Getty Isaiah Coulter makes a catch in a Chicago Bears game.
The Buffalo Bills are reaping the benefit of one of the NFL’s biggest trade deadline moves — even though they weren’t part of either side of the trade.
The Bills announced on November 3 that they signed former Chicago Bears wide receiver Isaiah Coulter to their practice squad. Coulter had been on the Bears’ active roster until earlier this week, when he was released to make room for trade-deadline acquisition Chase Claypool.
Coulter will add some veteran depth to the wide receiving corps and replace a homegrown player who was snatched away from the Bills this week.
Coulter Cut Loose in Chicago
Coulter had started the season on Chicago’s practice squad, but was elevated to the active roster in October. He had yet to appear in a game this season, and has a light NFL resume before that. Coulter was drafted by the Houston Texans in 2020 and appeared in just one game as a rookie. After being released by the Texans, he joined the Bears and appeared in three games last season, but had just one target and no catches.
PLAY FANTASY WITH HEAVY SPORTS THIS WEEKEND
Coulter entered the 2022 season with hopes of being a bigger contributor to the offense. He told ChicagoBears.com in August that he spent significant time in the offseason training with Bears quarterback Justin Fields and several other receivers, and had some strong performances in the preseason.
“Me and Justin, we’ve been throwing the ball a lot during the offseason, me, Justin, Mooney, the receivers, the tight ends and things like that,” Coulter said. “So, it’s kind of cool just seeing it all click and him making great throws today and just all throughout camp, so it’s been great. He’s a great guy. He doesn’t really yell at you for anything. He’s a good quarterback. He talks to you through things. So, you want to play for a guy like that.”
But Coulter was not able to carve out much of a role on offense, and this week was released after the trade for Claypool.
The Bills have signed WR Isaiah Coulter to the practice squad and released S Jared Mayden.
The Bills released safety Jared Mayden from the practice squad to make room for Coulter.
Bills Lost Popular Wide Receiver
Coulter could fill some of the void left by a departure for the Bills this week. The team released 2020 draft pick Isaiah Hodgins, who was claimed off waivers by the New York Giants. As a report from Giants.com noted, Hodgins will be joining some familiar faces in New York.
“The 6-foot-4, 210-pound Hodgins has played in three career games, including two this season,” the report noted. “Hodgins joined the Bills when Giants general manager Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll were on staff as Buffalo’s assistant general manager and offensive coordinator, respectively.”
Isaiah Hodgins’ 4 catches v. The Steelers this season
Hodgins was drafted by the Bills in the sixth round of the 2020 draft but missed his rookie season due to injury. He appeared in just one game last season, spending most of his time on the practice squad, but had the chance to join the active roster earlier this season after a spate of injuries to wide receivers. He made four catches for 41 yards in Buffalo’s 38-3 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.