Buffalo Bills wide receiver Jake Kumerow has received a lot of attention over the course of the last two seasons in the NFL.
Last training camp with the Green Bay Packers, Kumerow was cut and picked up by the Bills to add to their practice squad. That move did not sit well with Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who has been very critical of management in Green Bay for letting players like Kumerow go without discussing such moves with him first.
“I think he’s a fantastic, steady player who’s very heady on the field. He makes plays,” Rodgers said in an interview with Sirius XM NFL Radio last September. “He plays with a lot of confidence, and he’s a guy you love having on the squad.”
In six games with the Bills in 2020, the product of Division-III school Wisconsin–Whitewater caught just one pass that resulted in a 22-yard touchdown in Buffalo's Week 15 win over the Denver Broncos.
Just a few days later, the Bills were forced to waive Kumerow with John Brown set to return from injury, and he ended up getting claimed by the New Orleans Saints.
However, the Bills ended up re-signing Kumerow to a Reserve/Future contract right after their playoff run came to an end in January. And so far through training camp and into the final two preseason games, the 29-year-old has impressed many with his performances in practice.
While Kumerow is looking to earn a bigger role with the offense in 2021, he can still make the team and serve as a prominent figure for the Bills on special teams.
Kumerow took some time on Friday to join the "Howard and Jeremy Show" on WGR. He talked with Jeremy White about his second stint with the Bills, his time working with his fellow wide receivers this preseason and much, much more.
Here is some of what he had to say:
Kumerow on the approach to his game:
"It's kind of a mindset we use here as a team: Be hungry and humble. That's kind of how I take my career. Whether I'm with a new team, in a new town, new place, coming from college to the NFL, I'm always trying to stay hungry, try to always earn my spot and never taking anything for granted. And then you've got to stay humble too. You've got to make sure that you're out there working hard and being a good teammate. Football is a lot of fun for me, so I just enjoy being out there and doing my thing wherever I'm at."
Kumerow on playing in the offensive system with the Bills:
"I love it. [Offensive coordinator Brian] Daboll has a great offense. I love working in his system. The receiving room has been great. Coach Chad [Hall] has been great, our receiver coach. Everything about the organization has been a lot of fun. Since I've been here, we've been winning games, so that makes it even better. I like being a part of it. I like a fast-paced offense. It's a fun spot to be in."
Kumerow on the wide receiver group in Buffalo:
"It's a really good group, one of the most talented groups I've been a part of. In order to keep your head on straight, you can never point fingers, you can never count numbers. You've just got to go out there and go to work each day. You're not really competing with the guys in the room, you're always competing with the guy across from you. So you just got to try and beat the man across from you every single play on a daily basis, trying to be consistent, stack the good days back-to-back and everything will fall into place. We've been having a lot of fun. There's a lot of different personalities in there. A lot of energy, a lot of juice, so that helps us get through the practices. I love it."
Kumerow on the compliments received by Rodgers:
"I always appreciate the compliments. I just like to try and be a consistent receiver. I try to do the same thing no matter where I go. For me, it's just being myself each new spot I'm at. While I'm here in Buffalo, I'm just trying to be myself and put the team first. That's always been the No. 1 rule for me is you put the team first, work hard and guys will respect it and good things will happen."
You can listen to Kumerow's entire interview below: