Check Out These Former Buffalo Bills That Will Play In The XFL

Even though the Kanas City Chiefs claimed the Superbowl on Sunday, pro football is not over yet.

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The XFL makes its return this weekend with all new teams, coaches, and players.

QB Cardale Jones
Cardale Jones was a bit of a surprising mid-round pick by the Bills, a fourth rounder in 2016. He was a lightning rod when he “played school” at Ohio State, appearing in minimal games, but winning a national title. With the Bills, he never made an impact, appearing in one game in 2016 and tossing an interception. He briefly followed former Bills offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn to the Los Angeles Chargers after his one season in Buffalo.
QB Tyree Jackson
Tyree Jackson was surprisingly a cut by the Bills before their most recent season, but it was probably the right call. He signed a max-UDFA contract, and the extremely raw prospect out of the University of Buffalo didn’t make many inspiring plays in the preseason and the Bills cut him.
S Shamarko Thomas
A fourth-round pick out of Syracuse by the Steelers in 2014, Thomas joined the Jets after his rookie contract expired in 2017. They cut him that September, and soon after he joined the Bills, playing a backup and special teams role. He jumped around to the Colts and Broncos after and then signed with the New York Guardians, only to be traded to the DC Defenders just last week.
WR Malachi Dupre
While only 24, Malachi Dupre jumped around a lot of practice squads, including the Bills in 2017 and 2018. As a 2017 seventh rounder by the Packers, he also jumped around to the Texans, Seahawks, Cardinals and Chargers.
OL De’Ondre Wesley
De’Ondre Wesley also only saw time on the Bills practice squad, but had two tenures there. First from 2017 to early in 2018, before returning in the 2019 offseason. He was waived with an injury settlement last August.
TE Khari Lee
As a backup tight end, Khari Lee was known more for his blocking ability rather than his pass-catching skills. He was on Buffalo’s roster from 2016-2018 and was active on game day 18 times, but only hauled in one catch for five yards in his final season with the Bills.
WR Austin Proehl
While never appearing in an actual game with the Bills, Austin Proehl grabbed some attention of Bills fans. His father, Ricky Proehl, played for the Panthers and knew the Bills front office, so that likely played a part in his selection in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Then when he was cut out of camp, some Bills fans forgot plenty of seven rounders don’t make it out of training camp and a couple folks got upset about it. He never made it out of another team’s camp either, though.
OL Cyril Richardson
The Bills drafted Cyril Richardson in the fifth round of the 2014 draft. He appeared in 12 games his rookie year, starting four. Past that season, he didn’t appear in any more games with the Bills or any NFL team.
TE Evan Rodriguez
Even Rodriguez was a reserve tight end for the Bills in 2013 after he was a fourth-round pick of the Bears in 2012. He was active on game day seven times that year, but was cut the following year at the end of training camp.
WR Cam Phillips
Cam Phillips was mostly a practice squad hopeful who impressed a few times during training camp but never really latched on. He made one catch in two games in 2018 for the Bills and was a training camp cut in 2019.
S Trae Elston
Trae Elston’s most NFL production came with the Bills in 2017 when he had 18 tackles and an interception in 13 games played. But he was then waived that December.
P Colton Schmidt
From 2014-2018, Colton Schmidt held the punting duties for the Bills. But once Sean McDermott took over as the team’s head coach, he seemed to fall out of favor. The team tried to replace him a few times before finally doing so with Corey Bojorquez, the team’s current punter.
OL Nico Siragusa
A fourth-round pick of the Ravens in 2017, Nico Siragusa only ever spent time on the Bills practice squad… for nine days, in August 2019.
WR Brandon Reilly
Like Cam Phillips, Brandon Reilly was a fringe wide receiver for the Bills that flashed in the preseason. Many were hopeful he would stick around on the 53-man roster eventually, but unfortunately, he did not. The latest episode of Reilly and Phillips is current wideout Duke Williams.
RB Keith Ford
Ford had some off-field issues in college which allowed the Bills to sign him as an undrafted rookie in 2018. He did make his NFL debut late that season but didn’t do enough to stick around past May of 2019.

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