Bills Give Boot to Rookie WR, Sign Little-Known Veteran Who Doesn't Solve LB Void

The Buffalo Bills made a roster move on Wednesday, but it wasn't the type of signing fans were most expecting.

Dec 17, 2023; Glendale, Arizona, USA; San Francisco 49ers linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (45) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Buffalo Bills signed a former New York Giants linebacker, but his name is not Bobby Okereke.

With inside linebacker depth a little on the light side, the Bills added little-known veteran Demetrius Flanagan-Fowles, who made 10 appearances for the Giants in 2025.

To create a roster spot for their newest defensive addition, the Bills released undrafted rookie wide receiver Max Tomczak.

We wrote about Tomczak as an exciting UDFA signing with potential to pleasantly surprise, but it appears as if the Youngstown State product did not do enough during May to stick around. Buffalo is down to 12 wide receivers on its 90-man roster, including undrafted rookies Ja'Mori Maclin (Kentucky) and Gabriel Benyard (Kennesaw State).

Sep 21, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Youngstown State Penguins wide receiver Max Tomczak (4) runs after a catch against Pittsburgh Panthers linebacker Kyle Louis (9) during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Who is Demetrius Flanagan-Fowles?

Transforming to a base 3-4 defensive front that features two starting inside linebackers under new coordinator Jim Leonhard, Buffalo welcomes back only three such players from last year's 53-man roster.

Outside of Terrel Bernard, Dorian Williams and Joe Andreessen, the Bills' experience at inside linebacker is severely lacking. While many, including Bills On SI's Alex Brasky, have lobbied Buffalo to sign an inside linebacker with plug-and-play ability like Okereke, it seems as if Flanagan-Fowler is more of a training camp body than a potential starter.

In addition to the aforementioned trio along with fourth-round rookie Kaleb Elarms-Orr, the inside linebacking corps features 2025 practice squad players Jimmy Ciarlo and Keonta Jenkins. Undrafted rookie Theron Gaines (Tennessee Tech) is also in the mix.

The 29-year-old Flanagan-Fowles has played 83 regular season games, but more than 60 percent of his career snaps have come on special teams. He saw a career-high 226 defensive reps with the Giants last year, including three starts alongside Okereke.

Nov 16, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love (10) runs the ball against New York Giants linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (33) during the first quarter at MetLife Stadium. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Going undrafted out of Arizona in 2019, Flanagan-Fowles spent some time on the San Francisco 49ers' practice squad before making his NFL debut with 11 appearances in 2020. The 6-foot-2 college safety-turned-linebacker has 129 career tackles and 2.0 sacks in the NFL.

With opposing receivers averaging 9.9 yards per target against Flanagan-Fowles, he appears to lack the coverage ability needed to by linebackers in Leonhard's scheme.

Maybe I'm reaching here, but it seems as if the unsigned Matt Milano has better odds of taking a snap for the Bills in 2026 than their newest linebacker.

Buffalo Bills linebacker Matt Milano wraps up Denver Broncos running back RJ Harvey during second half action at Empower FIeld at Mile High in Denver, Colorado on Jan. 17, 2026. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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