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Buffalo Bills News & Rumors

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/6/24

August 6th, 2024 at 9:04pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

  • Signed: DE Zach Morton

Las Vegas Raiders

  • Signed: WR Dax Milne
  • Waived/injured: DT Tomari Fox

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Signed: QB Luis Perez
  • Waived: LB Savion Jackson

Los Angeles Rams

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Commanders

CeeDee Lamb isn’t usually mentioned in this type of post, but the transaction involving the wideout was simply procedural. As ESPN’s Todd Archer notes, placing Lamb on the reserve/did not report list opens up a roster spot for the Cowboys, something that was necessary after the team signed three players today. This move doesn’t impact negotiations, and Lamb can be activated once he returns to practice. Lamb continues to holdout while he waits for a new deal, but the front office is working hard to get him back in the building.

Justin Herbert‘s recent foot injury necessitated some extra depth at the position. The team ended up opting for Luis Perez, who led the UFL last season in completions (225), passing yards (2,309), and touchdowns (18). Perez will soak up some temporary snaps alongside Easton Stick, Max Duggan, and UDFA Casey Bauman.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/5/24

August 5th, 2024 at 8:04pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

  • Signed: LB Mike Rose

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

  • Waived: OL Jason Poe

Seattle Seahawks

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/4/24

August 4th, 2024 at 5:53pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s minor transactions to close out the weekend:

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Jacksonville Jaguars

Washington Commanders

The Browns were looking forward to stashing Allen’s starting experience as a reserve lineman on the interior. Unfortunately, he suffered a calf injury that ended his season before it even began. Only on a one-year contract anyway, Allen will now get a head start on the free agency he would’ve faced at the end of this season.

Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson will not be coaching his son, Josh, this season, it appears. The 26-year-old tight end appeared in three games under his father in 2023.

Bills WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling On Roster Bubble

August 4th, 2024 at 12:03pm CST by Rory Parks

The Bills shuffled the top of their WR depth chart this offseason, parting ways with Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis while signing Curtis Samuel in free agency and adding Keon Coleman in the second round of the draft. The club also acquired Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who has had issues with drops in his career but who possesses the type of big-play ability that Davis has, which meshes well with quarterback Josh Allen‘s powerful arm.

Early last month, we heard that Valdes-Scantling appeared to be a roster lock. Unfortunately for him, that no longer appears to be the case, as Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic reports that MVS “has faded into the background” and is not getting as many reps with Allen as he did when training camp opened (subscription required).

Buscaglia posits that the decision to have MVS work with the second and third units could simply be the coaching staff’s way of sending a message to the speedy wideout. Still, it’s a potentially ominous sign for a player who largely struggled throughout the 2023 regular season as a member of the Chiefs (despite some memorable highlights during Kansas City’s Super Bowl run).

Interestingly, Buscaglia says that Tyrell Shavers, a 2023 UDFA who did not see any regular season action last year, has outplayed Valdes-Scantling. Even Chase Claypool, whose star has fallen considerably since a promising start to his careeer with the Steelers, was getting more reps with Allen prior to sustaining a toe injury.

For now, the top four receivers in the Bills’ pecking order appear to be Samuel, Coleman, Khalil Shakir, and Mack Hollins. Behind that quartet, players like MVS, Shavers, Claypool, Justin Shorter, KJ Hamler, and Andy Isabella will continue battling for a spot on the 53-man roster.

If Buffalo were to release Valdes-Scantling, it would incur $2.25MM in dead money, though the team has proven that it will not allow such an outcome to prevent what it believes is a necessary move. Indeed, trading Diggs to the Texans resulted in a dead cap charge of $31MM, and Buscaglia reminds us that the team cut tight end O.J. Howard before final cutdowns in 2022 — despite having signed him in March of that year — in favor of second-year UDFA Quintin Morris.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/31/24

July 31st, 2024 at 8:25pm CST by Ely Allen

Wednesday’s minor transactions to close out the month:

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Snead is the latest veteran wideout to join the Dolphins receiving corps. He hasn’t really contributed much to the NFL since his 2020 campaign with the Ravens, but he’ll get another chance this summer in South Beach.

Carolina brings in Johnson just a day after watching veteran Rashaad Penny hang up his cleats. In order to make room for Johnson, the Panthers let good of Davis, the team’s recent signee from the UFL.

Butler was waived after a failed physical two days ago. After going unclaimed, he’ll get to stay in Vegas by taking a place on the reserve/PUP list.

AFC East Notes: Jets, Godchaux, Fins, Bills

July 31st, 2024 at 9:15am CST by Sam Robinson

Aaron Rodgers made a surprising push to come back from a September Achilles surgery last season. That predictably ended without the Jets quarterback suiting up again. Robert Saleh is now planning to keep his starter on ice until the games count again. The fourth-year Jets HC said he does not expect Rodgers to play during the preseason, though he noted (via the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy) he is still deciding with regards to his QB’s participation in the team’s preseason finale. Rodgers sat out the first two Jets preseason games last year but received some work — after pushing Saleh for a chance to suit up, despite not having previously played in the preseason since 2018 — in the third contest. Teams generally park their starters for the third preseason game, and while it would be interesting to see how Rodgers looks post-surgery, it currently appears Week 1 will be his first appearance.

Here is the latest from the AFC East:

Bills Sign S Kareem Jackson

July 30th, 2024 at 9:42pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Bills have added further experience at the safety position. Kareem Jackson has signed a deal with Buffalo, per a team announcement.

Jackson began his career with the Texans, spending nine seasons with the organization. That was followed by a four-plus-year tenure in Denver, one during which he remained a full-time starter. Jackson, 36, formed an effective tandem with Justin Simmons for much of his time in the Mile High City.

Last season, however, things took an unwanted turn for Jackson. The former first-rounder was suspended for repeated instances of unnecessary roughness. That ban was reduced to two games on appeal, but in his first game back on the field Jackson committed another helmet-to-helmet hit and was suspended for four games. He was waived by the Broncos in December before being claimed by the Texans in a reunion with head coach (and former teammate) DeMeco Ryans.

Jackson played sparingly in his return to Houston, and to little surprise he had to wait until after the start of training camp to find a new deal. The Colts hosted him on a visit, but instead the Alabama product will spend the coming weeks in Buffalo trying to carve out a roster spot. The Bills released Jordan Poyer in one of many decisions to move on from veteran players this offseason, and fellow longtime starter Micah Hyde remains unsigned amidst an uncertain future.

The team added Mike Edwards in free agency while re-signing Taylor Rapp. Those two, along with special teamer Damar Hamlin and second-round rookie Cole Bishop, are set to compete for 53-man places and playing time. Hamlin was already thought to be on the roster bubble given the additions made this offseason, and Jackson now being in the fold could narrow his path to a roster spot.

Jackson has 203 regular season games to his name, but his age and discipline issues from last season will no doubt lower expectations for him in Buffalo. If he manages to impress over the coming weeks – and particularly if Hyde elects to officially hang up his cleats – though, he could survive roster cutdowns and continue his career with a third NFL team.

LB A.J. Klein Announces Retirement

July 30th, 2024 at 8:43pm CST by Ben Levine

A.J. Klein is calling it a career. The veteran linebacker announced on Instagram that he’s decided to retire.

“Today is the first birthday I’ve celebrated not at a training camp in 15 years and it only seemed fitting to celebrate two milestones on this day,” Klein wrote in part of his statement. “Today, I’m proud to announce that I’m officially retiring from the NFL after 11 seasons.”

A 2013 fifth-round pick out of Iowa State, Klein found a home in Carolina to begin his career. He never emerged as a true full-time starter, but he still started 23 of his 60 appearances while getting into about a third of his team’s defensive snaps. He caught on with the Saints via a three-year, $15MM deal in 2017 and ended up starting 42 of his 43 appearances in New Orleans.

His best statistical season came after he joined the Bills on a three-year pact in 2020. He finished that campaign with career-highs in tackles (70) and sacks (five). He saw a reduced role in 2021, and he bounced between a handful of teams (including the Giants, Ravens, and Bears) before landing back in Buffalo to end the 2022 season. He ended up sticking around with the Bills for the 2023 season while spending the majority of the year on the practice squad.

Klein will finish his career having collected 465 tackles, 15.5 sacks, and eight forced fumbles.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/30/24

July 30th, 2024 at 7:52pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

  • Waived: WR Isaiah Wooden
  • Placed on reserve/retired list: OT Tyler Vrabel

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

  • Waived: LB Shayne Simon

Carolina Panthers

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

  • Signed: DE Levi Bell

Jacksonville Jaguars

Pittsburgh Steelers

Marquez Callaway will once again hit free agency after having bounced around the NFL last season. The wideout spent time with the Broncos, Raiders, Saints (second stint) during the 2023 campaign. He caught on with the Steelers via a reserve/futures contract in January but ultimately lasted only a few days into training camp.

The former UDFA had a breakout campaign as a sophomore in New Orleans, finishing the 2021 season with 46 catches for 698 yards and six touchdowns. He saw a reduced role in 2022 before hitting the free agency carousel in 2023.

Bills’ Von Miller Healthy Ahead Of 2024 Season

July 27th, 2024 at 6:45pm CST by Adam La Rose

The 2023 campaign began with expectations for continued production in the case of Von Miller. The future Hall of Famer’s Bills career got off to a strong with eight sacks in 11 contests during the 2022 campaign, but it was abruptly ended by an ACL tear.

Miller spent last offseason rehabbing, and on multiple occasions he expressed confidence in his knee’s status. The two-time Super Bowl winner had already rebounded from an ACL tear earlier in his career, and managing to do so again would have provided Buffalo with a key contributor along the edge. In the end, though, Miller suited up for 12 contests and had by far the least impactful season of his career. When reflecting on the year, he admitted playing was not the best decision.

“I wanted to be out there and play,” Miller said (via ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg). “If I was 50%, like, nobody was going to stop me from going out there… But the truth, just being honest with you guys, my knee wasn’t at a place where I could go, and I could move, and I could do the things that I wanted to do. I mean, I could play, but that was just about it.”

Miller was held without a sack and recorded only three tackles in 2023, a major step back from his 2022 totals and a highly underwhelming return on investment from the Bills’ perspective. The 35-year-old remains attached to the six-year, $120MM deal he signed in 2022. He did accept a pay cut this spring as part of Buffalo’s financial maneuvering, but delivering better production would be critical for the team’s pass rush (and allow him to recoup money via incentives).

Repeating the positive sentiment he shared earlier this offseason, Miller added that he is now “feeling normal,” an encouraging sign for his health outlook. The former Bronco and Ram’s best 2023 showings came at the end of the regular season and Buffalo’s two playoff games, and remaining healthy through training camp could set him up for a rotational role to kick off the coming campaign. The Bills still have projected starters Gregory Rousseau and A.J. Epenesa in place at the defensive end spot; the former had his 2025 fifth-year option picked up, while the latter was retained on a two-year deal in March.

Buffalo did lose Leonard Floyd in free agency, though, and Miller returning to his previous form could help offset that departure. Another All-Pro season on Miller’s part should not be expected, of course, but he is at least optimistic 2024 will include a notable step forward in terms of effectiveness compared to last year.

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