Wide receiver Steven Sims Jr. has found a new home two days after his release from the Washington Football Team.
Sims, 24, signed with the Buffalo Bills on Wednesday. It's a great opportunity for the former undrafted free agent to prove he still belongs in the NFL, after showing a promising rookie season in 2019 that was followed by a down sophomore campaign last season, in which he led the league in muffed punts.
Sims could quickly see valuable time on the field, too, potentially as a late fill-in for receiver Cole Beasley in the slot. Beasley was among two Bills receivers to join the team's Covid/Reserve list on Tuesday, after testing negative for the virus but being deemed close contacts of a team trainer who did in fact test positive.
As a result, they'll miss the next five days of practice and likely Buffalo's preseason finale against Green Bay on Saturday, which could yield immediate playing time for Sims, especially if Buffalo intends to rest its remaining starting receivers.
To add to the intrigue, if Sims can manage to steal a final roster spot in Buffalo, Washington plays the Bills in Buffalo in Week 3 of the regular season.
Wide receiver is one of Washington's most hotly contested position battles this preseason. Although 10 receivers remain on the roster — after the release of Sims this week and Kelvin Harmon the last — some reporters have guesstimated that Washington will settle on a total of six receivers after final roster cuts next Tuesday.
If that scenario unfolds as Washington trims down to 53, JP Finlay's final six consists of Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel, Adam Humphries, Dyami Brown, Cam Sims and Antonio Gandy-Golden. That would leave Tony Brown, DeAndre Carter, Isaiah Wright and Dax Milne (a seventh-round pick by Washington in 2021) as the odd men out.