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After taking Keon Coleman with their first draft pick, the Buffalo Bills are making another addition to their wide receiving corps.
The team announced on April 29 that they signed free agent receiver Quintez Cephus to a one-year deal. The former Detroit Lions pass-catcher is coming off a one-year suspension for violating the league’s rules against gambling, with the move drawing some pushback from fans.
Quintez Cephus Brings Light Resume to Buffalo
Cephus came into the NFL as a fifth-round draft pick of the Lions in 2020, playing a light role in his three seasons in Detroit. After a productive start to his career with 20 receptions for 349 yards and two touchdowns in 13 games his rookie season, Cephus took a step back in 2021 with just 15 receptions for 204 yards and two touchdowns in 2021 and just two catches for 15 yards in 2022 while dealing with on and off injuries.
Cephus did not play in 2023 as he was suspended for violating the league’s gambling rules. As The Associated Press noted, he was one of three Lions players to be suspended and was handed the biggest punishment, an indefinite suspension that lasted the entire season.
“Cephus was one of three players suspended indefinitely last April for betting on NFL games in 2022,” the report noted.” Two of his teammates at the time, fellow receivers Stanley Berryhill and Jameson Williams, received six-game suspensions for betting on non-NFL games at the team facility.”
As Bills reporter Chris Brown noted on X, general manager Brandon Beane said shortly after the completion of the NFL Draft that the team had worked out a receiver and planned to sign him. The move sparked some controversy among fans, with some questioning whether he would be a fit for the culture that Beane and head coach Sean McDermott have been building.
“Not really sure what the motivation was to bring in Quintez Cephus, a fringe roster player coming off suspension who adds nothing to this roster….,” one fan wrote on X.
Bills Addressing Wide Receiving Corps
After losing No. 2 receiver Gabe Davis in free agency and shipping top receiver Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans, the Bills have made some moves to bring in new talent. Beane traded back twice in the first round of the NFL Draft, ultimately taking Coleman with the first pick of the second round.
Coleman said he felt an immediate connection to Buffalo when he visited before the NFL Draft, saying he encouraged the team to pick him.
“It’s been a great mutual interest and when I came on my [Top 30] visit, I was like, ‘Why are y’all letting me leave? I plan on coming back,'” Coleman said. “So we ended up making that happen.”
The Bills also went to work after the completion of the NFL Draft, landing undrafted free-agent receiver Xavier Johnson Jr. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler noted that Johnson was a standout on special teams at Ohio State and a multi-sport star in high school.
“A three-star recruit, he had double-digit football offers (plus several basketball offers) but chose instead to walk on at his dream school, Ohio State,” Brugler wrote. “He earned a role on special teams each of the last five seasons, finishing his career with a remarkable 899 snaps and 14 tackles.”
