The Buffalo Bills have added some new blood on defense this offseason, especially in the defensive secondary. With defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard set to favor a more man/match-heavy approach when compared with former head coach and defensive boss Sean McDermott’s zone-heavy scheme, it makes sense that new players are needed to fill those roles.
Some of the players Buffalo added this offseason have clearly defined roles. For example, rookie safety Jalen Kilgore is likely going to make the team
and work on special teams, but he will compete for time as a sub-package safety, as well. Other players might have smaller or larger roles depending on their performance in the preseason.
In today’s edition of “91 players in 91 days,” we discuss a player whose role is likely just to help the team dress enough players to make it through a preseason game or two.
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Name: Anthony Kendall
Number: 30
Position: CB
Height/Weight: 5’10” 188 lbs.
Age: 26 (27 on 12/19/2026)
Experience/Draft: 3; signed with the Tennessee Titans following the 2023 NFL Draft
College: Baldwin-Wallace
Acquired: Signed with Buffalo on 8/12/2026
Financial situation (per OvertheCap): Kendall’s one-year contract is worth $1.075 million, which is the league minimum for a player with his service time. That’s also his cap hit if he makes the 53-man roster. Buffalo can release Kendall at any time without carrying a dead cap charge.
2025 Recap: Kendall spent the 2025 offseason with the Cleveland Browns. He signed with the team in February. However, he did not appear in any preseason games, as he was waived on August 5 with an injury designation. It was a shoulder injury, and it led Kendall to miss the entire 2025 season. He remained a free agent after Cleveland released him.
Positional outlook: Kendall is one of nine players listed at cornerback on the current roster. Kani Walker and Maxwell Hairston are dealing with injuries at the moment, but Christian Benford, Dee Alford, Davison Igbinosun, Toriano Pride Jr., Jordan Dunbar, and D.J. Miller are healthy. Te’Cory Couch is listed at defensive back, but he plays corner. Jordan Hancock is also listed at defensive back, and he plays as a hybrid safety/slot corner.
2026 Offseason: Kendall is healthy and he began practicing with Buffalo upon signing. He’s preparing to play in Buffalo’s preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers on August 15.
2026 Season outlook: I hate to sound so negative, but I think it’s more likely that Kendall is released within a few days of Saturday’s preseason contest than it is that he makes the 53-man roster. Perhaps he can show enough to warrant keeping him close, which could lead to a spot on the practice squad, but Buffalo has a host of corners who are more likely to fill roles on both the back end of the roster and the practice squad already in camp. Once they return to full health, Kendall won’t have a place on the squad—again, unless he shows something major in the coming days.
Kendall hasn’t played in an NFL game since his rookie season in 2023, and he played almost exclusively on special teams that season. He appeared on 75% of the special teams snaps for the Tennessee Titans, amassing nine special teams tackles on the year. He played just three defensive snaps. He hasn’t even appeared in an exhibition game since the 2024 offseason, so Saturday’s preseason contest is a huge opportunity for him.
Kendall’s athletic testing numbers coming out of college were quite good, so perhaps he could come in an surprise everyone in preseason action. He ran a 4.53-second forty-yard dash, and completed the 20-yard shuttle and three-cone drill in 4.44 seconds and 7.02 seconds, respectively. Those numbers don’t jump out, but his 39.5” vertical, 10’9” broad jump, and 19 reps on the bench press at 225 lbs. do. His Relative Athletic Score (RAS) was 8.31, so he clearly has potential based on his athleticism alone.
As a former Division III player, Kendall understands the uphill climb he has, and merely by playing in the NFL and joining multiple teams for training camp he’s already done more athletically in his 26 years than I could ever have dreamed of doing in my 40. I wish him luck, but I don’t see a way where he’s with the Bills in September.
