Concluding a monthlong series analyzing players who are on the Buffalo Bills' roster bubble and where they potentially fit in 2015:
Name: Deonte Thompson
Position: Wide receiver
Age: 26
2014 stats: 1 game; no statistics.
Chance of making 53-man roster: 25 percent
Why he should make it: It's easy to forget that Thompson spent the final three weeks of last season on the 53-man roster, so it's not out of the question that he earns a roster spot again this season. His best opportunity would be as the No. 6 receiver on the depth chart (if that spot even exists), where he can try to make his mark on special teams. Making the roster wouldn't be an easy task for Thompson but anything is possible if his competition -- Marquise Goodwin and Dez Lewis -- falters in the preseason or suffers an injury.
Why he shouldn't make it: The Bills are more likely to keep an extra tight end or fullback than an extra wide receiver, given what offensive coordinator Greg Roman prefers to do with his personnel. That puts Thompson behind the 8-ball. Sammy Watkins, Percy Harvin and Robert Woods are the undisputed top three receivers on the depth chart, with Chris Hogan a firm bet to make the roster and Marcus Easley almost certain to stick as the team's best special teams player. If the Bills carry only five receivers on the 53-man roster, the competition among Goodwin, Lewis, Thompson and others wouldn't matter that much. In the end, Thompson will have to stand out in a big way to crack the roster this September.
Closest competition: Goodwin, Lewis, Justin Brown
