The Buffalo Bills are cutting ties with a space-filling defensive tackle just one day after he returned to the team from a suspension — and could have a new role in mind for him.
Phidarian Mathis was handed a three-game suspension for violating the league’s drug policy, returning to the team after their win over the Los Angeles Chargers. The Bills had a three-day period to determine whether to add Mathis to their active roster, but instead released him.
Bills Have New Plan for Phidarian Mathis
Reporter Sal Capaccio of WGR 550 noted that the Bills intend to bring Mathis back to their practice squad, assuming no other team offers to sign him to an active roster.
“The Bills have released DT Phidarian Mathis, via the NFL transactions wire,” Capaccio wrote in a post on X. “But the expectation is that he will be re-signed to the club’s practice squad ahead of tomorrow’s practice. They have one PS spot available. Mathis returned from a 3-game suspension this week”
The team would have needed to clear a spot on their active roster to add Mathis, which would have required cutting another player as no one appears eligible to move to injured reserve. That could be good news for T.J. Sanders, who underwent an appendectomy last week but appears set to return in less than four weeks.
Mathis was an important part of the defensive line rotation last year, appearing in six games and making 13 total tackles. He has struggled with injuries over the course of his NFL career, appearing in just 29 total games since coming into the league in 2022 with the Washington Commanders.
Bills Defense Came Through in Chargers Win
After struggling through the first two weeks of the season — surrendering 31 points in wins over the Houston Texans and Detroit Lions — Buffalo’s defense clamped down against the Chargers. Despite falling into an early 10-0 lead as the Chargers took advantage of two turnovers, the Bills defense allowed just six points the rest of the way despite another three turnovers from the offense.
“We gave up 62 points in the first two games, so to only give up 16 [on Sunday], that’s a big step toward where we’re trying to go,” said safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who made an interception at the goal line on Sunday. “It wasn’t really dependent on what the offense did [on Sunday]. We were focused on what we could do as a defense.”
Veteran linebacker Terrel Bernard said the team is growing more comfortable in the new scheme under defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard.
“The more reps we get with each other, the more comfortable we get, the better we’ll be,” ILB Terrel Bernard said. “And you know, I feel like we did that [on Sunday]. We took a step forward. Obviously, there’s a lot to clean up, but I feel like we really took a step forward.”
Bills Cut Ties With Veteran DT One Day After He Returns From Suspension