Jake Kumerow helped spark the Buffalo Bills to a 48-19 blowout win over the Denver Broncos with his 22-yard touchdown catch, but on Christmas Eve, Kumerow experienced the downside of the NFL—the Bills announced that they’d released him from their roster.
The most likely explanation for the Bills moving on from Kumerow? The impending return of John Brown, last year’s leading receiver. Brown’s been on injured reserve with an ankle injury, but the team designated him to return last week. If the team wanted to reinstate Brown, the easiest cut on their 53-man roster is the lowest receiver on the totem pole—and that’s Kumerow, who has appeared for 17 snaps in his six games.
That doesn’t necessarily mean that the Bills are done with Kumerow. They tend to use their practice squad as a true taxi squad—sticking with the same set of players throughout the year. Take Cam Lewis or Dane Jackson or Justin Zimmer, to name a few. So we might see the team re-sign Kumerow to the practice squad on Monday, if there’s mutual interest.
Even if this is the last we see of Kumerow, Bills fans won’t forget how he helped contribute to the team’s first AFC East crown in 25 years.