The Buffalo Bills have re-signed tight end Jason Croom, reports ESPN’s Field Yates. Croom has spent the last three years with the Bills on various levels of the roster. He spent 2019 on injured reserve with a hamstring injury that kept him out of training camp and the preseason.
Croom is one of six tight ends on the Bills’ roster now joining the recently restructured Tyler Kroft, veteran blocker Lee Smith, young stud Dawson Knox, the developmental Tommy Sweeney, and reserve/future signing Nate Becker.
In 2018, Croom had a solid season as the primary beneficiary of Charles Clay’s injury-filled final year in Buffalo. He played in 15 games with three starts and caught 22 passes for 259 yards and a touchdown.
Croom originally joined the Bills as an undrafted free agent in 2017. He was cut at the end of August but added to the practice squad in November.
It’s likely that Croom’s deal wasn’t for a lot of money. Most believed his 2017 season didn’t count as an accrued year, which would have made him an exclusive right free agent and this deal is for the league minimum.
This won’t preclude the Bills from adding another tight end, but they usually go into training camp with six tight ends and they have a good mix of veterans and developmental players. It appears that their courting of Greg Olsen was about opportunity more than a need to improve at tight end.