A day after he was cut by the Jets following his altercation with quarterback Geno Smith, IK Enemkpali has a new NFL home. In a surprising twist, Enemkpali was claimed off waivers today by the team led by his old head coach — according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), the Bills have claimed the former Jets defensive end.
Rex Ryan, heading into his first season as the head coach in Buffalo, held the same position in New York a year ago when the Jets used a sixth-round pick to draft Enemkpali out of Louisiana Tech. It makes sense that Ryan would recognize the 24-year-old’s value on the field, having seen him first-hand in 2014 — Gil Brandt of NFL.com tweeted today that people around the NFL thought Enemkpali would play again in the league, since he has some talent.
Still, after Enemkpali punched his quarterback in the locker room, it appeared unlikely that another team would take a flier on him right away. Albert Breer of the NFL Network noted today (via Twitter) that more than one team left Enemkpali off its draft board in 2014 due to concerns about his anger issues.
Enemkpali only saw the field sparingly in his rookie season, playing 40 defensive snaps and contributing a little on special teams as well. The young pass rusher could face NFL discipline and even criminal charges for punching Smith, according to an ESPN.com report, as the league confirmed it’s reviewing the Tuesday skirmish that left the quarterback with a broken jaw.
The addition of Enemkpali is the latest in a string of eyebrow-raising acquisitions for Buffalo, whose locker room will also feature Richie Incognito and Percy Harvin. Of course, Ryan said earlier this year, after being hired by the Bills, that he wanted to “build a bully” in Buffalo.
I was half-joking around with a few Jets fans the other day that this might happen. Rex never disappoints.
A bit concerned. As a long time Bills fan, I admit we’ve gotten little respect. However, we seemed to have a nucleus of respected and respectful players. Who turns on their teammate in this fashion? Yes I’d like to win, but not at all costs…
Even though he did draft him, Rex must really like this guy’s potential, claiming a third-string performer and sucker-punch artist a day after said punch landed. Says something about the guy’s ability.
Rex probably wants him to “thin” out the QB competition!!
It’s a publicity stunt. Rex is giving a big FU to the Jets for firing him by taking the guy who punched out their QB. This guy will never see the field this season and will be cut by the end of training camp so I wont read too much into it. If this was the Patriots however, I’d be concerned that Enemkpali would turn into the next Ray Lewis.