Bills waive rookie DE five days after camp fight, sign former practice squad star

The Buffalo Bills replaced an udrafted rookie with a defensive end who is more than familiar with the organization

Aug 24, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Carolina Panthers offensive tackle Tyler Smith gets in position to block Buffalo Bills defensive end Kameron Cline (96) during the second half at Highmark Stadium. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

The Buffalo Bills swapped out defensive ends, making a change to their 90-man training camp roster prior to Thursday's practice at St. John Fisher University.

The Bills cut ties with undrafted rookie Hayden Harris, designated the Montana product as waived/injured with a bilateral hamstring issue. In a corresponding move, Buffalo signed familiar face Kameron Cline to fill the roster spot. Cline spent time on the Bills' practice squad during the past two seasons.

One of 12 undrafted rookie free agents signed by Buffalo this past spring, Harris spent OTAs and minicamp with the club. While the defensive end wasn't necessarily turning heads for his practice performances, he did manage to garner some attention last Friday.

The Canadian-born Harris, who started his collegiate career at UCLA before moving onto Montana, was involved in a scuffle with utility offensive lineman Alec Anderson. The training camp fight resulted in Harris having his helmet ripped off, and Anderson being ejected from practice.

Bills defensive edge Paris Shand, right, locks up with Hayden Harris during the opening day of Buffalo Bills training camp at St. John Fisher University Wednesday, July 23, 2025 in Pittsford. | Shawn Dowd/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"When you cheap-shot someone, I have no respect for that. And so, I thought that was a cheap-shot, and so I sent him to the locker room, and I communicated clearly to him from a following up standpoint of why I did that," said McDermott after the fact.

Meanwhile, Cline comes back to the Bills after finishing the 2024 regular season with the New York Jets. It'll be Cline's third training camp with Buffalo. He was claimed off waivers in May 2023 and spent the subsequent season on the Bills' practice squad.

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The Bills signed Cline to a futures deal in 2024, putting him on the 90-man roster. He didn't survive cutdown day last summer, but signed a P-squad deal to stay with Buffalo. The Bills released him in late December before he landed with the Jets for a short time.

Cline, who made his first five career NFL appearances with the Indianapolis Colts beginning in 2020, saw action in one game for the 2024 Bills. He logged 17 special teams snaps in the season opener as a gameday elevation.

Bills Kameron Cline works with the special teams unit during training camp. | Jamie Germano/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK

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