Bills sign DTs DeShawn Williams, Austin Johnson
The Buffalo Bills added to their depth on the defensive front on Thursday with the signings of tackles DeShawn Williams and Austin Johnson to one-year contracts.
Contract terms were not disclosed.
The Bills needed defensive tackles behind starters Ed Oliver and DaQuan Jones after losing reserves Poona Ford, Linval Joseph and Tim Settle to free agency, and Jordan Phillips considering retirement.
Williams, 31, completed his lone season for the Carolina Panthers in 2023, starting 10 of the 16 games he played and totaling 33 tackles, one sack and seven quarterback hits.
An undrafted free agent out of Clemson, Williams played four games for the Cincinnati Bengals in
2016 before spending the next three seasons with the Denver Broncos. He has career totals of 148 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, nine sacks, 30 QB hits, nine passes defensed and one interception in 66 games (44 starts).
Johnson, 29, played the past two seasons for the Los Angeles Chargers, starting all 17 games in 2023 and totaling 46 tackles, including two tackles for loss.
The Tennessee Titans selected him in the second round (43rd overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft out of Penn State, where he was Jones’ teammate.
Johnson played for the Titans (2016-19), New York Giants (2020-21) and Chargers, totaling 241 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, eight sacks, 17 QB hits and 10 passes defensed in 116 games (55 starts).
Bills general manager Brandon Beane said Johnson could improve much like Jones did in his first season with the team in 2022.
“I think even DaQuan, you’ve seen in our system improve his pass rush, and we do think Austin can kind of follow that same trajectory,” Beane said.
ELSEWHERE
Patriots: New England veteran special teams player Cody Davis announced his retirement on social media Thursday after 11 seasons in the NFL.
Davis, 34, played safety but primarily competed on special teams for the St. Louis/ Los Angeles Rams (2013-17), Jacksonville Jaguars (2018-19) and Patriots (2020-23). The undrafted free agent out of Texas Tech totaled 118 tackles in 144 games (five starts for Los Angeles) and scored his lone career touchdown last season on a fumble return in a 26-23 win over the host Denver Broncos on Dec. 24.
“God blessed me in not only the athletic ability to play football but also provided the protection, timing, opportunities and support in order for me to live out my dream of playing in the NFL for 11 years,” Davis wrote on Twitter. “I have given everything to all that I did and I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
Chiefs: Kansas City agreed to terms with former rugby star Louis Rees-Zammit, multiple media outlets reported.
Bleacher Report said the Chiefs have designs on having Rees-Zammit, a native of Wales, compete as both a running back and wide receiver. He also will be expected to participate on special teams, particularly on returns under the NFL’s new kickoff format.
Rees-Zammit, 23, announced his desire to play in the NFL during a social media post in January. He ran a 4.43 in the 40-yard dash during his International
Pathway Program pro day last week.
This season, NFL teams are allowed to promote an international practice squad player to the active roster a maximum of three times.
Broncos: Former Detroit Lions wide receiver
Josh Reynolds is signing a two-year contract worth up to $14 million with Denver, multiple media outlets reported.
Reynolds joins a Broncos team that traded wideout
Jerry Jeudy to the Cleveland Browns on March 9 in exchange for fifth- and sixth-round picks (135th and 202nd overall) in the 2024 NFL Draft.
The Denver wide receiver room includes Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims Jr., Tim Patrick, Brandon Johnson, Phillip Dorsett and Lil’Jordan Humphrey.
Reynolds, 29, had 40 catches for 608 yards to go along with a career hightying five touchdown receptions in 17 games (13 starts) with the Lions last season.
He has 220 catches for 2,933 yards and 19 touchdowns in 107 career games (53 starts) with the Los Angeles Rams (2017-20), Tennessee Titans (2021) and Lions (2021-23).
Chargers: Free-agent running back J.K. Dobbins
was scheduled to visit the
Los Angeles on Thursday, his agency confirmed to ESPN.
Dobbins has been cleared for football activities after working his way back from a torn Achilles in Week 1 of last season.
Injuries have defined Dobbins’ NFL career since he was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Ohio State.
After rushing for 805 yards and nine touchdowns in his rookie season, Dobbins missed the entire 2021 campaign with a torn ACL. He played four games in 2022 before requiring arthroscopic knee surgery and was unavailable until Week 14.
All told, Dobbins, 25, has played just nine out of a possible 51 regular-season games over the past three seasons. He has rushed for 1,347 yards with 12 touchdowns in 24 career games.
Commanders: Washington has agreed to terms with veteran wide receiver
Olamide Zaccheaus, multiple reports said Thursday.
Zaccheaus, 26, played last season for the Philadelphia Eagles, making 10 catches for 164 yards and two touchdowns.
He has a total of 104 receptions for 1,492 yards and 10 TDs in his career.