Getty Washington Football Team wide receiver Steven Sims scores a touchdown during a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in January.
With their preseason finale just a few days away, the Buffalo Bills are all of a sudden very thin at the wide receiver position. The team took a step to try and alleviate that issue Wednesday by signing third-year wideout Steven Sims.
We’ve signed WR Steven Sims.
The 24-year-old entered the league in 2019 as an undrafted free agent after playing four seasons at the University of Kansas, and suited up for the Washington Football Team the last two years. Sims played in all 16 games during his rookie season, starting two of them, and brought in 34 of 56 targets for 310 receiving yards and four touchdowns.
He also showed burst on the ground, rushing nine times for 85 yards and a touchdown.
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The Bills have signed WR Steven Sims.
The Houston, Texas native took a slight step back during the 2020 season, getting into just 12 contests and missing nearly all of October action while on the injured reserved list. Sims was still able to haul in 27 receptions on 37 targets for 265 yards and one touchdown, upping his catch percentage to 73% in the process.
Bills Have Rash of Injuries, Other Ailments at WR Position
GettyJosh Allen, Gabriel Davis, Stefon Diggs and Isaiah McKenzie of the Buffalo Bills during a game against the Kansas City Chiefs in October 2020.
Just this week, the Bills have lost multiple key wideouts to both injuries and COVID-19-related issues and on their depth chart, seven of their 12 receivers currently either have “questionable” or “out” tags attached to their names.
On Tuesday, both Cole Beasley and Gabriel Davis were told to self-quarantine for five days after being placed on the COVID-19/reserve list. Later in the day, fifth-year pro Isaiah McKenzie reportedly suffered an upper-body injury after receiving a nasty hit during practice from safety Jordan Poyer.
The #Bills have signed WR Steven Sims, who was released by Washington over the weekend. Appeared in 28 games for WFT the last 2 yrs. Has KR/PR experience as well. With Stevenson & McKenzie nursing injuries, Sims a timely addition for the roster.
The team’s best wide receiver – stud Stefon Diggs – is working his way back from a knee injury and likely won’t see the field during Saturday afternoon’s preseason finale against the Green Bay Packers. Newcomer Emmanuel Sanders, plus Isaiah Hodgins and Marquez Stevenson have also battled injuries recently.
That leaves Sims, Jake Kumerow, Brandon Powell, Tanner Gentry and Rico Gafford as the only fully healthy wideouts as of Wednesday afternoon. No word yet on whether Buffalo is considering reaching out to 47-year-old Terrell Owens.
Sims Will Likely Help With Special Teams as Well
GettyWashington Football Team wide receiver Steven Sims during a preseason game on August 20.
Not only could Sims be thrust into a prominent receiving role this weekend, but his experience with returning kick-offs and punts should come in handy too. The Bills’ top-two return men are McKenzie and Stevenson and with just two weeks between the final preseason battle and Week One against the Pittsburgh Steelers, it’s hard to imagine either of them returning kicks – or playing at all – on Saturday.
During his rookie season in 2019, Sims led the NFL with 32 kick returns, was second in kick return yards at 819 and brought one back to the house as well. Last year, Sims was tied for seventh in the league in punt returns with 24, collecting 160 yards on those attempts.
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Bills Sign Former Washington Football Team WR: Report