After placing him on injured reserve earlier this month, the Buffalo Bills have released cornerback E.J. Gaines with an injury settlement. He is now eligible to sign with another team when he can pass a physical.
On August 10th, the Bills placed Gaines on IR with a core muscle injury. Sean McDermott suggested it would be “weeks” before Gaines would come back, so the team placed him on injured reserve instead of carrying him into the season. They signed Captain Munnerlyn to take his spot as the fourth cornerback on the roster (fifth if you include slot corner Taron Johnson) who can step in and play meaningful snaps if necessary.
By reaching an injury settlement, the Bills pay him for his time on injured reserve but not the entire season. With a six-week injury starting August 10th, Buffalo will probably pay him two or three weeks of his 2019 salary (unless there was a previous figure already included in his contract being that he is so often injured).
Now Gaines is free to sign with a new team any time he is healthy. He can rejoin the Bills six weeks after the expiration of the injury settlement, as well. That would mean if Buffalo needs cornerback help around the start of November and Gaines is available, he can come back to the squad.