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ORCHARD PARK - As the first week of free agency moves on, the one glaring need still remaining on the Buffalo Bills roster is depth at cornerback.
Friday, the Bills dipped into their past to sign Dane Jackson who spent last season with the Panthers after playing the previous four for Buffalo.
However, this is merely a move to make sure the Bills have a veteran who knows this system to battle for a backup job. Christian Benford is locked in as one starter, and the Bills absolutely need to either sign a starting-level veteran free agent, or spend either a first- or second-round draft pick.
In fact, they should do both.
Jackson was a seventh-round draft pick in 2020 who made the team and played in five games as a rookie, starting two.
He earned more playing time over the next two seasons, starting six of 17 games in 2021, and then became a full-time starter in 2022 when he started 14 of the 15 games he dressed for. That was because rookie first-round pick Kaiir Elam could not beat him out.
Jackson was still starting for the Bills in 2023, but once they obtained Rasul Douglas in a midseason trade, Jackson went into a reserve role.
He left Buffalo to sign a free agent with the Panthers, a two-year, $8.5 contract, but he didn't play well, started only three of the nine games he played, and they released him in order to save $3.35 million on the cap.
Once he was back on the market, it almost felt inevitable that the Bills would reach out, and now they have.
Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for four decades including 35 years as the full-time beat writer for the D&C, he has written numerous books about the history of the team, and he is also co-host of the BLEAV in Bills podcast/YouTube show. He can be reached at [email protected], and you can follow him on X @salmaiorana and on Bluesky @salmaiorana.bsky.social. Sign up for his Bills Blast newsletter here: https://profile.democratandchronicle.com/newsletters/bills-blast
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Dane Jackson signed by Buffalo Bills, returns to team that drafted him
Continue reading...
Friday, the Bills dipped into their past to sign Dane Jackson who spent last season with the Panthers after playing the previous four for Buffalo.
However, this is merely a move to make sure the Bills have a veteran who knows this system to battle for a backup job. Christian Benford is locked in as one starter, and the Bills absolutely need to either sign a starting-level veteran free agent, or spend either a first- or second-round draft pick.
In fact, they should do both.
Dane Jackson was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in 2020
Jackson was a seventh-round draft pick in 2020 who made the team and played in five games as a rookie, starting two.
He earned more playing time over the next two seasons, starting six of 17 games in 2021, and then became a full-time starter in 2022 when he started 14 of the 15 games he dressed for. That was because rookie first-round pick Kaiir Elam could not beat him out.
Jackson was still starting for the Bills in 2023, but once they obtained Rasul Douglas in a midseason trade, Jackson went into a reserve role.
He left Buffalo to sign a free agent with the Panthers, a two-year, $8.5 contract, but he didn't play well, started only three of the nine games he played, and they released him in order to save $3.35 million on the cap.
Once he was back on the market, it almost felt inevitable that the Bills would reach out, and now they have.
Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for four decades including 35 years as the full-time beat writer for the D&C, he has written numerous books about the history of the team, and he is also co-host of the BLEAV in Bills podcast/YouTube show. He can be reached at [email protected], and you can follow him on X @salmaiorana and on Bluesky @salmaiorana.bsky.social. Sign up for his Bills Blast newsletter here: https://profile.democratandchronicle.com/newsletters/bills-blast
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Dane Jackson signed by Buffalo Bills, returns to team that drafted him
Continue reading...
