Buffalo Rumblings
The Buffalo Bills and cornerback Ja’Marcus Ingram are not set for a reunion in the same week where they gave parting glances. Instead, Ingram is headed to play for the Houston Texans, which claimed him off waivers to add him to their 53-man active roster. To make room for Ingram, the Texans placed another former Bills defender on Injured Reserve, defensive tackle Tim Settle Jr.
At least for now, this brings to an end the four-year partnership shared between Ingram and One Bills Drive, — a union where a former University at Buffalo cornerback made an impact as a reserve defensive back/part-time starter/special teams ace. By all accounts, the Bills were pleased with Ingram as a player and member of the team. Yet they were also willing to let him walk out the door.
The trouble came earlier this week when general manager Brandon Beane decided to claim cornerback Darius Slay Jr. after he was released by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Buffalo wasn’t the only team to put in a claim for Slay, with the Philadelphia Eagles also attempting a reunion of their own — yet falling short thanks to the Bills’ waiver-wire priority. Claiming Slay meant Buffalo had to release someone from the 53-man active roster, leaving Ja’Marcus Ingram as the odd man out.
Trouble quickly became a problem when Slay refused to report to One Bills Drive, claiming uncertainty about his desire to continue playing in the NFL. This, after Ingram had already been released and exposed to the NFL waiver wire. That leaves Buffalo without the services of Slay, and now unable to bring Ingram back to the practice squad.
The decision by Beane to show Ingram the door given other options in-house has been widely panned by outsiders, but Ingram has recently been a healthy inactive on game days. Instead of having a healthy veteran who’s vested in the defensive system ready to step in on a moment’s notice, the Bills now have an extra slot on their 53-man roster.
