odds have increased.
Sunday evening the Bills announced the release of 7 players to start their cutdown process, including veteran linebacker Deion Jones. With the multiple injuries at linebacker and the injury statuses up in the air, Jones was in direct competition with Andreessen to round out the depth chart and be in play for making the team at the bottom of the roster. After his release, the chances of Andreessen landing on the 53-man roster have swung favorably in his direction.
More will be known in the coming days as the Bills whittle down the roster, and we potentially receive more clarification regarding injuries and estimated return timelines. But as it stands right now, at the very least, Joe Andreessen lives to fight another day.
