ORCHARD PARK - One of the most popular questions that fans ask reporters at this time of year is which players we think will be surprise cuts or which players will be surprise keeps when NFL roster cutdown day arrives.

Linebacker Joe Andreessen has certainly worked his way into the conversation for being in the latter group for the Buffalo Bills, and the way he has performed this summer, it may no longer be a surprise to see him make the initial 53-man roster when it is announced next Tuesday.

“What a story for Buffalo and for all the young football players in Buffalo,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said. “They get a chance to look up to this young man who’s playing for the Buffalo Bills, his hometown team. I mean, what an awesome story for you guys, for the community.”

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Andreessen grew up in the Buffalo suburb of Depew but went to Lancaster High School which has traditionally had a strong football program. Not surprisingly, he was a huge fan of the hometown NFL team.

But even in his own wildest dreams, he probably didn’t think it was possible to be in the position he has put himself in as the Bills head into their final preseason game Saturday afternoon at Highmark Stadium against the Carolina Panthers.

However, last week in Pittsburgh, he was given a great opportunity to show what he could do, and wow, it was quite a show. Having lost Matt Milano to injury, the Bills did not want to risk playing the other starting linebacker, Terrel Bernard. And with Baylon Spector and Nicholas Morrow also sidelined, McDermott started Andreessen in Bernard’s middle linebacker spot.

“A lot of people aren’t really expecting me to make the team,” Andreessen said. “I’m a rookie tryout guy, so it was just something to take full advantage of, and hopefully I showed it to people out there.”

Oh, he showed it all right as he made a game-high 12 tackles including two for lost yardage, and what was really impressive beyond the numbers is that Andreessen just looked like he belonged.

“I thought Joe did a phenomenal job,” McDermott said. “When we named him the starter, it was, ‘Hey we’ll see what he can do.’ It wasn’t too big for him. He went out there and made plays and I’m very impressed with what he did. We’re looking forward to him getting another shot this weekend and this time at home and maybe in front of a few more fans for him, so it’s a great story and we’re super proud of Joe.”

Should the 6-foot, 239-pound Andreessen make the team, it would be one of the most surprising developments of training camp and the preseason.

He was undersized and a late bloomer in high school and didn’t become a starter on the varsity until his junior year. But he certainly bloomed once he got on the field as a linebacker and running back and he earned back-to-back all-state honors and led Lancaster to two Section VI championships and an appearance in the 2017 state title game.

Where did Joe Andreessen go to college?

Still, his lack of size kept most college recruiters away so he wound up choosing Bryant University, a Football Championship Subdivision school. He spent five years there and in 2022, playing as a graduate student, he earned FCS All-America honors after setting a school record with 116 tackles. That gave him 256 for his career, third in school history.

With an extra year of eligibility due to the lost 2020 COVID year, Andreessen transferred home to play for the University at Buffalo and in his lone season for the Bulls he played 12 games and made 90 tackles including 12 for lost yardage.

When did the Bills sign Joe Andreessen?

As for his NFL aspirations, of course it was a dream, but he didn’t partake in any of the college all-star games or the NFL scouting combine. The only showcase he had was UB’s pro day, and the Bills liked what they saw and thought it was worth extending him an invitation to their annual rookie tryout camp in May.

That weekend, he opened the eyes of McDermott and defensive coordinator Bobby Babich and he was signed to an undrafted rookie free agent contract.

There were zero expectations then - it felt like he would just be a camp body, and that stayed true throughout the spring workouts and when the team went to St. John Fisher University for the start of training camp. But day after day, Andreessen has performed and it led to him getting the start against the Steelers.

“They didn’t surprise me with it or anything like that, they told me TB wasn’t gonna play this game,” Andreessen said. “There’s definitely a sense of nervousness coming over me when they told me. But I’m an undrafted guy and I kind of looked at it as an opportunity, kind of like nothing to lose.

“I gotta thank the coaching staff here for trusting me. Having me start the game, they didn’t have to do that, but they had the faith in me to go out there. I have to thank the vets in the linebacker room, they were supporting me fully, and you got older guys cheering you on, which is a great feeling.”

How Joe Andreessen can make the Buffalo Bills 53-man roster

Andreessen making the 53-man roster will come down to a few things. First, can he play well again Saturday against the Panthers? Can he be counted out to be a core member of the special teams? And what will the injury situation be next week when the team is picked?

The Bills have always kept six linebackers to start the season under McDermott. Behind Bernard and Dorian Williams who are the starters, it’s wide open.

Veteran free agent signing Nicholas Morrow figured to be a lock, but he has missed almost all of training camp and preseason. Baylon Spector, now in his third year with the Bills, is once again battling injury which has been a constant issue for him. Another veteran free agent, Deion Jones, is certainly in the mix, and rookie fifth-round pick Edefuan Ulofoshio is as well.

If Morrow and Spector get healthy, and Ulofoshio gets the draft pick treatment, it could come down to Andreessen against Jones for the last spot.

“He’s worked extremely hard, and I know what football means to him,” McDermott said. “He’s just a phenomenal young man off the field and he’s done a tremendous job on the field. I know everyone wants height, weight and speed and all that type of stuff, but dang it, man, it’s a football player at the end of the day is what we’re looking at. We’re not looking at track athletes here. We’re looking at football players, and he’s a football player and I love it.”

Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for four decades including 35 years as the full-time beat writer for the D&C, and he has written numerous books about the history of the team. He can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com, and you can follow him on Twitter @salmaiorana. https://profile.democratandchronicle.com/newsletters/bills-blast

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Buffalo Bills roster watch: Joe Andreessen may be a surprise keep