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There is constant speculation as to how many players will be
kept at a certain postion on the 53-man roster. Four running backs? Six wide recievers? Five safeties? All you have to do is to look at the mix from last year to see what the philosophy of the front office is as far as the proper balance is concerned.
There are only 53 slots on the roster. Start out by dedicating one spot for a place kicker, one for a punter, and one for the third QB - these are basic assumptions for any team. That leaves 50 spots for the rest of the squad. Also assume a balance for offence and defense - 25 per side. Now we can start our basic analysis by assuming, for the time being, that there are two players for every one of the 11 positions on each side of the ball. That would be 22 men per side, leaving only three spots per side for an extra man at certain postions.
On offense these 3 extra spots are usually allocated as
follows: tight end, wide reciever, and running back (remember that QB is already covered).
Some teams that run a two-tight end set or an "H-back" set a majority of the time can do with only one fullback. There are some running backs that can play fullback as well, but there are usually no more that five positions slotted between the running back and fullback spots combined.
The offensive line can do without the extra man, and in some cases, it can do with nine spots instead of ten. There is the possibility that one of the O-line spots is occupied by a dedicated "long snapper" unless one of the other linemen or a tight-end can do the job. If there is no dedicated long-snapper and there are a few linemen who can play more than position, it is possible to get along with only nine, and that would free up a spot for an extra man at another postion on the offense. Last year, the Bills went with into the season with 10 on the line and the long snapper was a tight end.
In the case of a 4/3 defense, the 3 extra spots are usually
allocated as follows: cornerback, linebacker, and one lineman. Last year, the lineman was a tackle. Typically, a big linebacker or a quick tackle can fill in at defensive end for added depth at that spot. One of the linebacking spots usually goes to a good special teams player. A team usually carries five corners in case of injury and for "dime" packages. The strongest corner can usually fill in at a saftey spot in a pinch. It is usually much harder for a safety to fill in at the corner.
Thus, the mix for a Bills' team with a 4/3 defense and a
standard offense is as follows:
3 QB's
3 Running Backs
2 Full Backs
5 Wide Receivers
3 Tight Ends
10 Offensive Linemen
4 Defensive Ends
5 Defensive Tackles
7 Linebackers
4 Safeties
5 Corners
2 Kickers
This is mix is not set in stone, but it is highly probable
based on how the team was put together last year.
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