As an undrafted free agent, early reports out of Buffalo’s training camp are that former Iowa football player Nick Easley is turning a few heads.
Nick Easley’s football journey has been a remarkable one to say the least, and by now, most Iowa football fans know the story (recruited as a punter, walked-on at JUCO, left as an All-American, walked-on to Iowa, earned a scholarship, wins Outback Bowl MVP). He went from possibly being a Division 2 punter to a Big Ten wide receiver.
This awesome journey is just getting started though.
Easley is now attempting his most difficult feat to date by trying to make the Buffalo Bills roster in a relatively loaded wide receiver room.
So far, the underdog story appears to be in full force as the Newton, Iowa native has been turning heads in training camp and impressing quite a few media members in the Buffalo area.
I honestly think they'll both end up on the practice squad, but at this point I think Nick Easley is more of a contender for that final WR spot than David Sills. Like what I've seen from Easley and think he can compete with McKenzie and McCloud. #Bills
— Matt Parrino (@MattParrino) July 26, 2019
Here’s a video of the catch if you want to check it out for yourself.
When being signed by the Buffalo Bills, we thought Easley’s most likely outcome was a practice squad spot simply due to the fact that Buffalo retooled their wide receiver position and dropped an abundance of cash into the group. 2019 signings John Brown and Cole Beasley are the 6th and 7th highest-paid players on the team while Andre Roberts is in the 25th highest-paid player at the position.
Those guys aren’t going anywhere and neither is 2017 second rounder Zay Jones, which likely leaves 1, possibly 2 spots left on the active roster and 8 guys battling.
So far though, it sounds like Easley is making the most of the moment and appears to be outplaying fellow undrafted free agent wide receiver David Sills V who received a signing bonus nearly triple the size of Nick Easley’s $13K signing bonus.
Obviously, though, there is a lot more camp left and four preseason games, but strong showings early in camp can often build momentum for a player going into preseason games. Half of the battle of preseason games is getting on the field, especially at a crowded position like wide receiver so Easley making a few highlight-reel catches and generally outperforming many of the other guys at the spot can only help his chances of getting playing time right away.
Easley’s first real game after his Outback Bowl MVP performance for the Iowa football team in January will take place August 8th the Indianapolis Colts travel to face the Buffalo Bills.