HEADLINES

Buffalo Bills News & Rumors

Bills Place QB T.J. Yates On IR

September 5th, 2017 at 2:47pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bills announced that they have placed quarterback T.J. Yates on injured reserve. In other QB news, the Bills confirmed that Tyrod Taylor will be ready to go for Week 1 against the Jets. T.J. Yates (vertical)

Both Yates and Taylor suffered concussions in August, putting the team’s QB depth in serious jeopardy. The team signed Joe Webb on Monday to brace for the possibility that rookie Nathan Peterman would be left as the team’s only other healthy signal caller. Now that Taylor has been given the green light, Webb may or may not stick on the roster as the QB3. Yates will be eligible to return after eight weeks, if the Bills want to use one of their two IR-DTR spots on him.

In other news, the Bills signed safety Colt Anderson and defensive tackle Cedric Thornton. Defensive tackle Deandre Coleman has been released.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/4/17

September 4th, 2017 at 8:21pm CST by Zachary Links

NFL teams began forming their practice squads on Sunday, but they’re tinkering with them today as they will throughout the season. We’ll keep track of Monday’s practice squad moves here:

Buffalo Bills

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Jacksonville Jaguars

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New York Jets

Oakland Raiders

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Redskins

Bills Sign QB Joe Webb

September 4th, 2017 at 10:09am CST by Zachary Links

They say networking is everything and connections played at least a small role in quarterback Joe Webb finding his latest job. Sean McDermott‘s Bills have signed the former Panthers QB, according to a team announcement. Joe Webb (vertical)

Webb, 30, is technically the Bills’ fourth quarterback after Tyrod Taylor, Nathan Peterman, and T.J. Yates. However, both Taylor and Yates are recovering from concussions, so Webb has been added for depth. In one or both QBs is cleared in time for the season opener, he might get released before he gets a chance to even suit up. If both players are ruled out for the Sept. 10 game against the Jets, Webb could be on the active roster as Peterman’s clipboard holder.

Webb is a versatile athlete who also offers experience at wide receiver. At present the Bills only have five receivers on the 53-man roster: Jordan Matthews, rookie Zay Jones, Brandon Tate, Andre Holmes, and new addition Kaelin Clay.

To make room on the roster, the Bills released safety Colt Anderson.

Mutual Interest Between Patriots, Boldin

September 3rd, 2017 at 5:19pm CST by Zachary Links

Anquan Boldin retired from football this summer and he swears that he is retired for good. However, there was mutual interest between the wide receiver and the Patriots in the wake of Julian Edelman‘s injury, Ben Volin of The Boston Globe hears. Anquan Boldin

It doesn’t sound like there’s anything brewing between the two sides at the moment, particularly since the Bills continue to hold his rights after placing him on the reserve/retired list. It’s hard to see a scenario in which the Bills cut Boldin loose to sign with a divisional rival, particularly since his retirement left them high and dry after trading Sammy Watkins to Los Angeles.

Boldin turns 37 in October, but he showed last year that he can still be productive. Boldin joining up with the Patriots seems unlikely, but his itch to play is worth keeping in mind as the season goes on.

Sunday NFL Transactions: AFC East

September 3rd, 2017 at 4:52pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four AFC East teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions for the Bills, Dolphins, Patriots, and Jets are noted below.

Additionally, as of 12:00pm CT today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.

Here are Sunday’s AFC East transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:

Buffalo Bills

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New York Jets

Bills Worked Out QB Joe Webb

September 3rd, 2017 at 4:25pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Bills worked out quarterback/special teams ace Joe Webb, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Webb was released by the Panthers on Saturday.

Buffalo currently employs former Carolina executive Brandon Beane as its general manager, so he has some level of familiarity with Webb. While the Bills have three quarterbacks on their roster, two — Tyrod Taylor and T.J. Yates –are dealing with concussions, leaving rookie Nathan Peterman as their only healthy signal-caller.

Last season, Webb appeared in all 16 games for the Panthers while playing mostly on special teams. The 30-year-old also managed one reception and returned six kicks.

Bills Release LB Sam Barrington From IR

September 3rd, 2017 at 2:30pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bills reached an injury settlement with veteran linebacker Sam Barrington and released him from IR, a source tells Tom Pelissero of USA Today (on Twitter). Barrington should be healthy in a couple weeks and at that point he’ll be free to sign with another club. Sam Barrington (vertical)

Barrington was one of ~30 players left off the roster by the Bills on Saturday as they trimmed down to a 53-man squad. The linebacker spent the first years of his career with the Packers before bouncing around the league last year. He appeared in 22 games (eight starts) while with Green Bay, but it’s fair to wonder if he’ll get another chance to see legitimate playing time after such a forgettable season.

Before signing with Buffalo, the only mention we heard of his name was a May workout for the Jaguars.

Bills To Waive WR Philly Brown

September 3rd, 2017 at 1:34pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Bills are waiving wide receiver Corey Brown, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).Corey Brown

Brown, 25, appeared in all 16 games and made eight starts for the Panthers last season. During that span, Brown managed 27 receptions for 276 yards and one touchdown. The Bills currently have five wideouts on their roster: Jordan Matthews, Zay Jones, Andre Holmes, Brandon Tate, and the recently-acquired Kaelin Clay.

Buffalo signed Brown to a one-year, $690K this spring that didn’t contain any guaranteed money, so it won’t absorb any dead cap charges as a result of cutting him.

Bills Cut LB Gerald Hodges

September 3rd, 2017 at 12:50pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bills have released linebacker Gerald Hodges, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (on Twitter). Hodges was widely expected to make the Bills’ roster.

Buffalo signed Hodges in May after meeting with the Chiefs, Seahawks, Jets, Giants, Patriots, Jaguars, and Colts in free agency. Hodges thought that the departures of of Zach Brown and Lerentee McCray would allow him to see significant playing time and perhaps even start at outside linebacker. Instead, he’s out of work heading into Week 1.

He played on approximately half of the 49ers’ defensive snaps last year while grading out as the league’s No. 21 linebacker, according to Pro Football Focus. In his 15 games, the 26-year-old racked up 80 tackles, three sacks, and two interceptions. He also was on the field for 73 special teams snaps.

Bills Cut RB Jonathan Williams

September 3rd, 2017 at 12:45pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bills have released running back Jonathan Williams, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The move was unexpected, particularly since Williams was in line to be LeSean McCoy‘s primary backup.

Jonathan Williams (vertical)

Last year, Mike Gillislee thrived as McCoy’s top understudy. Williams could have been poised for a similar leap this year, but the team apparently feels comfortable moving forward with free agent additions Mike Tolbert, Joe Banyard, and Taiwan Jones.

In 2016, his rookie campaign, Williams had only 27 carries in eleven games, but the former fifth-round pick out of Arkansas appeared to have a fair amount of promise. Of course, Williams was selected by the prior regime in Buffalo, so it could be that Brandon Beane and company simply were not as high on the ex-Razorback as their predecessors.

Nonetheless, it is a curious move, as Tolbert, Banyard, and Jones are veterans with limited upside, and Williams’ youth would have seemed attractive to a Bills team that is clearly in some form of rebuilding/retooling mode. It makes one wonder whether there were additional factors in Buffalo’s decision. Last summer, Williams was accused of driving while intoxicated, but he was found not guilty of that charge and he was not suspended by the league.

Load More Posts