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Ralph Ventre· Aug 27, 2026

Ventre predicts four Bills backups — safety Damar Hamlin, inside linebacker Joe Andreessen, outside linebacker Javon Solomon and running back Ty Johnson — will survive the cutdown to 53 and make the roster.

“These four Bills' backups appear safe come cutdown day”

published in writing · Sports Illustrated · read the original →

6 checkable claims — 4 roster spot calls and 2 depth chart calls — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing bet.

It names 5 players and teams, each linked to their own record.

4 of 6 have settled so far, averaging 100 out of 100, against 100 for a naive guess at the same calls.

Of the 1 unsettled call enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands above the rest of the room.

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Who this take is about

6 checkable claims in this take

Each one is scored on its own against the published methodology. A pundit naming several outcomes is graded on each, not on all-or-nothing.

  • Roster Spot CallsDamar HamlinBuffalo BillsAug 27, 2026

    Damar Hamlin to make the roster

    “his experience has paid dividends this summer, and he's trending toward earning one of four safety spots.”

    Hit · 100Scored 100a naive guess scored 100+0 skill
    How this was scored
    club:
    BUF
    skill:
    0
    player:
    2ddc9dd4-ab44-42f9-ba9f-317c2fcc80f2
    season:
    2026
    claimed:
    he makes the 53
    accuracy:
    100
    baseline:
    100
    difficulty:
    2
    the naive guess:
    he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
    weeks in the season:
    18
    weeks on the53:
    1
    weeks left when called:
    18
    first week on the53:
    1
    weeks on the practice squad:
    0

    Think this is wrong?

  • Roster Spot CallsJavon SolomonBuffalo BillsAug 27, 2026

    Javon Solomon to make the roster

    “These four Bills' backups appear safe come cutdown day ... He has since, however, made a strong case as to why Buffalo needs to keep him.”

    Hit · 100Scored 100a naive guess scored 100+0 skill
    How this was scored
    club:
    BUF
    skill:
    0
    player:
    8d2fa5c4-f3ef-457f-8377-0b44810c7fdc
    season:
    2026
    claimed:
    he makes the 53
    accuracy:
    100
    baseline:
    100
    difficulty:
    2
    the naive guess:
    he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
    weeks in the season:
    18
    weeks on the53:
    1
    weeks left when called:
    18
    first week on the53:
    1
    weeks on the practice squad:
    0

    Think this is wrong?

  • Roster Spot CallsJoe AndreessenBuffalo BillsAug 27, 2026

    Joe Andreessen to make the roster

    “Only days away from the cutdown deadline, it appears as if Andreessen is safe.”

    Hit · 100Scored 100a naive guess scored 100+0 skill
    How this was scored
    club:
    BUF
    skill:
    0
    player:
    65f0730f-46fa-417e-90b0-06cfa46b8056
    season:
    2026
    claimed:
    he makes the 53
    accuracy:
    100
    baseline:
    100
    difficulty:
    2
    the naive guess:
    he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
    weeks in the season:
    18
    weeks on the53:
    1
    weeks left when called:
    18
    first week on the53:
    1
    weeks on the practice squad:
    0

    Think this is wrong?

  • Roster Spot CallsTy JohnsonBuffalo BillsAug 27, 2026

    Ty Johnson to make the roster

    “These four Bills' backups appear safe come cutdown day, especially after listening to what head coach Joe Brady and defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard had to say about them. ... RB Ty Johnson”

    Hit · 100Scored 100a naive guess scored 100+0 skill
    How this was scored
    club:
    BUF
    skill:
    0
    player:
    73d0c8af-151e-46ff-a971-afc2553a4e53
    season:
    2026
    claimed:
    he makes the 53
    accuracy:
    100
    baseline:
    100
    difficulty:
    2
    the naive guess:
    he was on somebody's 53 last season, so he makes one again
    weeks in the season:
    18
    weeks on the53:
    1
    weeks left when called:
    18
    first week on the53:
    1
    weeks on the practice squad:
    0

    Think this is wrong?

  • Depth Chart CallsDamar HamlinBuffalo BillsAug 27, 2026

    Damar Hamlin to be 4th on the depth chart

    “he's trending toward earning one of four safety spots”

    Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.

    Think this is wrong?

  • Depth Chart CallsJoe AndreessenBuffalo BillsAug 27, 2026

    Joe Andreessen to be 4th on the depth chart

    “Andreessen was in a fight against Keonta Jenkins for the fourth ILB spot. Only days away from the cutdown deadline, it appears as if Andreessen is safe.”

    Not settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.

    Think this is wrong?

What others said about the same people

More roster spot calls

The same kind of call, about other players and teams.

Discussed alongside these

We summarize what a pundit said and quote a short span of it for attribution — we never republish their article. If we have misread you, tell us and we will look at it.