You'd think the Buffalo Bills, a team without a quarterback - or at least without an established quarterback able to make use of Sammy Watkins and the other receiving options at his disposal - would want to hold onto as many of their talented, capable, versatile running backs as possible. But with his first rounds of cuts en route to trimming the Bills roster to 75 players ahead of Tuesday's deadline, new Buffalo head coach Rex Ryan made it clear that he will not be just maintaining the status quo in upstate New York. Among the players cute by Ryan and Bills GM Doug Whaley on Monday, was veteran running back Fred Jackson.
Jackson, 34, entered the NFL from NFL Europe, latched onto the Bills practice squad and finally made his way onto the team's full-time roster in 2007, where he has remained ever since. While Jackson never brought explosive playmaking ability to the team, he did bring a steady, professional presence and was able to contribute in a myriad of ways, including punt return and kick return as well as the general duties of an NFL running back.
"Today, we had to make the difficult decision to release Fred Jackson," Whaley said in a statement announcing the move. "He had an incredible career for this organization for the past 10 years. We thank Fred for his hard work, dedication and leadership during his tenure with the Buffalo Bills. Fred has inspired the city of Buffalo in a number of ways. Fred and his family have been dedicated to this community and we can't thank them enough for their contributions through his career."
With the trade that brought LeSean McCoy into the fold, young veterans Anthony Dixon and Bryce Brown in place and Karlos Williams drafted in the fifth-round, it seems simply a numbers crunch that Jackson was unable to escape.
Jackson posted over 1,000-yards rushing in five of his ten seasons with the Bills. He led the team in rushing and receptions last year with 525-yards on the ground and 66 catches through the air.
Jackson finishes his Buffalo career with 5,646-yards rushing, trailing only Houston's Arian Foster and former ballcarrier Priest Holmes on the list of most career rushing yards for an undrafted player.
