Bills announce three Super Star free agent signings to one-year deals
The Bills announced three free agent signings on Friday, inking WR Chase Claypool, LB Deion Jones and DE Dawuane Smoot to one-year deals.
Here what you need to know about each signing.
WR Chase Claypool
At 6-4, 238 pounds, Claypool is a big-bodied receiver with over 2,000 receiving yards and 13 TDs since entering the league. Claypool was a second-round pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2020 NFL Draft and he set the franchise record in Week 5 with his four-touchdown performance.
He finished the 2020 season with 873 yards (4th among rookies) and nine touchdowns (1st among rookies).
Throughout his career, Claypool has had stints with the Steelers (2020-2022), the Bears (2022-23) and Dolphins (2023).
Claypool is from Abbotsford, BC, Canada. He played collegiately at Notre Dame and recorded over 2,000 receiving yards and 19 TDs in four seasons.
DE Dawuane Smoot
Buffalo is adding some depth to their defensive line room. Prior to joining Buffalo, Smoot spent seven seasons playing for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The DE has played in 99 games and started in 17 with the Jaguars over his career. During that time, he totaled 23.5 sacks, 133 total tackles, 64 quarterback hits, 27 tackles for loss, five forced fumbles, five passes defensed and two fumble recoveries.
His best season came in 2021 when he started in 10 games and had six sacks, 16 quarterback hits and seven tackles for loss.
Smoot was originally drafted by the Jaguars in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft. The DE played collegiately at the University of Illinois. He is from Groveport, Ohio.
LB Deion Jones
Jones is a veteran linebacker with nine years of NFL experience. He has played for three teams since coming into the league as a second-round pick in 2016, most recently appearing in 13 games last year for the Panthers.
He registered 35 tackles, one sack and one INT a year ago; he has 731 tackles, 12 sacks and 13 INTs in his career. Jones also has five interceptions returned for a touchdown.
Jones has recorded five different seasons with at least 100 tackles and has at least one sack in four straight seasons dating back to 2020.
A New Orleans, LA native, Jones played collegiately at LSU and was a finalist for the Butkus Award his senior season, an honor given to the nation’s top LB.
