The Buffalo Bills are fine-tuning their roster in the weeks before training camp, parting ways with a veteran wide receiver who was expected to compete for a key role with the team.
The Bills this week landed wide receiver Quentin Skinner, claiming him off waivers after the New York Jets cut ties with him. To make room on their 90-man roster, the Bills released veteran wide receiver Deven Thompkins in a move that could clear the way for another player on the roster bubble.
Bills Drop Receiver Without Ever Seeing Him Play
The Bills had initially signed Thompkins last month, adding a speedy receiver and return specialist who appeared in 36 games since coming into the NFL in 2022. Thompkins made 29 receptions for 162 yards and one touchdown while regularly returning kicks and punts.
Thompkins went undrafted after leaving Utah State, first signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and earning praise from head coach Todd Bowles.
“He’s quick, he’s fast, he’s explosive off of the ball, and he’s made some good catches,” Bowles said. “I’ll be looking at him.”
Though Thompkins has struggled to find a place in the NFL, he was a strong performer in college with 71 receptions for 2,519 yards and 15 touchdowns, while also averaging 24.9 yards on kick returns.
Thompkins never got a chance to prove himself with the Bills, joining the team after their mandatory minicamp but leaving with close to two weeks before training camp opens.
Another Bills WR Could Benefit From Move
While the Bills still have the same number of receivers after swapping Thompkins out for Skinner, the move this week could benefit a veteran player on the fringes of the roster. The Bills added veteran receiver and return specialist Mecole Hardman late last season, but he is expected to face a fight for his job this summer.
Sean Murphy of SB Nation’s Buffalo Rumblings suggested that Hardman will need to differentiate himself on special teams if he wants to earn a spot on the final 53-man roster, a task that could become a bit easier now that Thompkins is gone.
The Bills are set at kick returner with backup running back Ray Davis, but expected to hold an open competition for the punt returner position.
“If Hardman Jr. wants to pull a Macho Man and make everyone realize that he is, in fact, the cream of the crop, he’ll have to offer consistency in the return game, especially as a punt returner,” Murphy wrote. “With Ray Davis emerging as an All-Pro kickoff returner last year, the Bills have far less need there than they did last season. Hardman Jr. can make the team by consistently fielding punts and putting Buffalo’s offense in a position to succeed.”
The Bills could have more opportunities, with few receivers set in their spots on the depth chart. While newcomer DJ Moore and veteran Khalil Shakir are set in stone, the other players are expected to jostle for spots on the depth chart. That includes Keon Coleman, the team’s second-round draft pick in 2024 who found himself in trouble last season as he was benched twice for disciplinary reasons.
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