The Buffalo Bills will send three players overseas this spring to play in NFL Europe.
Two of the three players chosen by the Bills were on the team's roster in the 2006 offseason.
Wide receiver Chris Denney and punter Josh Brazen were in training camp with the Bills last summer and will be allocated to the spring league.
The third NFL Europe assignee is receiver Daunta Peterson, a former Division III standout who played his college ball at the University of Dubuque (Iowa).
Denney was an undrafted free agent signee of the Bills last offseason and had a productive college career at Division II Nebraska-Omaha where he had 123 receptions for 2,445 yards and 21 touchdowns.
"Chris is a good size receiver with very good hands," said Bills player personnel assistant Rob Hanrahan. "He is a natural pass catcher who can adjust to the balls path. He isn't a speed guy who can stretch the field or run away from defenders but understands how to use his body to position and can make the tough catch in traffic. Chris is also an excellent blocker down the field."
The 6'3" wideout was happy to get the call from the Bills.
"I'm hoping to get some great experience playing against a higher competition than what I played against in college," said Denney. "Just running routes was a big thing for me in training camp with Buffalo because I had not run a lot of those in college. So running those again overseas will be big for me."
Denney had come in for a midseason workout for the Bills. The club wanted to see if he was still in football shape and obviously kept tabs on him after some good showings in the OTAs despite limited opportunities at a very crowded position on Buffalo's roster.
Brazen was originally signed by the Bills between the end of OTAs and training camp.
"We signed Josh for training camp following a good workout back in July and while he was with us we were impressed with how he kicked in the wind as well as with the professional way that he handled himself," said Pro Scouting Assistant Kevin Meganck. "We are happy to have him back and he will be a good specialist for whichever NFL Europe team he plays for this season."
Brazen punted for Kent State the past three seasons and ranked second in school history with a 41.2-yard average. His 2005 average of 42.4 yards set a school record as he ranked second in the Mid-American conference.
Peterson (5'11", 200) was a player who was on the Bills' radar screen after a solid workout at the Elite - Pro Scout camp in Indianapolis last summer.
"We had him up for a workout this past season and he showed adequate speed, as well as good route running ability and hands," said Meganck. "He is a raw, athletic young receiver that has flown under the radar since finishing up at Dubuque after the 2005 season and we are looking forward to seeing what he can do over in NFL Europe."
Peterson had a strong senior campaign at Dubuque with 63 receptions for 851 yards and five touchdowns. His top single game performance came against Blackburn when he posted 12 catches for 191 yards and two touchdowns, all career highs.
The receiver, who has been timed in the high 4.4s also ran track at Dubuque, competing in the 60, 100, 200 meters. He was part of the 4 x 100 conference champion Dubuque relay team that posted the sixth fastest time in the nation this past spring.
The NFL Europe allocation draft is February 23rd and players report to their teams on March 8th. The NFL Europe season will begin on April 14th.
