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Bills sign veteran OL Dan Feeney

2025-08-04T14:27:15-04:00

Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images

Boy meets Mafia

The Buffalo Bills continued to tinker with their offensive line depth on Monday, adding veteran offensive lineman Dan Feeney to the roster. Feeney was among four players whom the team had in for a workout at Sunday’s practice.

We have signed OL Dan Feeney and released OL Rush Reimer.#BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/5vBgD0g9jq
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) August 4, 2025

Feeney, 31, was drafted in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Chargers. In four years with the club, he started 57 games in the regular season and two in the 2018 playoffs. He primarily slotted in at left guard for the Chargers. After his rookie deal expired, he signed a one-year deal with the New York Jets for the 2021 season. After starting five games for Gang Green, he re-upped with the Jets for the 2022 season, and he made two more starts with the team that year.

Feeney spent the 2023 season with the Chicago Bears, appearing in 16 games and starting one. He spent last season with the Minnesota Vikings, appearing in eight games without a start. According to Pro Football Focus, he never graded out higher than a 60, which was his overall grade during his rookie season. He’s known as a fierce competitor and a solid run-blocker who sometimes struggles in pass protection. In his career, he has 65 career starts—40 came at left guard and 25 at center, showcasing the kind of versatility the Bills covet in their reserve linemen.

To make room for Feeney on the 90-man roster, the Bills released UDFA guard Rush Reimer. The Cal graduate had signed with Buffalo after the 2025 NFL Draft. Buffalo also released defensive end Kameron Cline, whom they had re-signed on July 31.

Buffalo Bills GM Brandon Beane understands it “takes two” to do business with RB James Cook

2025-08-04T14:21:57-04:00

Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Cook “held-in” for the second day in a row during training camp.

Buffalo Bills running back James Cook has taken a very active role in his quest for a new contract, a situation initially supported by his older brother Dalvin Cook. Though it’s just August 4, the drama surrounding Cook’s next pay day has aged like milk — the main event of it all having begun just a few short months ago.

Cook is unhappy right now, to say the least. He has every right to feel that way, whether you agree with it (and how he’s proceeding) or not. But Cook’s stance is especially validated when you consider his production during the team’s 2024 season.

Cook was a revelation at running back for Buffalo, though one who saw just a 54.5% snap share. If you need a reminder about what he did with that time: 16 starts, 207 carries for 1,009 yards with 16 touchdowns; 32 receptions (38 targets) for 258 yards and two additional touchdowns.

If just considering Cook’s production, it’s easy to understand why he views himself among the best running backs in the NFL. But is he at the same level as Saquon Barkley? With all due respect to Cook, who decimated the league on a limited snap count — clearly, no. Certainly, 1,009 rushing yards isn’t fit for the record books, but when you consider the timeshare, and the presence of Josh Allen a finer appreciation should emerge for what Cook was able to accomplish.

Cook’s a stud who’s proven fully capable as a runner between the tackles, or when swinging it wide outside the hashes.

Yet the biggest eyesore to his contract campaign, James Cook has not been reliable in pass-blocking situations. That took, arguably, Buffalo’s second-best offensive player off the field in key moments of too many games. There can be no greater detractor to a contract hold-in than Cook butting it right up next to the Bills’ final playoff drive of 2024 — a moment in time when he wasn’t on the field, by design, and due to his pass-blocking deficiency.

But is it entirely fair to lay so much of that responsibility on Cook? Yes, considering his asking price, and it would seem that general manager Brandon Beane agrees.

In an appearance with WGR 550 AM on August 4 at training camp on the grounds of St. John Fisher University, Brandon Beane played the part of a straight shooter, laying it all out on the table when asked about Cook’s non-participation:

“Yeah, you know it’s not something we were fully aware of until shortly before practice. And so — you know, I get it. I understand it’s... the world we’re in, I guess, of how players want to respond to things like that. You know, love James, and you know at the end of the day, you know, we want all our guys practicing, we know that. We’ve got some guys out due to injuries or soft-tissue and stuff like that. So we’re trying to get as many guys on the practice field as we can, and start preparing for this first preseason game. And hopefully we’ll get him back out there soon, but, uh, yeah — it remains to be seen whether he’s gonna show today or not.”

He, as we know now, did not practice for a second day in a row.

RB James Cook walking out to practice not in uniform for the second straight day pic.twitter.com/WdFTcXciBe
— Alaina Getzenberg (@agetzenberg) August 4, 2025

When asked by Jeremy White about the reported and continued open dialogue between Cook and the team —- where Tom Pelissero mentioned things aren’t believed to be “too far apart” on a contract offer, Beane offered the following:

“Yeah, I mean without getting into things, there’s been constant communication with his agent, either with myself or Kevin Megank — and with Jimbo. So, you know, at the end of the day I wish we weren’t here. This is my ninth season here. We’ve never had a player miss due to a contract or anything like that, so that’s disappointing for me. It’s not something we want, not something we’re looking forward to. But, at the end of the day it’s, like I said earlier, it’s kind of the — sometimes can be the way of the world, and so we’ll deal with it the best we can. Like I said, hopefully, you know I’d love to see Jimbo out there today. I don’t know that answer at this point this morning, whether that will happen or not. But if it’s not today... hopefully we get him back out there soon.”

White dug into the topic of paying running backs, and where Beane’s mindset is regarding placing any sort of a premium on the position:

“...(W)hatever it is, you’re always trying to find what you think is the sweet spot that makes sense for you and for the player. You know, and this offseason, you know, we found it with pretty much everyone we tried to get the deal done. He was the one, and that’s probably why we’re at where we are. We got a lot of the deals done that, you know, we tried, and it’s well known that we tried to get something done with Jimbo, and unfortunately, you know, it’s got — it takes two. And both sides have to agree on what that number is and obviously that hasn’t gotten there. But, you know, I’m not sitting here saying ‘you don’t pay running backs.’ I think you just have to find what the sweet spot is. And, you know, you’re paying Josh Allen, you’re paying, you know, two tackles premium, you know. We’re paying a lot of guys on this team. We paid Khalil Shakir. We brought in a Josh Palmer. We’re, like, you’re paying a lot of guys, so... you can’t pay everybody. And, you know, there’s other guys that want to be paid that haven’t been paid either. And, you know, that’s sometimes a decision. We’ve seen, you know, unfortunately, a Tremaine Edmunds have to leave; you know, a Gabe Davis — you name the player. You’d love to keep ‘em all, especially when you draft ‘em like those guys, and like James. You know, we’ve drafted him, we’ve developed him, and he’s done a great job developing himself. You would love nothing more than to keep him, but I gotta make sure it fits under the whole umbrella, not look at each deal in a silo.”

That all sounds a bit like a carefully worded way to say that the two sides have reached a stalemate. One side will likely need to concede if a new contract for Cook is to be had with One Bills Drive.

Though it’s beginning to reach (or far surpassed) the point of media exhaustion, this is a topic that’s not going to disappear until the conversations are over. How do you feel about Cook’s hold-in, apparent 180 after fully participating in mandatory minicamp and now showing up for training camp? Does Beane’s comment about being unable to pay everyone read as disingenuous if unwilling to consider how Cook fits into the team’s plans now and in the future?

Do the Buffalo Bills have room to wait for DT DeWayne Carter to develop?

2025-08-04T12:25:12-04:00

Photo by Bryan Bennett/Getty Images

With a position switch coming, is a big second year going to follow?

The Buffalo Bills recognized that their defensive tackles weren’t good enough last season. Given the heavy level of rotation the team employs at the position, general manager Brandon Beane knew that he had to find quality depth. He invested heavily in the position, drafting two players among the first 100 picks of the 2025 NFL Draft and signing a veteran free agent, as well.

Now, head coach Sean McDermott has plenty of tools at his disposal. The question becomes just how he wants to deploy those tools. Will he use a similar rotation to last season? Will he replace some underwhelming 2024 performers? Or, will he merely add to his tool belt, allowing him to pick and choose which players he uses?

In today’s edition of “90 players in 90 days,” we discuss a member of the defensive line whose position might not be as safe as once thought.

Name: DeWayne Carter
Number: 90
Position: DT
Height/Weight: 6’3”, 305 pounds
Age: 24 (25 on 12/10/2025)
Experience/Draft: 2; selected by Buffalo in the third round (No. 95 overall) of the 2024 NFL Draft
College: Duke
Acquired: Third-round draft choice

Financial situation (per Spotrac): Carter enters the second year of his four-year rookie contract, which is worth $5,618,048 overall. For the 2025 season, he carries a cap hit of $1,276,829 if he makes the 53-man roster. Buffalo will carry a dead-cap charge of $662,433 if he’s released or traded.

2024 Recap: Carter was extremely underwhelming as a rookie. He made some splash plays early in the season, notching nine tackles, four tackles for loss, two quarterback hits, and a pass knockdown in games against the Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans, and Tennessee Titans. However, in games against the Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins, Jacksonville Jaguars, and New York Jets, he combined for 89 snaps and totaled just one quarterback hit.

Those first seven games were clearly an up-and-down learning experience for the rookie, and a wrist injury suffered against the Titans didn’t help him continue to gain experience. He landed on Injured Reserve (IR) following Week 7, which caused him to miss five games.

When he returned, he was mostly invisible, as he once again went multiple contests without making a tackle. He was a healthy scratch against the New England Patriots in Week 16, but he played 75 snaps against the Los Angeles Rams, Detroit Lions, and New York Jets without so much as registering a single statistic. He started the regular-season finale against the Patriots, notching five tackles, one quarterback hit, and one tackle for loss.

He was a healthy scratch for the duration of the playoffs, as well. Carter finished his rookie year with 14 total tackles, five tackles for loss, one pass breakup, and three quarterback hits.

Positional outlook: Carter is one of nine defensive tackles on the current roster. Marcus Harris, Ed Oliver, T.J. Sanders, Deone Walker, Larry Ogunjobi, Casey Rogers, Zion Logue, and DaQuan Jones are the others.

2025 Offseason: Carter is healthy and participating in training camp. General manager Brandon Beane floated that he’ll be playing more one-tech this season. He missed one day of practice with an illness.

2025 Season outlook: Carter was wholly inconsistent last season, going large swaths of time doing seemingly nothing in the interior defensive line. It’s not as if he played a small number of snaps, either. When he was healthy, he rotated in for 42% of the team’s snaps on defense.

Even when you factor in the time that he missed, he played on 29% of the team’s overall defensive snaps, which was third only to starters Ed Oliver and DaQuan Jones at the position. With that many snaps going to a player so unproductive, it’s no surprise that Buffalo invested heavily in the position this season.

Carter will have to show that he can be impactful as an anchor at one-tech in order to earn playing time early in the regular season. With Ogunjobi suspended for the first six games of the year thanks to a positive PED test, Carter should have a place in the rotation.

Early reports on rookies Deone Walker and T.J. Sanders have been quite positive, and with both Oliver and Jones set to reprise their roles from last season, I think Carter is looking at being the fifth defensive tackle when camp breaks. The only way that’s not the case is if the team thinks they can manage the six games without Ogunjobi also without the veteran Jones, as they would have to release him before Week 1 in order to avoid his salary becoming fully guaranteed.

Frankly, I don’t see that happening. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if Carter is the fifth defensive tackle, a healthy scratch on game days, and released to make room for Ogunjobi once he’s eligible to return.

If there’s an injury to a defensive tackle, a stint on IR could save Carter’s spot, and perhaps there will be some sort of injury to him that crops up to keep him off the waiver wire. However, combining a poor first year for Carter with the level of investment at the position, it tells me that the Bills might be ready to admit that they may be ready to move on if necessary.

James Cook hold-in, A.J. Epenesa excels at training camp

2025-08-04T12:13:59-04:00

Kara Durrette/Getty Images

Plus, the latest on James Cook’s apparent hold-in.

The Buffalo Bills returned to the practice field Sunday morning following their popular Return of the Blue and Red session at Highmark Stadium, and defensive end A.J. Epenesa was among the Bills who enjoyed a sensational practice at St. John Fisher University.

Today’s edition of Buffalo Rumblinks leads off by examining who else joined Epenesa in standing out during Sunday’s practice session and gives an update on the status of Pro Bowl running back James Cook.

Observations from Day 9 of Bills training camp

Bills fans are used to seeing defensive end A.J. Epenesa make a few incredible plays per season, and his athleticism was on full display Sunday, sacking quarterback Josh Allen, returning an Allen interception for a touchdown, and tipping a pass at the line of scrimmage.

Who else enjoyed a good practice on Sunday? Veteran defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi finally showcased his disruptive skills; rookie defensive back Jordan Hancock made the most of his time filling in for injured safety Taylor Rapp; wide receivers Kristian Wilkerson and Stephen Gosnell came up with big receptions; defensive back Cam Lewis showed off his versatility in the secondary; and rookie tight end Jackson Hawes’ pass-catching abilities were on display.

Latest on the James Cook situation

While Pro Bowl running back James Cook made it clearly known this offseason that he wanted a lucrative contract extension, his desire to be paid like one of the league’s top backs didn’t prevent him from attending Buffalo’s mandatory minicamp and participating at training camp.

But that all changed on Sunday, when Cook was spotted on the sidelines wearing street clothes and did not participate in the practice sessions. When asked why he didn’t practice, or whether he would suit up for Monday’s practice, Cook repeated his one-word answer: “Business.”

WR Khalil Shakir week-to-week with high ankle sprain

During the team’s Return of the Blue and Red practice on Friday night, wide receiver Khalil Shakir suffered a high ankle sprain and is considered week-to-week. The injury to Buffalo’s leading receiver from last season leaves the team short-handed at the position heading into the preseason.

Even more Bills news

Wide receiver Keon Coleman discusses how he has built a strong rapport with Josh Allen and head coach Sean McDermott shares his thoughts on preparing the team to play in the preseason. Plus, how Buffalo’s successful 2022 NFL Draft has set the team up for long-term success; nickel cornerback Taron Johnson has been putting in the work to continue to improve; a proposed deal to acquire disgruntled Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin; and more!

Buffalo Bills articles recently featured on Buffalo Rumblings

Can you guess this Bills safety in today’s in-5 trivia game?

2025-08-04T07:00:00-04:00

Can you name this Buffalo Bills player in five clues or less?

Hey Bills fans! We’re back for another day of the Buffalo Rumblings in-5 daily trivia game. Game instructions are at the bottom if you’re new to the game! Feel free to share your results in the comments and feedback in this Google Form.

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Bills RB James Cook not practicing due to “business”

2025-08-03T14:00:22-04:00

Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

It seems that Cook’s displeasure with his contract situation will continue to be a story

Buffalo Bills running back James Cook sat out of practice today, working with trainers on the side in lieu of participating in drills with the team. When asked why he missed practice, Cook’s reply was short and to the point. “Business,” he said.

Bills RB James Cook asked why he didn’t practice today?

“Business.”

Followed up with if he’ll practice tomorrow: “Business.”

Kept repeating “business” over and over.
— Alaina Getzenberg (@agetzenberg) August 3, 2025

Cook, 25, has made clear his desire for a new contract with the Bills. His four-year rookie deal expires at the end of the 2025 season. Coming off a career year where he gained 1,009 yards and ran for a franchise record-tying 16 touchdowns, Cook has been clear about wanting to secure a contract with an average value at the top of the market for running backs. The number he and his brother, Dalvin Cook, have referenced is $15 million annually.

Cook has participated in all mandatory activities this offseason, though he did not attend voluntary minicamp. Since training camp began, this is the first practice in which he was a non-participant.

The Bills have “no comment” regarding Cook’s lack of participation in practice today.

Buffalo Bills RB James Cook joins lengthy list of players not practicing on Sunday

2025-08-03T12:27:58-04:00

Photo by Joshua Bessex/Getty Images

Injuries are taking their toll, with more than two dozen players held out or limited on Sunday, August 3.

Before hitting the practice fields at St. John Fisher University on Sunday morning, Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott spent several minutes running through a lengthy list of injured players. It’s a list that includes two who are listed as week-to-week: cornerback Maxwell Hairston, who’s now joined by wide receiver Khalil Shakir.

Hairston remains sidelined with an LCL sprain, while Shakir is now dealing with a high ankle sprain. McDermott stated that Shakir has dealt with a similar injury before, but that with this one “it’s going to take some time” before Josh Allen’s top target from 2024 is back on the field.

On defense, the injuries continue plaguing the safety room, where both Cole Bishop and Taylor Rapp were held out of the latest training camp session. Injuries also continue to sap the strength out of the linebackers — with both Dorian Williams (out) and Terrel Bernard (limited) banged up.

In total, there were 12 players who did not practice on Sunday morning, with the following 11 listed by both McDermott and later Matt Parrino:

CB Maxwell Hairston
WR Khalil Shakir
WR Curtis Samuel
WR Kaden Prather
OL Alec Anderson
C Sedrick Van Pran Granger
S Cole Bishop
S Taylor Rapp (knee)
LB Dorian Williams
LB Shaq Thompson (hamstring)
K Tyler Bass (pelvic area)

While four players were listed as limited:

LB Terrell Bernard
RT Spencer Brown
WR Josh Palmer (groin)
FB Reggie Gilliam

Remember, however, that the total number of players missing Sunday’s practice stood at 12? That’s because of a late addition to the list, featuring one of the Bills’ key starters on offense.

Towards the end of the session, ESPN reporter Alaina Getzenberg noted that starting running back James Cook wasn’t in uniform, instead “on the exercise bike with athletic trainer Nate Breske overseeing.”

We’ll have to wait and see what has Cook sidelined currently, and how long he’ll be held out of practice and/or preseason.

RB James Cook is not in uniform and is now on the exercise bike with athletic trainer Nate Breske overseeing.
— Alaina Getzenberg (@agetzenberg) August 3, 2025

Full rundown of Sunday Bills injuries:

Won’t practice: CB Maxwell Hairston, OL Alec Anderson, WR Khalil Shakir (ankle), S Cole Bishop, WR Curtis Samuel, LB Dorian Williams, WR Kaden Prather, LB Shaq Thompson (hamstring), S Taylor Rapp (knee), C Sedrick Van Pran Granger, and…
— Matt Parrino (@MattParrino) August 3, 2025

How safe is Mitchell Trubisky’s roster spot with the Buffalo Bills?

2025-08-03T12:25:04-04:00

Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Will he keep his job, or will the salary cap lead to his exit from town?

The Buffalo Bills don’t need to worry about finding their starting quarterback. That’s a nice place to be in the NFL, as any team with an elite starter at the game’s most important position is a threat to win the Super Bowl each year. While the Bills haven’t been able to dethrone Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, they have consistently been the team that gives the Chiefs trouble over the last few years.

Finding a backup quarterback, on the other hand, could lead different people to search for different qualities. Should the Bills have a young player that they could develop into a suitable replacement for a unicorn at quarterback in the event of an injury? Should they train a young player and showcase him for trade? Should they maintain a veteran room that keeps the vibes positive? And what consideration should the team give for the salary cap when making that decision?

In today’s installment of “90 players in 90 days,” we discuss a backup quarterback whose main issue is likely that final question listed above.

Name: Mitchell Trubisky
Number: 11
Position: QB
Height/Weight: 6’3”, 222 pounds
Age: 30 (31 on 8/20/2025)
Experience/Draft: 9; selected by the Chicago Bears in the first round (No. 2 overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft
College: North Carolina
Acquired: Re-signed with Buffalo on 3/7/2024

Financial situation (per Spotrac): Trubisky enters the final year of his two-year, $5.25 million contract. For the 2025 season, he carries a cap hit of $3.25 million if he makes the team. Buffalo will carry a dead-cap charge of $750,000 if he’s released before Week 1. Since Trubisky is a vested veteran, his entire base salary ($2.46 million) becomes fully guaranteed if he’s on the 53-man roster for the first week of the season.

2024 Recap: Trubisky returned for his second stint in Buffalo after spending two seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He saw mop-up action in nine games, spending most of that time kneeling or handing the ball off to bleed the clock in eventual Buffalo victories.

He completed 19-of-26 passes for 179 yards and two touchdowns — a 69-yard score to Tyrell Shavers in Week 16 against the New York Jets, and a two-yard score to Ray Davis the following week against the New England Patriots. Technically, Trubisky had 17 rushing attempts for one yard, but again, most of those “attempts” were kneel-downs at the end of games.

Positional outlook: Trubisky is one of four quarterbacks on the roster. Josh Allen, Mike White, and Shane Buechele are the others.

2025 Offseason: Trubisky is healthy and participating in training camp. He has predominantly run the second-team offense.

2025 Season outlook: The only way Trubisky isn’t on the team in September is if the Bills decide that the money they save by cutting him is better spent elsewhere. Trubisky isn’t the guy you want starting 17 games at quarterback, but he gives the Bills a better shot at victory than Mike White in the event that Josh Allen has to miss time. Given that he is the better player and the savings on cutting him are largely negated by the need to keep White on the roster, I’m assuming that Trubisky is with the team once again this season.

Ultimately, the Bills have to decide whether they want to keep Trubisky at $3.25 million, or keep White at $1.195 million plus Trubisky’s dead-cap hit of $750,000 ($1,945,000 in total). The savings nets out to $1.305 million, which could certainly help given how close the Bills are to the salary cap right now. Buffalo can reach cap compliance in ways where they aren’t sacrificing talent, though, and I would hope that they go those routes rather than giving Trubisky the boot.