Buffalo Rumblings
The Buffalo Bills have had some injury issues at linebacker of late. Whether we’re talking about the last few years or the last few weeks, the statement rings true. Granted, the Bills often use just two linebackers in their nickel-base defense, but that doesn’t mean the team can skimp on depth at the position, either.
After the release of oft-injured 2022 draft pick Baylon Spector, the Bills bolstered their linebacker group by taking a swing at a division rival’s former UDFA signing. August generally isn’t the time when teams make splash moves, so anyone expecting bigger deals might be disappointed by a signing of this nature. Whenever you have a chance to add solid athletes, though, you do it regardless of their college football pedigree.
In today’s edition of “90 players in 90 days,” we discuss a West Point officer looking to earn a spot on Buffalo’s 53-man roster.
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Name: Jimmy Ciarlo
Number: 35
Position: LB
Height/Weight: 6’2”, 225 pounds
Age: 24 (25 on 2/28/2026)
Experience/Draft: 2; signed with New York Jets following the 2024 NFL Draft
College: Army
Acquired: Signed with Buffalo on 8/6/2025
Financial situation (per Spotrac): Ciarlo’s contract details are still unknown; however, it was likely a one-year deal with no guarantees at the league minimum. Given that he has one year of service time, that’s $960,000 if he makes the 53-man roster.
2024 Recap: Ciarlo signed with the Jets after going undrafted in the 2024 NFL Draft. He was not invited to the NFL Scouting Combine, but he displayed solid athleticism at Army’s Pro Day. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.66 seconds, did the three-cone drill in 6.97 seconds, and ran the 20-yard shuttle in 4.35 seconds. He benched 225 pounds a total of 34 times, leapt 10’ in the broad jump, and jumped 36” in the vertical leap test.
He suffered a knee injury in his first preseason game with the Jets last season, and that caused him to spend the entire season on Injured Reserve. Ciarlo did not register a tackle in his one appearance, playing on just four special teams snaps before suffering the injury.
Positional outlook: Ciarlo is among eight linebackers in total on the roster right now. Matt Milano, Terrel Bernard, Dorian Williams, Joe Andreessen, Edefuan Ulofoshio, Shaq Thompson, and Keonta Jenkins are the others.
2025 Offseason: Ciarlo is healthy now after having been waived by the Jets in May.
2025 Season outlook: Ciarlo spent his career with the Black Knights as a hybrid linebacker-slash-safety, or at least that’s what he played in his final two seasons. Those were his most productive years, as he totaled 114 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, three sacks, three pass breakups, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries across his junior and senior seasons. He has the size, speed, and strength to contribute in Buffalo’s defense and on specail teams as a linebacker, and if he’s the same athlete he was prior to his knee injury, he’ll at least be a fun player...
