Local Star Joe Andreessen Makes The 53-Man Roster For The Buffalo Bills

It's the news that Bills fans across Western New York have been waiting for.  Joe Andreesen has made the roster for the Buffalo Bills.

It's a dream come true for the Lancaster native.  He has made the roster of the team he grew up watching as a young boy.  Joe Andreesen wasn't just a preseason signing, he's on an active roster in the NFL.

He did it the hard way too.

While many players in the NFL, play for huge schools with programs that have players groomed for this moment, Andreesen was invited to join the Bills for a rookie mini-camp in May.  It's something that normally ends in a player getting the experience of an NFL preseason practice, but not much more.

Andreessen walked away with a contract and an invitation to join them at training camp where he continued to impress.

It was the second preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers where he really shined.  He registered a team-high 12 tackles and seemed to have a real feel for where the ball was going to be.

Granted, he had some things that he needed to clean up, but all-in-all he looked pretty good.  You know you've made an impression when players like Josh Allen come up with a nickname for you.  Not that it was hard to dream up, but he quickly started being called "Buffalo Joe."

Does that mean that he's set?  No.  Can things still change?  Yes, they can.

At this point it looks as though he will be a backup to Terrell Bernard in the middle of the field.  But you can be sure that Western New York will be making some noise for their homegrown Buffalo Joe when he takes the field for the first time.