The Buffalo Bills hosted free agent tight end Gary Barnidge on May 3rd. Since then, Barnidge has made the rounds of NFL teams. What’s going on with his future plans? He’s biding his time right now.
“A lot of teams are waiting to see what they got in OTA's & mini-camp,” Barnidge said on Sirius radio last week. “I have no problem waiting and it's not an issue.”
In addition to visiting the Bills, Barnidge has had conversations with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Denver Broncos. He’s not eager to sign right now, knowing an injury to a top tight end somewhere else could put him in a prime position.
"Of course, I would love to be the [number] one guy," Barnidge said. "I've showed the last two years, with multiple different quarterbacks, I was still able to produce without one single guy, whether it be injuries or just things not working out. I've shown I've been able to produce with multiple guys throwing the ball. But I don't think that's an issue, but if they want me to come in and help mentor, I've got no problem doing that, either."
In Buffalo, Barnidge would not be the number one guy with Charles Clay filling that role. That could explain his reluctance to sign with the Bills even if he would play a prominent role on a team with a passing game in flux. Clay is consistently banged up but plays on Sundays, Sammy Watkins is in the final year of his deal, rookie Zay Jones is expected to man the second receiver spot, and Tyrod Taylor threw less than any starting quarterback a year ago.