Buffalo Bills host Michael Buchanan on free agent visit

Free agent edge defender Michael Buchanan is visiting the Buffalo Bills on Friday, the team announced.

Buchanan was waived by the New England Patriots on May 7. The 2013 seventh-round pick out of Illinois spent most of the 2014 season on Injured Reserve following a rookie campaign in which he recorded two sacks in fairly minimal playing time for Bill Belichick. (He also participated in 41.1 percent of the Patriots' special teams snaps that season.)

The 6'5", 255-pound Buchanan is an intriguing athletic specimen. With 34-inch arms and experience playing outside linebacker in college, he has both the size and athletic traits (1.59-second 10-yard split, 4.78-second 40-yard dash, 33-inch vertical jump) to be used as a chess piece if he ever earns consistent playing time in a NFL defense. That type of versatility is valued more by Rex Ryan than most other defensive coaches in the league.

Buffalo is pretty well set atop the depth chart when it comes to edge defenders, but they are in need of competitive depth there. Their roster currently stands at 90 players, so any signing would need a reciprocating player release to occur, as well.