The Bills addressed their suddenly shorthanded situation at wide receiver and signed free agent Shaine Smith on Wednesday.
"I've been working hard in the offseason and all I needed was an opportunity to showcase my skills," said Smith after a walk through practice Wednesday morning.
Smith (6'2" 189) spent last year's training camp with the St. Louis Rams, but did not make the final roster. The Hofstra product was on the New York Jets practice squad in 2007. He'll wear jersey number 87 for the Bills.
Having been in a few training camp settings before Smith is not all that concerned jumping in a little late with Buffalo.
"Whenever you're coming into a situation like I am, it's kind of tough because there's a sense of urgency that goes off in your mind, so it's a little different," said Smith. "I'm usually going into OTAs and learning all the plays and then learning them again in camp. It's a little tough, but we had the same concepts to some extent with the Rams that they have here. So it's going to take a little bit with the terminology, but I'll be alright."
The 26-year old will bring some much needed legs to the receiving corps. Following Tuesday night's practice, Buffalo was down to just six healthy receivers with P.K. Sam leaving practice with a quad injury. James Hardy and C.J. Hawthorne are on active PUP and Steve Johnson is expected to miss some time with torn rib cartilage.
Smith will be lining up primarily at the 'x' or split end position as he gets acclimated to Buffalo's offensive system. His signing brings Buffalo's roster to 79, not counting the unsigned draft picks. The roster maximum is 80.
