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Bills add ex-Lions WR who was suspended for betting

Originally posted on ClutchPoints
By Gerard Angelo Samillano | Last updated 4/28/24

The Buffalo Bills BADLY need wide receiver help. Last season, the team already had a pretty bad wide receiver room outside of Stefon Diggs and the occasional good Gabe Davis game. Now, both wide receivers have left the team. Josh Allen is an elite quarterback, but you can’t possibly ask him to do more than he’s already doing for the offense… which is already a lot.

Because of that, the Bills are trying to rebuild their wide receiver room. They drafted FSU WR Keon Coleman in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft, and they also signed Curtis Samuel from the Washington Commanders. To beef up their room, the Bills are also signing former Detroit Lions WR Quintez Cephus, per Ari Meirov.

“The #Bills are adding to their WR room, agreeing to terms with former #Lions WR Quintez Cephus, per his agents @_SportsTrust. He is returning after a season-long suspension for betting.”

Cephus was part of a group that was suspended last season for violating the NFL’s gambling policy. The most notable name in that group was Jameson Williams, Cephus’ ex-teammate who was slapped with a six-game suspension. After being suspended by the league, Cephus was released by Detroit. Now, after serving his suspension, the Bills are looking to see what he can do.

The Bills are hoping that Cephus proves that he has the chops to be a serviceable rotation player in the league. He hasn’t shown a lot in his first few years playing in the NFL: 568 yards over three seasons, while barely seeing any playing time in the year before his suspension. It’s at least worth a shot, right?

Bills’ disastrous offseason

Detroit Lions wide receiver Quintez Cephus (87) get in position for a kickoff against Philadelphia Eagles during the first half at Ford Field. Nfl Philadelphia Eagles At Detroit Lions Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Bills are hoping to recover from their absolutely dreadful offseason. In just one year, they lost both of their top pass-catchers. Diggs, for all of his supposed locker room issues, was an elite threat and a true WR1 for Allen. Meanwhile, Davis is a perfectly fine WR2 who had the potential to pop off.

Now granted, that doesn’t mean that Allen doesn’t have any top options to pass to. Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox form a mean 1-2 punch at tight end. We might see more 12-personnel sets from Buffalo to fully utilize their stars, but even that is a stretch due to their limitations. Having an elite wide receiver is pretty damn important for a team’s success, so there’s that.

At the very least, the Bills are trying to fill the void left by the departures of Diggs and Davis. Samuel was a solid WR2 for the Commanders last season, and he’ll likely take on a WR2 role for the team . Coleman is a solid rookie for the Bills. The hope is that Coleman is able to contribute immediately for a top contender. Khalil Shakir also saw some success last season, but he’ll have to prove that he can do that on a consistent basis.

This will NOT be an easy season for the Bills. Then again, no season is ever easy. Can Buffalo finally break their decades-long curse and finally win that elusive Super Bowl?

This article first appeared on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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