One day after placing defensive lineman Alex Carrington (quad) on season-ending Injured Reserve, the Buffalo Bills did the same with veteran mainstay Kyle Williams (knee), who is now officially out for the remainder of the 2015 season with a meniscus issue that will require surgery.
Having lost two defensive linemen in as many days, then, the Bills needed to beef up their depth at that position. They did so on Tuesday by signing two prospects in nose tackle T.J. Barnes and a Dallas practice squad member, Lavar Edwards.
Barnes is a player that Buffalo's defensive coaches, Rex Ryan and Dennis Thurman, are familiar with, as he spent the past two seasons in the New York Jets organization. The former Georgia Tech product is listed at 364 pounds, and was waived by the Jets just last month. He may very well earn playing time right away for the Bills, as he'd only need to pass Stefan Charles on the depth chart to do so.
Edwards is a 2013 fifth-round pick out of LSU that was originally drafted by Tennessee. He appeared in a handful of games for Dallas last season, before eventually ending up on their practice squad this season. The 6'4", 275-pound base end profiles as a hand-in-the-dirt perimeter option for the Bills on the defensive line, but he may not see much playing time early with IK Enemkpali around.
The Bills also addressed their thinned-out depth at linebacker, signing free agent Kevin Reddick to replace A.J. Tarpley, who was released yesterday. Reddick had spent the end of the preseason and the early part of the regular season on Buffalo's practice squad. Reddick will act as a reserve and special teams option this Sunday against Houston, while sixth-round rookie Tony Steward is expected to start for the injured Nigel Bradham.