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At the close of the Buffalo Bills' final offseason team activity on Thursday, head coach Rex Ryan told reporters that he is expecting the team to sign free agent offensive tackle Wayne Hunter at some point before training camp.
Rex Ryan says he expects the Bills to sign Wayne Hunter before training camp. Tried out the past two days.
— Mike Rodak (@mikerodak) June 18, 2015
Hunter, who turns 34 on July 2, had spent the past two days practicing with the Bills during their mandatory minicamp, albeit on a tryout basis. When he signs, he'll immediately become the second-oldest player on Buffalo's roster, behind only running back Fred Jackson (who turned 34 in February).
Ryan is familiar with Hunter, having coached him during his first three seasons with the New York Jets from 2009-11. Eventually, during the 2012 preseason, the Jets grew weary of Hunter's iffy performances, removing him as their starting right tackle and then trading him to the St. Louis Rams for former No. 2 overall pick Jason Smith. Hunter spent one season with the Rams, was released by the team prior to the 2013 season, and has not been in the NFL for the past two years.
Given the most recent years on his CV, it is excessively difficult to imagine Hunter making the Bills' final 53-man roster. But if Ryan wants a veteran player with a good work ethic to be in the same meeting rooms as Cyrus Kouandjio and Seantrel Henderson, then the eventual signing at least makes a modicum of sense.