--Buffalo's depth at cornerback has taken a hit with starter Terrence McGee suffering a concussion in a preseason loss to the Titans and Kiwaukee Thomas dislocating a finger on his left hand during practice two days later.

Each is expected to be ready for the season opener against Denver on Sept. 9.

"You don't want to lose anybody, especially Terrence because he is too valuable to our team," newcomer Jason Webster said. "Fortunately, his situation is not as bad as it could have been. He'll be ready to go when the season starts."

PLAYER TO WATCH
DT John McCargo -- One of the team's 2005 first-round draft picks sat out 11 games his rookie year with a broken foot. But he had a strong training camp, shook the injury bug, and seems poised to be a solid contributor in the middle of a defense that needs desperately to shore itself up after a trade for Darwin Walker fell apart.

DRAFT PICKS TO STICK

Rd. 1/12, RB Marshawn Lynch, California -- Multi-dimensional runner who will step in for the departed Willis McGahee. He's an NFL Rookie of the Year candidate depending on the workload he gets.

Rd. 2/34, LB Paul Posluszny, Penn State -- Tough, disciplined, athletic run-stuffer who instantly helps league's 28th-ranked run defense.

Rd. 3/92, QB Trent Edwards, Stanford -- Had a stellar training camp and would likely be the team's starter over veteran Craig Nall were J.P. Losman lost for the season with an injury.

Rd. 4/111, RB Dwayne Wright, Fresno State -- Rugged downhill runner who will log time as a backup and special teams performer.

Rd. 6/184, S John Wendling, Wyoming -- Freakish athlete showed a willingness to hit in camp and should contribute on special teams.

Rd. 7/222, FB/TE Derek Schouman, Boise State -- Candidate for practice squad and a solid depth player.

Rd. 7/239, DE C.J. Ah You, Oklahoma -- Has some pass-rush ability and chances of making the team improved when veteran Ryan Denney broke his foot and Anthony Hargrove ran into off-field problems.

UNIT BY UNIT ANALYSIS

QUARTERBACKS
Starter -- J.P. Losman. Backups -- Craig Nall, Trent Edwards.

Losman returns entrenched as the starter and that's good news for an offense that ranked 30th in yards, 31st in converting third downs, and 23rd in points scored. While he struggled in the preseason with his accuracy and threw some bad interceptions, Losman seems poised to improve on his 11th overall QB rating of 84.9 and his 19 touchdowns. In addition to his physical attributes that include mobility and a strong arm, Losman has responded to the hard coaching of coordinator Steve Fairchild and QB coach Turk Schonert. Alas, how much Losman progresses will depend on his line, the emergence of a tight end and a better running game. Meanwhile, Edwards, a third-round pick out of Stanford, earned significant playing time in the preseason and, while he'll likely remain third on the depth chart, he could be the man to replace Losman in a long-term emergency.

RUNNING BACKS
Starter -- Marshawn Lynch. Backups -- Anthony Thomas, Dwayne Wright, Fred Jackson, Shaud Williams, Josh Scobey, Brad Cieslak (FB).

Lynch, the 12th overall pick in the draft, replaces Willis McGahee, whose star burned out quickly in Buffalo. McGahee, traded to Baltimore, didn't top 1,000 yards last season and failed to gain 100 yards in 19 of his last 22 starts. Lynch, who ran for 3,230 yards (6.6-yard average) and caught 68 passes for 600 yards for a combined 35 touchdowns at Cal, brings more explosiveness and versatility to the position. He struggled to hit the right hole in preseason play, but also did well in blitz pickup, meaning he could be an every-down back. If not, Thomas, the NFL's 2001 Rookie of the Year with Chicago, is a reliable backup. Wright and Jackson, who had a strong camp, will challenge for some playing time. Buffalo won't use a true fullback in '07, instead using tight ends Cieslak and Ryan Neufeld when a traditional two-back set is called.

TIGHT ENDS
Starter -- Robert Royal. Backups -- Kevin Everett, Cieslak, Ryan Neufeld, Derek Schouman.

The Bills were among the league's worst red-zone clubs in 2006, scoring TDs just 43 percent of the time. The emergence of a reliable tight end would do wonders to change things. Royal caught 23 passes for 233 yards -- both career highs -- and caught a TD pass in three consecutive games. But his strength is blocking. Everett, a former third-round pick, has the skills to become a downfield threat but his confidence needs building after losing his rookie year to ACL surgery and catching just one pass all last year. Neither did much in the preseason and the jury remains out how much improved the Bills are at this critical need.

WIDE RECEIVERS
Starters -- Lee Evans, Peerless Price. Backups -- Josh Reed, Roscoe Parrish, Sam Aiken.

Evans, who has dynamite speed and hands, is poised to make his first Pro Bowl. His 178 catches, 2,878 yards and 24 TDs are better than any Buffalo receiver through his first three seasons. His 64-yard TD catch from Losman against Tennessee showed how dangerous he remains. The talent level drops a notch to Price, Reed and Parrish but they have the potential to do much better than last year's combined 106 catches, 1,132 yards and seven TDs. Parrish, in particular, could blossom into a star. His speed is scary and he's tougher than his 5-9 frame indicates. Price also figures to better his 8.2 yards-per-catch average.

OFFENSIVE LINE
Starters -- LT Jason Peters, LG Derrick Dockery, C Melvin Fowler, RG Duke Preston, RT Langston Walker. Backups -- G Jason Whittle, T Terrance Pennington, G/T Brad Butler.

This unit has been much maligned in the seven seasons Buffalo has failed to make the playoffs. Last year, the Bills yielded 47 sacks and ranked dead last in the NFL in first-down yardage due in large part to the line's lack of muscle and panache. To try and fix things, the Bills doled out $15 million in signing-bonus money for free agents Dockery, Walker and Whittle. Dockery, who started 61 of 64 games for Washington, was the prized catch. At 6-6, 330, he teams with rising star left tackle Peters (6-4, 328) to give Buffalo a formidable left side. Walker, who goes 6-8, is a former second-round pick who had a good camp. Preston should win the right guard job but the savvy Whittle was pushing him hard late in camp. Fowler is an athletic and reliable center but an ankle injury sidelined him much of camp.

DEFENSIVE LINE
Starters -- LDE Aaron Schobel, RDE Chris Kelsay, DT Larry Tripplett, DT Kyle Williams. Backups -- DE Ryan Denney, DE Anthony Hargrove, DE Al Wallace, DE C.J. Ah You, DT John McCargo, DT Tim Anderson, DT Jason Jefferson, DT Eric Powell.

This was Buffalo's strongest unit but it took a big hit during camp when Denney (six sacks in '06) broke his foot and Hargrove was slapped with a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy. Denney could return by season's end but Wallace, a four-year starter for Carolina, was signed to ease the blow in the team's rotation plans. The Bills remain smallish but quick inside. McCargo, a first-round pick in 2006 coming off a foot injury, came on during the summer and not landing Darwin Walker in a faulty trade with Philadelphia could be a blessing. Williams, a fifth-round pick, was among Buffalo's rookie surprises, leading all interior linemen with 42 tackles. But the Bills need more production from the veteran Tripplett.

LINEBACKERS
Starters -- WLB Angelo Crowell, MLB John DiGiorgio, SLB Keith Ellison. Backups -- MLB Paul Posluszny, Kevin Harrison, OLB Mario Haggan, Josh Stamer, Coy Wire.

DiGiorgio and Posluszny were waging a strong battle for the middle linebacker job. Either way, each will play a lot, assuring the Bills one of the youngest linebacking corps in the NFL (23.3 years old if Posluszny starts). The unit is built on speed. Crowell must assume a leadership role after the departures of Takeo Spikes and London Fletcher-Baker. He's coming off a good 2006 campaign but missed the final month with a broken leg. Ellison, a sixth-round pick out of Oregon State, garnered seven emergency starts as a rookie and finished with 61 tackles. At 228 pounds, he's undersized a bit but in Buffalo's speed-oriented scheme, he's effective. Stamer, Haggan and Wire provide decent depth. Wire has converted from strong safety.

DEFENSIVE BACKS
Starters -- LCB Jason Webster, RCB Terrence McGee, FS Ko Simpson, SS Donte Whitner. Backups -- CB Ashton Youboty, CB Kiwaukee Thomas, CB Jabari Greer, CB Eric Bassey, FS Jim Leonhard, S George Wilson, S John Wendling.

McGee has switched from left to right corner, the spot vacated by free agent Nate Clements (San Francisco), a superb playmaker who had 23 interceptions and 523 tackles in six seasons. Webster, who has had a very productive NFL career marred by injuries, takes over on the left side, giving Buffalo a pair of feisty corners but at 5-foot-9 each, McGee and Webster will have their hands full, particularly in the red zone. At safety, Whitner and Simpson acquitted themselves very well as rookies with 107 and 92 tackles, respectively, to go with a combined three interceptions. Leonhard is a key reserve and Wendling is a rookie sleeper.

SPECIAL TEAMS
PK Rian Lindell, P Brian Moorman, LS Mike Schneck.

Assistant coach Bobby April has yielded units ranked first overall twice and third once. It all starts with the legs of Lindell (83.04 percent), the team's all-time most accurate placekicker, and Moorman (43.47), the all-time punting average leader. Toss in McGee (4,276), the all-time kickoff return leader, and Parrish (11.4 yards), third among NFL punt return leaders in 2006, and Buffalo is capable of winning games each week with its special teams alone.

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