Archives for September 7, 2015

'It was thought that one of those spots could go to quarterback Matt Simms, who was released Friday. As it stands now, however, that won’t be possible. NFL rules state that a team can’t have more than two players on the practice squad who have spent at least nine games on an active roster is a previous season. Richardson appeared in 12 games last season for the Bills, while Reddick played in 16 games as a rookie in 2013 with New Orleans.'

'This seems like a typical case of a GM favoring his own guy. To a great degree, Whaley’s reputation is tied to Manuel’s, whether he likes it or not. This makes two years in a row where the QB situation was in flux a week before the opener. That reflects poorly on the GM.'

'Mulligan, who has a reputation in the NFL as a strong blocker, may have benefited from what is expected to be an offense emphasizing the run under new Bills head coach Rex Ryan.'

'Fred Jackson didn’t start in high school, wasn’t recruited to play in college, and had next to no chance of hooking on in the NFL, much less surviving and then thriving for eight seasons. If anybody is capable of bucking the decades-long pattern of running backs unable to carry on into their mid-30s, he is.'

'Ikard signed with Tennessee last year, but missed his entire rookie season because of a knee injury. He provides depth to an offensive line that was down to seven players.'

'Ikard played in 52 games with 50 starts in his college career at Oklahoma.'

'Cassel's cap figure, about $2.5 million less than Manuel's, drove this decision. The Bills are trying to re-sign defensive tackle Marcell Dareus to a massive contract extension – ideally before the opener, though that could be difficult – and they need every penny they can find. Since the roster paring began late last week, the Bills have released 21 players and have trimmed more than $14.3 million in salary-cap space, second only to the New York Giants.'

'The team also announced they have signed S Jonathan Meeks, WR Dezmin Lewis, G Cyril Richardson, LB Kevin Reddick and RB Cierre Wood to the Practice Squad. All five players were with the team before being released last week.'

'Rex Ryan told anyone who’d listen all offseason how impressed he was with Mario Butler. He wasn’t lying, because Butler came out of virtually nowhere to make the team.'

'That means the Bills will, as of right now, go into the season with only two QBs, something Rex Ryan said he didn’t expect to do all the way up until the final week of the preseason. If Tyrod Taylor gets injured or struggles, a lot will fall on EJ Manuel. This is a risky move, but after Manuel’s growth and final two weeks of camp, the organization feels confident he can steer the ship if called upon.'

'Ikard entered the NFL in 2014 as an undrafted free agent of the Tennessee Titans. The 6-4, 304-pound Oklahoma product spent his rookie season on injured reserve. Ikard played in 52 games with 50 starts in his college career at Oklahoma.'

'“You lose that excitement almost, but watching my teammates the last few weeks I’ve been excited especially young guys who came in and got their work and run the ball well,” Williams said after Friday’s practice. “Getting back to it has been very fun.”'