The Buffalo Bills have plenty of in-house candidates to fill out the depth chart at wide receiver in 2018. The major problem with those candidates is an overall lack of experience and proven ability at the professional level. The competition will be intense, and it will definitely be fun to watch as the summer unfolds.
In the latest installment of our “90 players in 90 days” series, we examine a former member of the Indianapolis Colts looking to make his way back to NFL action.
Name: Quan Bray
Number: 19
Position: WR
Height/Weight: 5’10” 193 lbs.
Age: 25
Experience: 3
College: Auburn
Draft: Acquired by the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent following the 2015 NFL Draft
Financial situation (per Spotrac): Bray signed a reserve/future contract with Buffalo on January 8. The deal is for one year, and the total amount of the contract (and his salary cap number) for the season is $705,000.
2017 Recap: Bray spent nearly all of the 2017 season as a member of the Colts. He returned 17 punts for 90 yards and 18 kicks for 430 yards. He caught 3 of his 4 targets, totaling 39 yards receiving on the season. His season ended on November 7 when the Colts placed him on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury. After reaching an injury settlement with the club on December 26, the club waived him. He signed to the Bills’ practice squad on December 30.
Positional outlook: A smorgasbord of different player types makes up the wide receiver group in Buffalo. The Bills have big receivers (Kelvin Benjamin, Andre Holmes, Rod Streater, Zay Jones), slot-types (Jeremy Kerley, Austin Proehl), returners and/or burners (Kaelin Clay, Ray-Ray McCloud, Bray), undrafted rookies (Robert Foster, Cam Phillios), and serious unknowns (Brandon Reilly, Malachi Dupre).
2018 Offseason: Bray has attended all offseason workouts and minicamp. He also received some first-team reps this spring, but the Bills rotated every receiver in with the first team at some point.
2018 season outlook: Bray’s experience as an NFL kick and punt returner helps his case to make the roster, but he has a long way to go if he is going to knock off more recent draft choices like McCloud and Proehl, or undrafted rookies with better athletic measurables and/or statistical production like Foster or Phillips. He averages 7 yards per punt return and 25.6 yards per kick return on his career. If he can build on that success while also showing some ability as a receiver, he might be able to stick on the 53-man roster; however, it’s more likely that Bray finds himself on the outside looking in when final cuts are made.