Buffalo Bills sign veteran former Florida State defensive back
The NFL is still in the early stages of the 2022 regular season. With that being said, there are a couple of teams that have already been decimated by injuries to specific position groups.
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The Buffalo Bills played without cornerbacks Tre'Davious White and Dane Johnson on Sunday while rookie Christian Benford fractured his hand during the loss. Starting safety Micah Hyde is out for the season while fellow starting safety missed the game against the Dolphins but returned to practice this week.
On Tuesday evening, it was announced that the Bills were signing veteran cornerback and former Florida State star, Xavier Rhodes, to their practice squad. Rhodes was on the field in Buffalo on Wednesday for his first practice with the team and Von Miller stopped by to greet him.
.@VonMiller had to greet the new guy. 😁
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) September 28, 2022
Welcome to Buffalo, @XavierRhodes29_!@Gatorade | #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/akPrct7ec5
The Florida native had previously been a free agent after spending the last two seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. He totaled 81 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 19 pass breakups, and three interceptions in 29 starts.
Rhodes began his professional career with the Minnesota Vikings after being selected in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft. During his nine years in the league, he has racked up 456 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 92 pass breakups, 13 interceptions, and two defensive touchdowns. He has been selected to the Pro Bowl three times and earned All-Pro honors in 2017.
Prior to his time in the NFL, Rhodes starred at Florida State from 2009-12. He converted to cornerback early in his college career and developed into a three-year starter. Rhodes recorded 140 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 2 sacks and 8 interceptions in garnet and gold. He was the only player from the ACC to be named a semifinalist for the Thorpe Award.
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