The Bills have made an intrigue addition to their offseason roster. The team announced on Firday that Olympic gold medal wrestler Gable Steveson has been signed. He will aim to make the jump to the NFL as a defensive lineman. 
Steveson enjoyed a decorated career at Minnesota, winning three conference championships and a pair of national titles. He was named the Big Ten Athlete of the Year in 2022, and twice took home the Dan Hodge Trophy as the nation’s top wrestler. The 24-year-old won gold at the Tokyo Olympics for freestyle wrestling. He joins seventh-round rookie Travis Clayton (a former rugby player drafted in the seventh round in 2024) as a player aiming to lock down a roster spot via an unusual route.
“I have been fortunate to compete at the highest level of competition in my sport but am looking forward to the challenge of seeing how my wrestling skills may translate to football,” Steveson said (via ESPN’s Adam Schefter). “I am grateful to [head coach] [Sean] McDermott, [general manager] Brandon Beane and the Buffalo Bills organization for giving me this opportunity.”
Steveson’s agent indicated a recent workout with the Bills led to interest from other NFL teams as well. He has elected to sign with Buffalo, though, a team with a coach (McDermott) who has a background as a high school champion wrestler. The Bills will use the remainder of the offseason to begin what will be a steep development process likely involving time on the practice squad during the 2024 season.
Steveson will attempt to join the likes of Lam Jones and James Jett as athletes who won Olympic gold before playing in the NFL (although the latter two did so as sprinters). Longtime Cowboys wideout Bob Hayes – a member of the United States Olympic Hall of Fame as well as the Pro Football Hall of Fame – is the only athlete to win both an Olympic gold and a Super Bowl to date.
In a corresponding move, the Bills released punter Matt Haack. The veteran served as Buffalo’s punter during the 2021 season before moving on to the Colts the following year. He returned this offseason, but today’s move will leave him on the move once again. Veteran Sam Martin and undrafted rookie Jack Browning remain in place as the team’s punting options moving forward.
Interesting. I’m bearish on guys who’ve truly never played football making it work at the pro level, but there are exceptions, and a gold medal wrestler is an intriguing place to try. You don’t see a lot of defensive linemen as short as 6’1″ in the NFL these days, but the Bills certainly have one of the better ones in Ed Oliver.
I think the guys is 6’1 and 265 lbs so he’ll have to have a heck of a technique to get opponents who weigh 300+ lbs into submission holds.
Presumably he’s going to bulk up. He’s 16 pounds lighter than, Calijah Kancey who was considered an outlying small defensive lineman last year.
Who needs technique when you can force yourself on people?
You need to stop hanging out with Brandon McManus…lol
Harder to force yourself on people when there aren’t weight classes and you’re smaller than the other guys.
Bills sign John Cena to battle Allen for qb position
Is he there? Nobody’s seen him at camp
Interesting, would be neat story if he can pull it off. I remember Renaldo Nehemiah, he could jet but his hands were always iffy.
He would be a big hit at tailgate parties. Smash a folding table and put a few fans in headlocks…
I thought he was training MMA for a UFC contract guess he had other plans. It’d be awesome to see him actually get on the field
He was signed to wwe , but apparently he was awful
Gets cut from WWE then signs with Bills?
There’s been a vacancy for an odd ball player in Buffalo ever since Ritchie Incognito left town.
No different than European player development. He’ll likely become a practice squad player, but you never know.
Lets get Fitz back for trivia. He went to Harvard you know.
And then the girl who won the spelling bee too.
Most well rounded team in the NFL!
Im teasing. Im fully aware this is a camp body situation.
Still rather have a football player.
And he is 24.
Yuck.
As long as he can occupy OL for a few seconds, it’s a plus.
He couldn’t crack it in the WWE and that’s scripted. Good luck in the NFL clown
Dude won an Olympic gold medal and you are calling him a clown?
Olympics is cool and all but we only care about those athletes every 4 years.
I would think the wrestling pedigree would help more as an olineman. The dline should be trying to stay upright not pancake and take down. Good luck to him though.
Does this Gable have speed? If so, he might be able to make it as an edge rusher