90 players in 90 days: Wide receiver Lance Lenoir

The Buffalo Bills have plenty of talent at wide receiver and not enough roster space for all of it. This isn’t speculation—it’s just the truth. The Bills will end up releasing wideouts who would have made this team even in 2019. In fact, they’ll probably release some players who did make the team in 2019.

What a difference a couple of years makes, as the Bills have transitioned from a team in search of an offensive identity to one of the league’s premier passing offenses. While the vast majority of that transition is a result of the growth of quarterback Josh Allen, an abundance of talent at receiver has helped to speed the transition.

In today’s installment of “90 players in 90 days,” we profile one of the newest signees to the roster.

Name: Lance Lenoir

Number: 9

Position: WR

Height/Weight: 6’ 208 lbs

Age: 26 (27 on 2/9/2022)

Experience/Draft: 3; signed with Dallas Cowboys as undrafted free agent following the 2017 NFL Draft

College: Western Illinois

Acquired: Signed with Bills on 5/26/2021

Financial situation (per Spotrac): Lenoir signed a one-year deal worth a total of $780,000 this past May. None of that money is guaranteed, so the Bills won’t owe any dead-cap charges if they release him. That $780,000 figure will stand as Lenoir’s cap number should he make the team.

2020 Recap: Lenoir was waived by the Cowboys in April, and he went unclaimed. In August, he signed with the Seattle Seahawks, but he was waived on September 5 and signed to the practice squad the following day. Seattle released him from the practice squad on September 17, re-signed him to the practice squad on September 24, and released him from the practice squad again on October 7.

Positional outlook: Lenoir is facing an uphill battle, as he’ll compete in arguably Buffalo’s most talented positional group. Stefon Diggs, Emmanuel Sanders, Cole Beasley, and Gabriel Davis are roster locks, with Isaiah McKenzie and Isaiah Hodgins holding a leg up in the next group of players competing for a roster spot. Marquez Stevenson, Jake Kumerow, Tanner Gentry, Duke Williams, and Brandon Powell round out the group.

2021 Offseason: Lenoir is healthy and he participated in OTAs.

2021 Season outlook: Lenoir obviously has some talent, as he left Western Illinois as the school’s leader in career receptions (273), receiving yards (3,796), receiving touchdowns (31), 100-yard receiving games (14), 200-yard receiving games (2), and consecutive games with a reception (41). However, he’s only appeared on eight offensive snaps in his NFL career, and he’s yet to be targeted in the passing game. He appeared mostly on special teams for Dallas, so that may be his best bet to make this team. The problem is that the Bills have too much talent at receiver to keep a guy who is a gunner only, especially if they intend to do something similar with Taiwan Jones. Lenoir is likely auditioning this preseason for a spot on someone else’s roster in 2021.