The Bills have signed a pair of noteworthy players to their 53-man roster, the team announced today in a press release, confirming deals for kicker Billy Cundiff and wide receiver Denarius Moore. To make room for the incoming players, Buffalo has cut kicker Jordan Gay and wide receiver and return man Marcus Thigpen.
Swapping Gay for Cundiff is an interesting move for the Bills, who have seen their regular kicker, Dan Carpenter, struggle a little with his accuracy in the early going — Carpenter has missed an extra point and two field goals in four games. However, the fact that he remains on the roster, while the team cuts Gay, the kickoff specialist, suggests that Cundiff will only be taking over kickoff duties for the time being.
Of course, if Carpenter continues to struggle, I imagine his job will be in danger, especially since having Cundiff handle all the team’s kicking duties would free up a roster spot to add depth to another part of the roster. Cundiff has seen regular season action for five different teams in his NFL career, most recently converting 22 of 29 field goal attempts (75.9%) last season for the Browns.
As for Moore, the 26-year-old had a couple promising seasons with the Raiders early in his NFL career, notably racking up 741 yards and seven touchdowns on 51 receptions in 2012. He has been inconsistent since then, however, catching just 12 balls in 2014, and being released by the Bengals in August.
Thigpen had been handling the Bills’ punt return duties, so it’ll be interesting to see whether Moore gets a shot at that role, with 42 career punt returns on his résumé. Percy Harvin and Robert Woods would also be candidates for the job.