The Buffalo Bills addressed two long-neglected parts of the roster on Monday, signing wide receiver Jeremy Kerley and defensive tackle Tenny Palepoi to one-year contracts.
Kerley is familiar to Bills fans, having spent six of his seven career years playing for the division rival New York Jets. Standing five-foot-nine and 188 pounds, Kerley is an agile receiver and punt returner who’s been a useful contributor to an offense his whole career. He’s never topped three receiving touchdowns in a season, but in the right offense he’s capable of filing 500 yards while bringing back kicks on special teams.
Palepoi was an undrafted free agent in 2014, and spent the last four seasons with the Chargers. The six-foot-one 298-pounder has played in 44 games as a reserve, and set career highs with 24 tackles and seven tackles for loss last season.
Kerley is the second receiver the Bills have signed since free agency began, along with Kaelin Clay. With Kelvin Benjamin (who injured his knee midseason) and Zay Jones (who injured himself during a bizarre incident in the offseason) as the top two options, the Bills are still prime candidates to draft one or more receivers in two weeks.
Palepoi helps with the razor-thin depth at defensive tackle. Behind Kyle Williams and Star Lotulelei, the team’s only other options were Adolphus Washington and Rickey Hatley.