Bills fans in Western New York were pulling so hard for hometown hopeful, Joe Andreesen, to make the roster today that they gave him a nickname, ‘Buffalo Joe.’ Community momentum really reached a crescendo for the Depew native and Lancaster high school grad following an inspiring 12-tackle performance in Pittsburgh against the Steelers.

Andreesen was thrust into the starting lineup in the team’s second preseason game when Buffalo sustained injuries at the linebacker position to Baylon Spector and Nicholas Morrow. With head coach Sean McDermott erring on the side of caution and sitting Terrel Bernard, Andreesen made the most of his opportunity.

He ran the defense efficiently and made plays in the run front, including a pair of tackles for loss, and had a couple of impressive open field tackles including one on Pittsburgh QB Justin Fields.

That performance, coupled with a steady outing in the preseason finale against Carolina last weekend earned him a spot on Buffalo’s 53-man roster.

Coming out of that performance McDermott expressed confidence in Andreesen’s instincts and feel for the game.

His presence on the roster makes it three players from the University at Buffalo for the Bills joining Ja’Marcus Ingram and Cam Lewis.