Bills To Meet With DE Ryan Russell

Buccaneers free agent defensive end Ryan Russell will visit the Bills on Wednesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The Bills are scoping out the remaining available pass rushers and Russell could be a fit. 

The Bucs non-tendered Russell earlier this year, allowing him to go from a restricted free agent to an unrestricted free agent. Despite starting in seven games for Tampa Bay last year, he has not garnered a ton of interest over the last two months.

In 2017, the former fifth-round pick had two sacks – the most of his career – and 16 total tackles. The advanced metrics were not crazy about his work, however, as he graded out as one of the four worst qualified edge rushers in the league, per Pro Football Focus.

The Bills have revamped their defensive line this year by adding defensive ends Trent Murphy, Owa Odighizuwa, and Terrence Fede as well as defensive tackles Star Lotulelei, Tenny Palepoi, and third-round pick Harrison Phillips. Given the strange nature of Odighizuwa’s previous tenure with the Giants, it only makes sense for the Bills to explore other reserve options at DE.

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