Bills Sign Damiere Byrd, Deon Cain; Chase Claypool to IR

With less than one month remaining until the start of the 2024 NFL season, the Buffalo Bills have officially reshuffled their depth chart at receiver.

The Bills, on Tuesday, confirmed the signings of receives Damiere Byrd and Deon Cain, while placing fellow wideout Chase Claypool on injured reserve.

Primarily known for his speed, Byrd played his college football at South Carolina. He spent his first four NFL seasons with the Carolina Panthers from 2015-18. The 5-9, 175-pound speedster then spent the next few seasons on one-year stints with the Arizona Cardinals (2019), New England Patriots (2020) and Chicago Bears in 2021. The 31-year-old spent 2022-23 with the Atlanta Falcons. He played in 15 games and registered 13 catches for 268 yards and two touchdowns. He was a member of the Washington Commanders during the 2024 offseason.

Cain was originally drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the sixth round (No. 185) out of Clemson in 2018. Throughout his career, he has spent time with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens and Philadelphia Eagles — playing in 15 career games with six starts. He also played for the Birmingham Stallions in the USFL where he was named the MVP in the 2023 USFL Championship game after catching three touchdowns.

Unless both he and the team are able to reach an injury settlement, Claypool’s season appears to be over, given his IR designation. He had suffered a left foot injury during a late July training camp practice. In 58 career regular-season games, Claypool has compiled 2,261 yards on 175 catches and 13 touchdowns. After being selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second-round (No. 49 overall) in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Notre Dame product had begun to emerge as one of the NFL's most intriguing targets. However, engagement and effort issues marred the remainder of his tenure with the Steelers. Claypool was eventually traded to the Chicago Bears in exchange for their second-round (No. 32 overall) pick.

As a Bear, Claypool continued to be criticized for his purported low-effort performances. The Bears traded him and a seventh-round selection in the 2025 NFL Draft to the Miami Dolphins for a 2025 sixth-round pick. Claypool was used minimally in a crowded Dolphins' receivers' room, catching only four passes for 26 yards in nine games, last season.

In addition to the aforementioned roster moves, Buffalo also announced the release of receiver Bryan Thompson with an injury designation.