Quenton Spain Has Surgery
- New Bills guard Quinton Spain recently underwent surgery on his thumb, as Joe Buscaglia of WKBW writes. It doesn’t sound like the issue is all too serious, so Spain should be back to practice in short order. Before his injury, Spain was working as Buffalo’s starting right guard. The Bills made offensive line improvement a point of emphasis this offseason by signing Spain, Ty Nsekhe, Mitch Morse, Spencer Long, LaAdrian Waddle and Jon Feliciano before adding Oklahoma’s Cody Ford in the second round of the draft. Spain, Long, Feliciano, Ford, and Wyatt Teller are all competing for time at guard.
Details On Lee Smith's Deal
- New Bills tight end Lee Smith‘s three-year deal is worth $9MM with $4.9MM fully guaranteed, according to Adam Caplan of SiriusXM (on Twitter). The guarantees indicate that Smith had a strong market following his release from the Raiders.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/22/19
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Waived: WR Malachi Dupre
Buffalo Bills
- Claimed off waivers: T De’Ondre Wesley
- Signed: TE Mik’Quan Deane
- Waived: T Blake Hance, S Abraham Wallace
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: T Justin Evans
- Waived: TE Andrew Vollert
Kansas City Chiefs
- Re-signed: DB Dakari Monroe
Los Angeles Rams
- Waived: T Justice Powers
New Orleans Saints
- Waived: LB Darrell Williams
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: T Casey Tucker
Bills Entered Claim For Jets' Leggett
On Tuesday, the Buccaneers beat out four other teams to land former Jets tight end Jordan Leggett off waivers. We now know the identities of those other four clubs, thanks to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter): the Bills, Packers, Steelers and Titans all placed claims on the 2017 fifth-round pick, but the Bucs won out due to their higher waiver priority.
- The Bills may be without new tight end Tyler Kroft to start the season.
Bills TE Tyler Kroft Suffers Broken Foot
Bills tight end Tyler Kroft suffered a broken foot during OTAs on Monday, coach Sean McDermott told reporters (Twitter link via Vic Carucci of SiriusXM). The Bills inked Kroft to a three-year deal in March with plans to use him as a starter right off of the bat. Kroft’s timeframe for recovery is 3-4 months, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears, which puts him right up against the start of the season and raises the possibility of beginning the season on the PUP list.
Kroft, 27 in October, injured the same foot early last year and wound up missing the rest of the season with the Bengals. The Bills are hoping he’ll bounce back quickly and provide production similar to his 42/404/7 line in 2017.
If Kroft misses time, the Bills will be left with a tight end group consisting of blocking specialist Lee Smith and rookies Moral Stephens and Tommy Sweeney. Meanwhile, veteran Jermaine Gresham stands as the best remaining free agent tight end.
Bills To Sign Jerry Hughes To Extension
The Bills have agreed to sign defensive end Jerry Hughes to a two-year extension worth up to $23MM, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Of that sum, the deal includes a healthy $19.5MM guaranteed. 
Hughes disappointed in the early part of his career, but he has been solid for the Bills ever since coming over in a 2013 trade. The defensive end has not missed a single contest for Buffalo and has 47 sacks to his credit over the last six years. Last year, Hughes recorded seven sacks, a showing topped only by the ten sacks he put up in 2013 and 2014.
The Rams made a push to acquire Hughes before the trade deadline last year, but a deal could not be reached. Instead, the Rams pivoted towards Dante Fowler as a backup plan and Hughes finished out the year with Buffalo, where he impressed with seven sacks and three forced fumbles.
Prior to the extension, the former first-round pick was set to hit the open market after carrying a $10.4MM cap number in 2019. The new deal will keep him under contract through the 2021 season.
Andy Levitre Retires From NFL
This is the end of the line for former Falcons guard Andy Levitre. On Tuesday, Levitre announced his retirement via social media: 
“Unfortunately, due to injury my body won’t allow me to continue any longer,” Levitre wrote. “Thank you to my wife and children, my family, friends, coaches, teammates and all of the fans who supported me on this journey.”
Levitre came to the Falcons via trade in 2015 and started every game of his first two seasons in Atlanta. Unfortunately, injuries began to slow him down in 2017. In the last two years, Levitre tore both of triceps and was limited to just two games in 2018.
This wasn’t an easy decision for the veteran – in March, Levitre indicated that he would not retire. But, on the eve of his 33rd birthday, Levitre has decided to hang ’em up.
Before joining the Falcons, the former second-round pick spent time with the Bills and Titans. He leaves the sport after playing in 143 games (all starts) over the course of ten seasons.
Chiefs QB E.J. Manuel Retires
Quarterback E.J. Manuel has retired from the NFL, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Manuel signed with the Chiefs this offseason, but he’ll walk away from the sport instead of continuing down that path. 
Manuel, 29, has not suited up since his 2017 season with the Raiders. Before that, the former first-round pick spent the first four years of his career with the Bills. All in all, Manuel exits the NFL with a lifetime 6-12 record, a 58.1% completion percentage, and 20 touchdowns against 16 interceptions. The Florida State product did not live up to his first-round draft billing, but he made millions playing football at a professional level.
Manuel’s retirement still leaves the Chiefs with six QBs on the offseason roster: Patrick Mahomes, Chad Henne, T.J. Linta, Chase Litton, John Lovett, and Kyle Shurmur.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/13/19
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: RB Dontae Strickland
- Waived: CB Ryan Pulley, TE Jerome Washington
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: QB Jalan McClendon, G Patrick Vahe
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: S Abraham Wallace, OL Garrett McGhin, DT Quindarius Thagard
- Released: TE Jake Fisher, RB Keith Ford
Chicago Bears
- Bears Signed: WR Jesper Horsted
- Waived: G Tommy Doles
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: RB L.J. Scott
- Released: RB Devante Mays
Denver Broncos
- Signed: TE Bug Howard, OL Nathan Jacobson, DL Deyon Sizer, DL DeShawn Williams
- Released: TE Temarrick Hemingway, DL Caushaud Lyons, OL Brian Wallace, DL Jaylen Johnson
New York Giants
- Re-Signed: DL John Jenkins
Philadelphia Eagles
- Waived: RB Nico Evans, QB Luis Perez
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: TE Parker Hesse, WR Cody Hollister
Bills Sign TE Lee Smith
The Bills have signed tight end Lee Smith to a three-year deal, according to a team announcement. The pact is worth $9MM and is heavily frontloaded, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The deal is also front-loaded to give Smith more money in Year One and includes fully guaranteed pay for 2020. 
The deal brings Smith back to Buffalo, where he spent 2011-2014. The blocking specialist spent the last four years in Oakland, but that run ended earlier this month when he was released by the Raiders.
Smith offers almost nothing as a receiver, as he has averaged just 49 receiving yards per season in his eight years in the league. However, he’s long been considered to be one of the league’s best blocking tight ends.
With the Bills, he should continue to do more of the dirty work in a group that also includes Tyler Kroft and third-round pick Dawson Knox. Meanwhile, seventh-round choice Tommy Sweeney is in line to be the team’s No. 4 tight end, but he’ll have to lock down his spot in camp this summer.