Bills Pare Roster To 53; LB Matt Milano Receives IR-Return Designation
Here is how the Bills dropped their roster to the 53-man limit:
Released:
- DT Eli Ankou
- WR Deon Cain
- OL Will Clapp
- OL La’el Collins
- WR KJ Hamler
- S Kareem Jackson
- WR Andy Isabella
- DT DeShawn Williams
Waived:
- OL Keaton Bills
- OL Gunner Britton
- DE Kameron Cline
- CB Te’Cory Couch
- TE Zach Davidson
- DT Branson Deen
- QB Ben DiNucci
- OL Mike Edwards
- RB Frank Gore Jr.
- OL Richard Gouraige
- CB Daequan Hardy
- WR Xavier Johnson
- DE Kingsley Jonathan
- CB Keni-H Lovely
- TE Tre’ McKitty
- WR Tyrell Shavers
- WR Justin Shorter
- DT Gable Steveson
- S Kendall Williamson
Placed on IR:
- T Travis Clayton
Placed on IR (return designation)
- RB Darrynton Evans
- LB Matt Milano
Milano suffered a biceps tear and will aim to return late in the season, though the All-Pro linebacker’s injury trouble is obviously a big-picture concern at this point. The Bills are also using one of their eight IR activations, mandated for teams who take advantage of the new rule to designate IR-return players today, on a backup running back. That is a rather interesting decision, as Evans has totaled just 62 carries since being drafted in the 2020 third round.
Residing on the Bills’ roster bubble going into camp, Damar Hamlin made the team. Ditto Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who joined Hamlin on the bubble. The bubble burst — for the time being, at least — on Collins and Clapp, who were vying for swing spots. Collins had been shuttled to guard — where he had not played since 2016 — in recent practices. Jackson joined the Bills after they ran into some injury trouble at safety early in camp.
Steveson, who has an Olympic wrestling gold medal, could be a practice squad candidate. The Eagles carried Olympian hurdler Devon Allen on their P-squad for two years, though the latter has far more football seasoning compared to Steveson. Attempting to follow in his father’s footsteps by securing a Bills gig, Gore is a P-squad candidate, per the Buffalo News’ Ryan O’Halloran. He will need to clear waivers first.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/13/23
Today’s minor moves from around the NFL:
Arizona Cardinals
- Designated to return from IR: CB Bobby Price
Buffalo Bills
- Designated to return from IR: WR Justin Shorter
Dallas Cowboys
- Designated to return from IR: DL Viliami Fehoko
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Designated to return from IR: WR Jamal Agnew
Miami Dolphins
- Placed on IR: C Connor Williams (story)
New England Patriots
- Designated to return from IR: T Tyrone Wheatley Jr.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed to active roster: WR David Moore
Washington Commanders
- Designated to return from IR: G Saahdiq Charles
- Signed to active roster: DE Joshua Pryor
- Placed on IR: LB Jamin Davis (story)
Agnew has missed the four games required to return from injured reserve, and though he’s not been activated yet, the Jaguars took the first step towards that outcome today in returning him to practice. It was shoulder and rib injuries that led to the return specialist’s placement on IR. During his absence the team had turned to rookie sixth-round receiver Parker Washington to return punts and veteran backup running back D’Ernest Johnson to return kickoffs. Jacksonville still has a few days to determine whether or not they’ll activate him right away for this weekend. If not, the team will have 21 days to activate him before his practice window closes and Agnew is reverted to season-ending IR.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/31/23
Following a busy roster deadline day on Tuesday, teams continue to reshuffle their rosters. Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Claimed on waivers (from Colts): OL Carter O’Donnell
- Placed on IR: OL Dennis Daley, LB Myjai Sanders
- Waived from IR: OT Lachavious Simmons
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: QB Josh Johnson, CB Kevon Seymour, DE Brent Urban
- Placed on IR: LB Malik Hamm, RB Keaton Mitchell, CB Damarion Williams
Buffalo Bills
- Placed on IR: WR Justin Shorter, LB Baylon Spector
Carolina Panthers
- Placed on IR: TE Stephen Sullivan
Chicago Bears
- Waived from IR: RB Trestan Ebner, OL Gabe Houy
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: DT Maurice Hurst
- Placed on IR: LB Jordan Kunaszyk
Detroit Lions
- Signed: RB Craig Reynolds
- Placed on IR: LB Julian Okwara
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: LS Matt Orzech
- Placed on IR: OT Luke Tenuta
Indianapolis Colts
- Waived: G Arlington Hambright
Los Angeles Chargers
- Waived from IR: LB Blake Lynch
New York Giants
- Waived from IR: CB Zyon Gilbert
New York Jets
- Placed on IR: OT Carter Warren, TE Kenny Yeboah
Seattle Seahawks
- Waived from IR: S Joey Blount
Tennessee Titans
- Released: OL Justin Murray
The Ravens brought back a trio of veterans to their 53-man roster. Brent Urban is probably destined for the biggest role, with the veteran lineman serving as the top backup to Broderick Washington at defensive end. Urban got into 16 games for Baltimore last season, collecting 21 tackles and one sack. Veteran QB Josh Johnson will slide behind Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley on the depth chart, and Kevon Seymour will continue his role as a key special teamer.
The Cardinals are temporarily losing some production with offensive lineman Dennis Daley and linebacker Myjai Sanders being placed on IR. Daley joined the Cardinals on a two-year deal this offseason after starting 15 of his 17 appearances for the Titans in 2022. Sanders had a productive rookie campaign, with the third-round pick collecting 23 tackles, three sacks, and one forced fumble.
Julian Okwara has turned into a productive pass-rushing option in Detroit. The former third-round pick has collected seven sacks over the past two seasons, but he’ll now be sidelined for the start of the season while recovering from a knee injury suffered during in the preseason finale.
Wednesday NFL Transactions: AFC East
Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline Tuesday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters. In addition to waiver claims, teams can begin constructing their 16-man practice squads today. These Bills, Dolphins, Jets and Patriots moves are noted below.
Buffalo Bills
Signed:
Claimed:
Waived:
Signed to practice squad:
- DT Eli Ankou, WR Marcell Ateman, CB Kyron Brown, DE Kameron Cline, DL Richard Gouraige, CB Ja’Marcus Ingram, WR Andy Isabella, OL Kevin Jarvis, RB Ty Johnson, OL Greg Mancz, WR Tyrell Shavers, WR Bryan Thompson, DT Kendall Vickers, TE Joel Wilson
Placed on IR:
- LB Baylon Spector, WR Justin Shorter
Miami Dolphins
Signed:
- TE Tyler Kroft, CB Parry Nickerson
Claimed:
Waived:
Signed to practice squad:
- CB Ethan Bonner, DE Randy Charlton, TE Tanner Conner, LB Cameron Goode, DT Da’Shawn Hand, LB Alexander Johnson, WR Braylon Sanders, OL Alama Uluave
New England Patriots
Claimed:
Waived:
Signed to practice squad:
- S Joshuah Bledsoe, TE Pharaoh Brown, QB Malik Cunningham (story), OL James Ferentz, LB Joe Giles-Harris, RB Kevin Harris, RB Ty Montgomery, LB Calvin Munson, OLB Ronnie Perkins, WR Thyrick Pitts, OL Kody Russey, TE Matt Sokol, OL Andrew Stueber, P Corliss Waitman, QB Bailey Zappe (story)
New York Jets
Signed:
Claimed:
Waived:
Signed to practice squad:
- QB Tim Boyle, TE Zack Kuntz, OL Adam Pankey, DL Tanzel Smart, DL Marquiss Spencer, LB Samuel Eguavoen, LB Caleb Johnson, S Trey Dean, CB Craig James, CB Nehemiah Shelton
Placed on IR:
- T Carter Warren, TE Kenny Yeboah
Bills Sign Second-Round G O’Cyrus Torrence
The Bills have just about finished signing their entire draft class. The team announced the signing of five rookies today, including second-round offensive lineman O’Cyrus Torrence.
After three seasons at Louisiana, Torrence followed coach Billy Napier to Florida for the 2022 campaign. The move ended up working out; the lineman earned a consensus All-American nod and a first-team All-SEC selection.
Torrence was considered one of the top guard prospects in the draft, but he was ultimately the fifth player at his position to hear his name called (behind Steve Avila, Matthew Bergeron, Cody Mauch, and Keeanu Benton). His lack of athleticism may have contributed to his drop, but he’s been lauded for his size and know-how at the position. In Buffalo, he’ll see competition from Ryan Bates, Connor McGovern, and David Edwards for the two starting guard spots.
The Bills also announced that they’ve officially signed third-round linebacker Dorian Williams, fifth-round wideout Justin Shorter, seventh-round guard Nick Broeker, and seventh-round cornerback Alex Austin.
As our 2023 NFL Team-by-Team Draft Results show, the Bills have signed all but one rookie: first-round tight end Dalton Kincaid.
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/10/23
Teams are moving quickly on inking their Day 3 draftees to their four-year rookie deals, with this process involving a slot system that does not feature many complications for late-round players. Here are the latest such agreements to commence:
Atlanta Falcons
- S DeMarcco Hellams (seventh round, Alabama)
Buffalo Bills
- LB Dorian Williams (third round, Tulane)
- WR Justin Shorter (fifth round, Florida)
Carolina Panthers
- OLB D.J. Johnson (third round, Oregon)
Detroit Lions
- WR Antoine Green (seventh round, North Carolina)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- FB Derek Parish, (seventh round, Houston)
New England Patriots
- P Bryce Baringer (sixth round, Michigan State)
- WR Demario Douglas (sixth round, Liberty)
San Francisco 49ers
- K Jake Moody (third round, Michigan)
- CB Darrell Luter Jr. (fifth round, South Alabama)
Washington Commanders
- DE Andre Jones Jr. (seventh round, Louisiana)
Johnson transferred back to the west coast after a freshman year at Miami (FL). He established himself as one of the most versatile players in the country while in Eugene, contributing for the Ducks on defense as an edge rusher and on offense as a tight end. Carolina drafted him for his defensive potential.
Moody is the expected replacement for Robbie Gould, who departed in free agency this spring after six years with San Francisco. Likewise, New England moved on from punter Jake Bailey after a couple of internal disagreements. Baringer is expected to take over for the one-time All-Pro punter.