Buffalo Bills sign 13 players to Reserve/Future contracts

There are names you’ll recognize on the list

The Buffalo Bills announced on Monday the names of 13 players that the team had signed to Reserve/Future contracts. All 13 players ended the season as members of Buffalo’s practice squad.

Three members of Buffalo’s practice squad were not retained in this fashion: running back Duke Johnson, wide receiver John Brown, and defensive end Mike Love.

Several of these retained players made in-game appearances for the Bills during the 2022 regular season, and offer some future promise. Let’s run through the list.

Matt Barkley, QB

Barkley spent the entire season on Buffalo’s practice squad, and did not play in any games. He has not played in a game since 2020. The Bills value his presence in the quarterback room enough to have brought him back after seeking an improvement as the primary backup to Josh Allen prior to the 2021 season, and he’ll get another shot at the roster next season.

KeeSean Johnson, WR

Johnson has been a member of Buffalo’s practice squad since October 12. A 2019 sixth-round pick of Arizona, the Fresno State product has also spent time with Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Atlanta.

Dezmon Patmon, WR

A 2020 sixth-round pick of Indianapolis, the 6’4”, 225-pound Patmon was finally waived in October after minimal playing time and no special teams contributions. He gives Buffalo’s receiver room some size, and will still only turn 25 during training camp this year.

Zach Davidson, TE

Minnesota used a fifth-round pick in 2021 to select this Central Missouri product. The 6’6” project spent the full season on Buffalo’s practice squad, and is best known for being the anonymous figure shoved by Green Bay linebacker Quay Walker back in Week 8.

Alec Anderson, OT

Anderson is a 6’5”, 305-pound UCLA product that the Bills signed as an undrafted free agent this past spring, who then spent his entire rookie season on the practice squad.

Ryan Van Demark, OT

Like Anderson, Van Demark was a 2022 undrafted free agent, but he signed with Indianapolis. He did not make their team, and was added to Buffalo’s practice squad before the regular season.

Greg Mancz, OG

Mancz was a veteran free agent signing by Buffalo this past offseason, with eight years under his belt between Houston, Minnesota, and Baltimore. He started the season on Buffalo’s practice squad, but was signed to Cleveland’s active roster in November. He then spent a few weeks in Minnesota before returning to Buffalo.

Kingsley Jonathan, DE

Signed as an undrafted free agent out of Syracuse this past spring, Jonathan impressed in training camp for Buffalo, but could not crack the 53-man roster. Chicago scooped him up as a member of their full squad, but that run ended in November, when he was waived and re-joined the Bills. Jonathan appeared in a regular season game against Chicago, recording a tackle for loss, and also was active and playing in Buffalo’s postseason loss to Cincinnati. He’s a legitimate contender to make Buffalo’s roster next season, barring unforeseen upheaval at his position.

Eli Ankou, DT

Ankou, a six-year pro, first joined the Bills in November of 2021 as a practice squad member, appearing in five games that season. He stuck with the team through this past offseason, but couldn’t crack the final roster. He re-joined the Bills’ practice squad in October, and played in spot duty down the stretch while the Bills dealt with some injuries.

Brandin Bryant, DT

No one was on and off Buffalo’s roster more frequently than Bryant in 2022; he joined the active roster in September after the starting the season on the practice squad, was waived in October and put back on the practice squad, waived in November, and then after a brief stretch with Houston, he returned to Buffalo’s practice squad in December. He appeared in four games earlier in the season, and made this memorable play in Buffalo’s Week 4 win over Baltimore.

Cortez Broughton, DT

A 2019 seventh-round pick of the Los Angeles Chargers, Broughton joined Buffalo’s practice squad in December after spending most of the last two seasons with Kansas City. He fits Buffalo’s interior profile at 6’2” and 293 pounds.

Ja’Marcus Ingram, CB

Ingram was a 2022 undrafted free agent out of Buffalo that made the team’s practice squad as a rookie. The 6’2”, 190-pound athlete appeared in two games — Week 3 at Miami, and Week 5 against Pittsburgh — and was briefly a member of the active roster in October. He then spent the rest of his rookie season on Buffalo’s practice squad.

Kyler McMichael, CB

McMichael was also a 2022 undrafted free agent who initially signed with Tampa Bay. He couldn’t crack their 53-man roster, and spent the entirety of the season on Buffalo’s practice squad.