Buffalo closed out the week adding three free agents to their roster Friday. The Bills added a RB Joe Banyard, CB Leonard Johnson and WR Corey Washington to their ranks in week two of NFL free agency.
WR Corey Washington
The wide receiving corps got a couple of new additions in the first week of free agency. In week two of the open market, Buffalo added another as free agent Corey Washington signed with the Bills on Friday.
Washington (6-4, 214) brings much needed size to Buffalo's receiving contingent. The 25-year old is familiar to the Bills after he spent about three weeks on their practice squad last season.
Originally an undrafted rookie signing of the Arizona Cardinals in 2014 out of Newberry College, Washington's most extensive NFL action came in his rookie year after he was claimed off waivers by the New York Giants. After impressing in the preseason, Washington made the Giants' 53-man roster.
He appeared in 14 games for New York that season, chiefly on special teams. He had limited playing time on offense where he posted five catches for 52 yards and a touchdown.
RB Joe Banyard
The Bills signed a pair of fullbacks in the first week of free agency. Now the league's top rushing offense has added a downhill running back. Free agent RB Joe Banyard signed with Buffalo on Friday.
Banyard, 28, spent the last two seasons on and off the Jacksonville Jaguars roster where he had been utilized as a replacement for injured running backs.
The 5-11, 223-pound back has good speed and contact balance, but has found getting opportunities in the NFL hard to come by. Buffalo's strong stable of backs could present another tough uphill climb for the fifth-year back to earn a regular role in the Bills offensive backfield.
CB Leonard Johnson
The cornerback position is one that needed reinforcements after the free agent departure of Stephon Gilmore and the release of Nickell Robey-Coleman. That process got rolling on Friday as the Bills signed free agent CB Leonard Johnson.
Johnson (5-10, 200) played last season for the Carolina Panthers where he appeared in 10 games. A reserve cornerback in coach Sean McDermott's defense, Johnson saw most of his action on special teams.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers was his first NFL club. They signed him as an undrafted rookie in 2012 out of Iowa State. After spending his first three seasons with the Bucs, he spent part of the 2015 season with New England appearing in four games.
For his career, Johnson has 189 tackles, 24 pass breakups and five interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns.
