Facing a disastrous shortage of offensive linemen, the Buffalo Bills on Tuesday announced that they have added veteran guard Kendall Simmons to their 53-man roster. Buffalo previously visited with Simmons this past March before ultimately signing Seth McKinney, who suffered a season-ending injury this past Sunday.
A former first-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Simmons missed most of the 2008 season with a ruptured Achilles tendon. Released in February, he spent the early portions of this season with New England, but was released on November 6.
Discounting starting center Geoff Hangartner, the Bills only have one true guard on the roster - rookie left guard Andy Levitre - and he's been moonlighting at left tackle. Buffalo lost two guards, Eric Wood and McKinney, to season-ending injuries on Sunday (Wood was placed on IR to complete this transaction).
Simmons is a veteran presence for a team that needs a veteran presence up front. It's unclear if he'll play immediately - tackle-by-trade Kirk Chambers filled in for Wood in Jacksonville, and knows Buffalo's offense - but for a desperate team, Simmons was as solid a signing as we could have hoped for.
McKinney still has not officially been placed on IR, so the Bills may not be done wheeling and dealing up front.