Bills Release LB Sam Barrington From IR
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. 
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
The Bills are waiving wide receiver Corey Brown, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
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
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
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.
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.
Panthers Ship WR Kaelin Clay To Bills
Brandon Beane‘s Panthers ties look to have helped a trade agreement, one that will send wide receiver Kaelin Clay to the Bills. Carolina traded Clay to Buffalo on Saturday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). The Panthers will receive cornerback Kevon Seymour and a 2019 seventh-round pick in return.
Clay spent barely four months with the Panthers but arrived when Beane was still in his previous role as Carolina’s assistant GM. While Beane joined the Bills in May, Beane was part of the staff that brought in the wideout/return specialist a month earlier.
Now, Clay — a third-year player out of Utah — will trek to western New York and join Beane’s new organization. The 5-foot-10 receiver has yet to catch an NFL pass but did serve as the Ravens’ primary kick and punt returner as a rookie. He returned a punt for a touchdown in his second NFL game. A sixth-round Baltimore pick in 2015, Clay did not play last season.
Seymour was the Bills’ final pick in the 2016 draft. He appeared in 15 games last year and even made three starts.
Bills Cut 30 Players, Reach 53-Man Limit
The Bills have reached the 53-man max in advance of the deadline. Here’s the full rundown of their moves, courtesy of the team.
Released:
- QB Keith Wenning
- RB Jordan Johnson
- WR Daikiel Shorts
- WR Brandon Reilly
- WR Dezmin Lewis
- TE Wes Saxton
- TE Rory Anderson
- OL Cameron Jefferson
- OL Jordan Mudge
- OL Greg Pyke
- OL Zach Voytek
- DE Max Vallea
- DE Ian Seau
- DT Nigel Williams
- DT Marquavius Lewis
- LB Abner Logan
- LB Jacob Lindsey
- LB Carl Bradford
- CB Bradley Sylve
- CB Marcus Sayles
- S Adrian McDonald
- S Joe Powell
- S B.T. Sanders
Released with injury settlement:
- WR Rod Streater
- S Shamiel Gary
Waived/Injured:
- WR Jeremy Butler
- OL Michael Ola
Placed on IR:
Reserve/Suspended:
Brandon Beane Discusses Marcell Dareus
The Bills sent big-money defensive tackle Marcell Dareus home before their preseason game against the Ravens last week after he violated a team rule, leaving general manager Brandon Beane unsure if the two-time Pro Bowler is part of the solution. Asked this week if Dareus is on board with what the team is trying to build, Beane told Joe Buscaglia of WKBW (via Mark Inabinett of AL.com): “I don’t know. Time will tell. It was disappointing, as I said, after that game. He was contrite yesterday and said the right things. Actions speak louder than words. Time will tell. Hopefully, he is. We hope he’ll play to his potential. We know what kind of player he can be. We hope to see that on the field.” Even if the Bills are fed up with Dareus, who has multiple suspensions on his resume, moving on from the cornerstone defender in the near future would be extremely difficult because of the structure of his contract. The Bills inked Dareus to a six-year, $91.5MM extension in September 2015.
- The Steelers expect the NFL to fully reinstate wide receiver Martavis Bryant in advance of Week 1, GM Kevin Colbert told Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh-Post Gazette (Twitter link). The league suspended Bryant for all of last season for repeated violations of its substance abuse policy, conditionally reinstated the 25-year-old in April and gave him clearance to participate in the preseason three weeks ago. He hasn’t appeared in a meaningful game since a playoff loss to the Broncos on Jan. 17, 2016.
Can Bills Shed Marcell Dareus' Deal?
Mike Rodak of ESPN.com wonders when the Bills get out from defensive tackle Marcell Dareus‘ contract. Signed to a six-year extension with $60MM guaranteed by Doug Whaley’s front office, Dareus has become a major headache for Buffalo due to discipline and legal issues. New GM Brandon Beane won’t say whether he’s looking to dump Dareus, but he did indicate that he’s on a short leash.
If the Bills were to cut him this offseason, his entire $16.1MM cap number would remain on the books, plus $7.35MM of his ’18 pay. Trading him before Week 1, meanwhile, would give them cap savings of $9.75MM for this year, but would still leave them with the same $14.2MM dead money charge in 2018.
If the Bills wait until next offseason to cut Dareus, they’ll still be facing unpalatable cap charges. Their best option would be to find a trade partner willing to take on the fully guaranteed portions of his salary. Dareus is undeniably talented, but it’s hard to see a team rolling the dice on him with this price tag. The Bills might just have to keep Dareus for the coming season and hope that he performs up to par.
Bills Release Bacarri Rambo, Others
The Bills are getting a head start on their roster cuts in advance of the Saturday deadline. The team announced that the following six players have been waived:
- RB Cedric O’Neal
- S Bacarri Rambo
- DE Jake Metz
- G Karim Barton
- WR Rashad Ross
- CB Jumal Rolle
Rambo, 27, had his first stint with the Bills in 2014 and 2015, appearing in a combined 19 games with eight starts. Last year, he joined the Dolphins midway through the year and racked up 39 total tackles, one interceptions, and three passes defensed in nine games (five starts). He returned to the Bills this July, but he was not able to stick for long.
Metz, 26, spent the bulk of last year with the Qingdao Clipper of the China Arena Football League. He’ll presumably try to find another NFL gig, but he could also wind up getting a new stamp in his passport.
Buffalo’s roster now stands at 83 players, meaning that they still have to cut 30 guys by Saturday afternoon.
Adolphus Washington Found Not Guilty On Firearms Charge
- Previous comments from Bills GM Brandon Beane indicated Reggie Ragland‘s standing on the updated Buffalo depth chart wasn’t to be taken as gospel, but it now appears the former Alabama stalwart was not a fit for Sean McDermott‘s 4-3 scheme, Mike Rodak of ESPN.com writes. After trading Ragland to the Chiefs, the Bills are placing their trust in Preston Brown to play the Luke Kuechly role in McDermott’s defense. The 2014 third-round pick has started all but two games during his Bills tenure and hasn’t missed a game. Entering his contract year, Brown has plenty riding on 2017. But it looks like McDermott believed Brown, who began his career as 4-3 middle linebacker before working in Rex Ryan‘s 3-4 for two years, could fill that job better than Ragland.
- Arrested on a firearms charge in July, Bills defensive tackle Adolphus Washington was found not guilty of possessing a concealed weapon, an Ohio judge ruled Monday (via WIVB.com). A second-year player, Washington was arrested for allegedly pulling out a firearm at a water park July 9 in Sharonville, Ohio. The 2016 third-round pick started 11 games for Buffalo last season.