Bills solve kick returner problem by trading with AFC East rival
Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
The Buffalo Bills waived a lot of potential kick returners as they trimmed their roster down to 53 players. Amongst those players were Tyrell Shavers, Andy Isabella, and KJ Hamler – all of which had a shot to make the team as a returner.Â
Hamler began the preseason listed as the team’s starting kick returner, but muffed a kick in the opener against the Chicago Bears.Â
In a move seemingly fixated on bringing in a potential starting returner for Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals, the Bills have traded for New York Jets defensive back Brandon Codrington.Â
Codrington was a return ace at North Carolina State where he returned two kicks for scores and averaged nearly 20 yards per punt return and 18 yards per kick return. He also had a 63-yard return against the Carolina Panthers in the preseason.
With Daequan Hardy still on the roster at the time of writing, one would think the Bills will use both defensive backs on kickoffs and lean toward Codrington as the punt returner to start the year.
Author(s)
Jarrett Bailey is a freelance NFL writer for The Sporting News. He previously wrote for USA TODAY Sports Media Group, The 33rd Team and Pro Football Network.
