James Hardy's brief and unfulfilled tenure with the Buffalo Bills is over.

The third-year wide receiver was among the 19 players cut Saturday afternoon, the deadline for NFL teams to get down to the 53-man roster limit for the regular season.

Other notable cuts were quarterback Levi Brown, the Bills' seventh-round draft pick, running backs Joique Bell and Chad Simpson, offensive tackle Kirk Chambers and wide receivers Chad Jackson and Naaman Roosevelt, the former University at Buffalo standout.

The Bills also placed safety Jon Corto on the reserve/physically unable to perform list, which sidelines him for the first six games. Tight end Derek Schouman was waived/injured.

"Well, obviously we let some good football players go today," Bills coach Chan Gailey said after the cuts were announced. "They had to be good to be here in the first place. Probably the toughest day of my year is today. Some of those guys have got a chance, they really do. It just wasn't the right time on our football team right now. I wish them the best, but we had to make the decisions that were best for our team right now."

The biggest surprise cut was Hardy, if only because of the investment the Bills made in him as a second-round pick (42nd overall) in the 2008 draft. The Bills wanted a big receiver and saw the 6-foot-5, 220-pound Hardy as a potential weapon, particularly in the red zone.

But his career has been hampered by injuries. He played sparingly as a rookie, catching nine passes with two going for touchdowns before missing the last two games with a torn anterior cruciate knee ligament. He began last season on the physically unable to perform list, but appeared in just two games after being activated off the PUP.

He entered training camp this summer in competition for the No. 2 receiver spot, but missed two weeks of practice and the first two preseason games with a foot injury.

"He was in and out, but he had some really good days," Gailey said. "I think he was healthy the last week or two, and we got to look at him. I don't think [the injury] deterred him. It got him behind mentally more than it did physically."

Cutting Hardy and Jackson means the Bills are going extremely young at receiver, which includes only two -- Lee Evans and Roscoe Parrish -- with more than 13 career receptions. Joining Evans, Parrish and Stevie Johnson are David Nelson and Donald Jones, two of five undrafted rookies to make the team. The last time the Bills kept fewer than six receivers was 2007 when five made the roster.

Nelson was the biggest revelation in training camp, impressing coaches and teammates with solid hands and route running. One of Tim Tebow's favorite targets at the University of Florida, Nelson played well enough to earn snaps with the starters.

Jones also had a good summer and brings more to the table on special teams than Hardy and Jackson, a former New England second-rounder trying to revive his career.

"To be honest with you, those guys played really good during preseason," Gailey said of Nelson and Jones. "In our opinion, they gave us the best chance to win football games. The one thing when you come in without any preconceived ideas, everybody gets to start on an even keel. We told them that everybody had a shot, and they took advantage of it."

Here's a breakdown of the rest of the Bills' 53-man roster:

Quarterback (3): Trent Edwards, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Brian Brohm.

Gailey formally announced that Edwards is the starter. Brohm practiced with the scout team Saturday, an indication that Fitzpatrick won the No. 2 job. Brown could end up on the practice squad is he gets through waivers.

Running back (3): C.J. Spiller, Fred Jackson and Marshawn Lynch.

Bell and Simpson had strong preseasons, but the Bills' depth here wouldn't give them many chances to play. Bell is a good possibility for the practice squad.

Fullback (1): Corey McIntyre.

The Bills weren't going to keep more than one, though Rodney Ferguson is a practice squad candidate.

Tight end (2): Jonathan Stupar and J.P. Foschi.

Shawn Nelson doesn't count towards the roster while serving a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy.

Offensive line (8): T Cornell Green, T Demetrius Bell, G Eric Wood, C Geoff Hangartner, G Andy Levitre, T Jamon Meredith, T Ed Wang, G Cordaro Howard.

Like last season, the Bills' bench is dangerously thin on experience. Meredith is the only backup that has played an NFL game. Wang hasn't practiced all summer due to a wrist injury and Howard is an undrafted rookie. Wood, an All-American center at Louisville would replace Hangartner in an injury situation.

Defensive line (7): DE Marcus Stroud, NT Kyle Williams, DE Dwan Edwards, NT Torell Troup, DE Alex Carrington, DE Spencer Johnson, DE John McCargo.

This is two fewer than the Bills kept the past three years, but they don't need as many in the 3-4. McCargo was thought to be on the bubble, but he's adapting well to the new scheme.

Linebacker (10): ILB Andra Davis, OLB Chris Kelsay, OLB Reggie Torbor, ILB Paul Posluszny, ILB Kawika Mitchell, OLB Chris Ellis, OLB Aaron Maybin, ILB Keith Ellison, ILB Arthur Moats, OLB Antonio Coleman.

You need a lot of linebackers in the 3-4, so this wasn't hard to figure out. Ellison was believed to be the odd man out inside with Mitchell's experience and Moats' upside. But Ellison's value on special teams probably helped him. Coleman, an undrafted rookie, shows promise as a pass rusher.

Defensive backs (11): CB Terrence McGee, CB Drayton Florence, CB Leodis McKelvin, CB Reggie Corner, CB Ashton Youboty, S Donte Whitner, S Jairus Byrd, S George Wilson, S Bryan Scott, S Cary Harris, S Dominique Harris.

The Bills got some good news Saturday as Byrd practiced for the first time since having groin surgery more than two weeks ago. His recovery had been delayed by an infection related to the surgery that kept him hospitalized for several more days. He wasn't at full speed Saturday, but he's hopeful of returning for next Sunday's season-opener.

"So far, so good," Byrd said. "We'll see. I've got to see how my body reacts. This is the first day and we've got [today] off, which will tell me a lot."

Special teams (3): P Brian Moorman, K Rian Lindell, LS Garrison Sanborn.

No changes needed with one of the NFL's best trios.

awilson@buffnews.comnull