The Buffalo Bills made a pair of roster moves on Sunday, one day before the team takes the field for their first padded practices of this year’s training camp on Monday. Both moves involved the same position as the Bills signed two defensive tackles, the team announced.
Those two players are Tanzel Smart and Justin Zimmer, who’s actually re-joining the Bills. Back in 2016, Zimmer signed with Buffalo as an undrafted rookie free agent, but was cut at the end of training camp. Zimmer then jumped to the Saints for the remainder of that season, and then made his NFL debut with the Falcons in 2018. Last season, he spent time on the Browns’ active roster. Overall, he’s played in three games recording five tackles, including one for loss.
Smart was drafted in the sixth round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Rams, where he’s spent the past three seasons. In 31 games, he has 21 tackles and one pass defended.
In signing two defensive tackles, it appears the Bills are leaving no stone unturned in their efforts to replace Star Lotulelei in the team’s starting defense after he opted out of playing in 2020. Defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier recently hinted at this, as he made a reference to Quinton Jefferson potentially being tried out in Lotulelei’s spot. Jefferson is not someone on paper pegged to play in Lotulelei’s role.
In corresponding moves, the Bills waived/ injured defensive tackle Niles Scott, who only recently joined the Bills but was evidently hurt in some conditioning work in his short stint with the team.
Along with Scott, wide receiver Nick Easley was released as well. He made a bit of noise during training camp last year, but still appeared to be a longshot to make the team’s roster in 2020. He was behind the likes of Isaiah McKenzie, Duke Williams, Robert Foster, an Isaiah Hodgins… all of which are much on the roster bubble themselves.
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