The next domino has fallen in Buffalo's draft class when it comes to rookie signings as third-round pick Adolphus Washington has signed with the club. The defensive lineman finalized his rookie deal early Tuesday afternoon.
"It's been a long journey," said Washington. "My whole life I had a dream of signing an NFL contract and I just did that. It's hard to describe, but it's definitely a great feeling. I'm working to make my family proud and I'm going to keep doing the right things in order to keep doing that."
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Washington is seen as the odds on favorite to land the team's starting left defensive end job, which was left vacant by the departure of Mario Williams. The Ohio State product has played up and down the line during his time in college, and his ability to penetrate up field could make him a valuable addition on the edge. But Washington is not assuming anything heading into his first set of OTA practices next week.
"It's an honor to finally be a part of the Buffalo Bills at least in terms of my signature," said Washington. "I still have to get there in terms of building trust with my teammates and the coaches."
Appearing in 49 games for the Buckeyes, including 31 starts, Washington compiled 142 tackles (25 for loss) with 13.5 sacks and three force fumbles. He played an important role on defense in 2014 when Ohio State won the national title. Washington was the only player to record a sack in the championship game victory over Oregon, and earned Sporting News first-team All-American honors in 2015 after notching a personal-best 49 tackles as a senior.
Washington is the fourth member of the Bills 2016 draft class now under contract joining Kevon Seymour, Kolby Listenbee and Jonathan Williams.
