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Head coach Sean McDermott of the Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills hoped to add depth to their secondary when they signed an athletic and promising young cornerback last week, but a more pressing need has now pushed him back off the team.
The Bills announced on Tuesday that they parted ways with cornerback M.J. Devonshire, who was added to the practice squad before last week’s game against the New England Patriots. The team then used the open spot to add veteran kicker Michael Badgley, who is expected to take the field this weekend after an injury to Matt Prater.
Bills Used Second Chance to Land M.J. Devonshire
The Bills had their eyes on Devonshire when he came into the NFL in 2024, meeting with the Pitt defensive back prior to the NFL draft but ultimately not landing him. The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia noted that the Bills took advantage of their second crack at Devonshire, who had been a free agent after being released by the Baltimore Ravens in August.
“Another Pitt DB for the Bills locker room,” Buscaglia shared in a post on X. “The Bills showed some pre-draft interest in Devonshire in 2024. His arm length is nearly 33 inches, so perhaps that signals they’re looking at him at boundary CB. Definitely an interesting one.”
Devonshire earned some buzz coming out of college, running a 40-yard dash in 4.35 seconds, the 11th best at his position in the draft.
Devonshire came to the Bills at a time of unexpected need in the secondary. The Bills lost trusted reserve cornerback Ja’Marcus Ingram during their failed attempt to bring veteran Darius Slay onto the roster. Slay had been waived by the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Bills put in a successful claim, but Slay then said he didn’t want to report to Buffalo.
The Bills decided to place Slay on the reserve list, but not before losing Ingram. He was placed on waivers and claimed by the Houston Texans, a development that left Bills head coach Sean McDermott visibly angry when he addressed the roster chances with reporters days later.
Bills Fill Immediate Need
While Devonshire could return to the Bills at some point, his spot on the practice squad will be occupied by Badgley for the indefinite future. McDermott said Prater suffered a quad injury and would be “week to week.”
The team announced Badgley’s signing on Tuesday, noting that he has been a reliable field goal kicker in the past.
“Badgley last appeared for the Colts earlier this season where he played in seven games and went 10 for 11 (91%) on field goal attempts. He was 4 for 4 on 40-49-yard field goals and 2 for 3 on 50-59-yard field goals,” the team noted in its announcement of Badgley’s signing. “Dating back to the 2021 season, Badgley has connected on 56 of 65 (86%) of his field goal attempts.”
The Bills were already down their regular kicker after Tyler Bass suffered an injury before the season started and was placed on injured reserve. Prater has filled in well, kicking a game-winning field goal against the Ravens just days after being signed prior to the start of the season.
Badgley joins the team at a critical time. The Bills can clinch a playoff spot this weekend with a win and a loss or tie from either the Texans or Indianapolis Colts.
Nathan Dougherty is a sports reporter covering the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins. Previously he wrote for the Rochester Business Journal and served as the assistant editor of athletic trade magazines Coaching Management, Athletic Management and Training & Conditioning. He is based out of Rochester, New York, and loves everything football. More about Nathan Dougherty
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