The Buffalo Bills made a trade at the end of August, sending a sixth-round pick to the New York Jets in exchange for Brandon Codrington. Although it’s rare to trade in the division, the Bills needed immediate help with kick and punt returns.
So far, the undrafted rookie out of NC Central has delivered.
On only four touches on special teams through three weeks, he has one kick return for 53 yards and punt returns of 22 yards and 19 yards. Pro Football Focus has Codrington as the fifth-best return man in the league, with a return grade of 69.3.
Not only is the 23-year-old cornerback racking up return yards but he’s making smart decisions. Head coach Sean McDermott was asked how Codrington has handled things so far on special teams, and McDermott sounded confident.
“For a rookie to make those plays… I thought the decision-making was really good in those moments because one, in particular, was not an easy decision to make, especially for a rookie. And I believe that comes from his work leading up to the game.”
In his three-year career at NC Central, Codrington racked up a combined 1,365 yards between kick and punt returns. He averaged 18.2 yards per kick return and 14.2 yards per punt return. He scored three punt return touchdowns.