The Buffalo Bills are parting ways with a rookie defensive end just days after he got into a scuffle at training camp.
The Bills announced that they waived undrafted rookie Hayden Harris with an injury designation. Harris suffered a hamstring issue that led to his release, though he could potentially return to the team once he recovers.
Harris Scuffled With Veteran Bills Lineman
Harris was looking to earn a spot on the team but landed in some hot water when he got into a fight with veteran offensive lineman Alec Anderson. Though Harris took some heat for the move, Bills head coach Sean McDermott said afterward that he was more upset with Anderson, who was ejected from that practice.
“When you cheap-shot someone, I have no respect for that. And so, I thought that was a cheap-shot, and so I sent him to the locker room, and I communicated clearly to him from a following up standpoint of why I did that,” McDermott said, via SI.com.
The Bills could potentially bring back Harris once he recovers, as the team has done in the past once players with an injury designation are ready to return. The training camp fight didn’t appear to weight too heavily in the team’s decision to release him, especially after McDermott pointed the finger at Anderson.
The Bills used the roster spot vacated by Harris’s departure to bring back a familiar face, defensive lineman Kameron Cline. He returned to the team for his third stint, spending time with the team in the 2023 and 2024 seasons and appearing in one game last season.
Bills Aiming to Add Depth at Defensive Line
The Bills made some big additions to the defensive line this year, especially the addition of Joey Bosa in free agency. The team parted ways with veteran Von Miller to start the offseason and added Bosa in the hope of finding a spark with the veteran.
Bosa said he is excited about the prospect of playing in Buffalo, saying it reminds him of the atmosphere when he played his college ball at Ohio State.
“I really enjoyed my years in LA, but coming to a team back like the Ohio State days, where you’re really living in a football town with an unbelievable fan base, it’s really got me excited,” Bosa said, via SI.com.
Bosa said the Bills weren’t initially in his free agency plans, but the team reached out and the pieces fell together quickly.
âIt just happened fast,” Bosa said. “Coach reached out to me, and all the staff reached out to me, and they were really interested in me. They thought highly of my game, and they think I have a lot to offer to this team.”
The Bills made some other big additions to the defensive line, using three of their first four draft picks on the line. The team also made a big investment in defensive end Gregory Rousseau, giving him a four-year contract extension worth a total of $80 million to start the offseason.
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