Bills to sign blazing fast WR who is familiar with front office

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reports that the Buffalo Bills are set to sign veteran wide receiver Damiere Byrd.

Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

The Buffalo Bills are set to add some additional speed and experience to their receiving corps, as they’ve agreed to terms with wide receiver Damiere Byrd, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. The 31-year-old worked out for the team on Monday afternoon.

#Bills are signing WR Damiere Byrd, per source. Speedy WR and return help for Buffalo.

— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) August 12, 2024

Byrd has a bit of experience with Buffalo’s current brass, as he signed with the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent following the conclusion of the 2015 NFL Draft. Current Bills general manager Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott were with the Panthers at the time as the assistant general manager and defensive coordinator, respectively; Byrd played for Carolina from 2015–2018, catching 12 passes for 129 yards and two scores.

Byrd was also a special teams contributor throughout his time in Carolina, returning 12 punts for 113 yards and 10 kicks for 294 yards and a score.

Related: Sean McDermott partially credits Bills preseason struggles to leadership corps turnover

The speedy wideout, who ran a reported 4.28-second 40-yard dash at his Pro Day, has seen stints with the Arizona Cardinals, New England Patriots, Chicago Bears, Atlanta Falcons, Houston Texans, and Washington Commanders since his departure from Charlotte. His most productive season came in 2020, a campaign in which he started 14 games for the Patriots and reeled in 47 passes for 604 yards.

Dec 24, 2022; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Damiere Byrd (14) makes a catch over Baltimore Ravens cornerback Brandon Stephens (21) / Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

The 5-foot-9 pass catcher adds a bit of speed to a Buffalo receiving corps that prioritized size, catch radius, and contested catch ability in the offseason. That said, he’s more likely a special teams acquisition; McDermott wasn’t overly complimentary of the Bills’ general returning efforts in their preseason opener, telling reporters that both K.J. Hamler and Daequan Hardy “were having a little bit of trouble tracking the ball.”

Dec 20, 2020; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; New England Patriots wide receiver Damiere Byrd (10) catches a pass between Miami Dolphins free safety Eric Rowe (21) and cornerback Byron Jones (24) / Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Byrd is the second player that Buffalo reportedly agreed to sign on Monday, the first being veteran quarterback Ben DiNucci following an injury to third-string signal caller Shane Buechele.

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