Who Are Buffalo Bills' Five Tryout Players Auditioning as Injury Reinforcements?

The Buffalo Bills have been hit with a handful of injuries in recent days, and they are apparently exploring the idea of adding reinforcements to the roster.

Although none of the injuries appear to be overly serious, Bills' cornerback Maxwell Hairston along with safeties Cole Bishop and Chauncey Gardner-Johnson have all missed practice reps since the team returned to Orchard Park for the remainder of the summer. Fifth-round rookie defensive lineman Zane Durant was absent for multiple sessions before reportedly returning on Tuesday.

Following Tuesday's practice, the Bills held player tryouts for three defensive backs and two defensive linemen.

Here's a quick rundown of the five players that Buffalo hosted.

DT Evan Anderson

The San Francisco 49ers waived the defensive tackle at the beginning of training camp following two seasons of service that included 12 regular season appearances followed by a full year on the practice squad.

Anderson initially joined the 49ers as an undrafted rookie from Florida Atlantic in 2024. He saw 267 defensive snaps for San Francisco, totaling 24 tackles and two quarterback hits over 12 games.

Jan 5, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Evan Anderson (69) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

DB Anthony Kendall

The Baldwin-Wallace product landed an UDFA rookie contract with the Tennessee Titans in 2023. He made the 53-man roster that season, appearing in 16 games almost exclusively on special teams.

Kendall spent most of the 2024 season on the Baltimore Ravens' practice squad. Last summer, the Cleveland Browns placed him on Injured Reserve for the year.

Sep 10, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Rashid Shaheed (22) is tackled after a catch by Tennessee Titans cornerback Anthony Kendall (40) | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

DB BJ Mayes

The well-traveled cornerback went from Incarnate Word to UAB to Texas A&M, where he finished his collegiate career in 2024. Mayes signed with the Indianapolis Colts last August, but failed to survive cutdown day.

The 23-year-old Mayes resurfaced in the UFL this past spring, playing for the Houston Gamblers.

Dec 27, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Southern California Trojans wide receiver Ja'Kobi Lane (8) catches the ball against Texas A&M Aggies defensive back BJ Mayes (20) in the second half at Allegiant Stadium. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

DB Troy Pride

Pride is the lone draft pick of the five tryout players who auditioned in Orchard Park. The Carolina Panthers' 2020 fourth-round selection made 14 appearances, including eight starts as a rookie when he overlapped with Joe Brady, who was the team's offensive coordinator at the time.

Becoming somewhat of a journeyman, Pride has spent time with five different teams, but played only three games, since being released by the Panthers. Most recently, the Notre Dame product logged 58 defensive snaps over two games for the 2024 Dallas Cowboys.

Aug 22, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Nick Nash (80) runs with the ball as Dallas Cowboys cornerback Troy Pride Jr. (32) defend | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

DT Cam Rice

The rookie defensive tackle has been unable to latch on with a team since going undrafted in April.

After playing two seasons for Division II West Liberty, Rice made one-year stops at Ohio and Maryland. In 2025, he started all 12 games for the Terps.

Sep 13, 2025; College Park, Maryland, USA; Maryland Terrapins defensive lineman Cam Rice (10) takes a breather on the sideline | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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