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A return specialist who had a short stint with the Buffalo Bills during Josh Allen’s rookie season has found a home in a new upstart league — and is already one of the top players.
Victor Bolden Jr., who made a stop in Buffalo in 2018, was one of the top draft picks of the USFL’s Birmingham Stallions. Though he struggled to catch on in the NFL, Bolden has made a mark in the new league as both a return specialist and wide receiver.
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Bolden Leads League
Bills fans may remember Bolden for his work at the end of the 2018 season. The Bills signed him in December 2018 off the San Francisco 49ers practice squad, and Bolden appeared in two games in the 6-10 season. During that stretch, he returned five kicks for a 23.2-yard average, with a long of 28 yards.
He has already made a much bigger impression on the USFL so far. Through four games so far, Bolden leads the USFL with 702 all-purpose yards. He also has a league-leading 102 punt-return yards and 390 kick return yards, helping lead the Stallions to a league-best 4-0 record.
After leading the Stallions to a win over the New Orleans Breakers in Week 3, Bolden said his team’s NFL experience shines through.
“We have a lot of leadership on this team,” said Bolden, who had six catches for 70 yards and a receiving touchdown in the win. “A lot of older guys who’ve experienced tough games and close games before. So, we just continue to play the next play, and these guys keep stepping up.”
Another Bills Receiver Making Waves
Bolden is not the only former Bills wideout doing well in the USFL. Lance Lenoir Jr., who spent time with the team in the 2021 preseason last year but failed to make the final cut, has 134 receiving yards and one touchdown.
Before the start of the USFL season, The Athletic’s Brandon Howard pegged him as one of the most talented players on the Michigan Panthers.
“Lenoir has been around a while and he simply just knows how to get open,” he wrote. “There are two things about his game that will make him a regular target for Shea Patterson. First, he gets into his routes in a hurry. He doesn’t spend a lot of time dancing at the line of scrimmage. Secondly, he does a great job creating separation at the top of his routes.”
Some believed that the 27-year-old Lenoir could have had a strong chance to make the Bills roster last season — were the team not so stacked at wide receiver. WGR 550’s Sal Capaccio noted at the time that Lenoir looked very good in training camp.
