Roster cuts had to happen at the beginning of the week, as each NFL team had to get down to 53 players.
One of the victims of the dreaded cuts was former Illini offensive lineman Kendrick Green. He was entering his first season with the Buffalo Bills, but he didn’t end up making the 53-man roster.
While the Bills did cut him earlier this week, Green is back with the franchise. Like most cut players, they usually sign on to someone’s practice squad. In this case, Buffalo still wanted Green, so they signed him to their practice squad on Wednesday.
We've signed 16 players to the practice squad.
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) August 27, 2025
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Green was drafted back in 2021 to the Pittsburgh Steelers. After starting 15 games during his rookie season, he missed the entire 2022 campaign with an injury. Green was then traded to the Houston Texans, where he spent two seasons before joining the Bills franchise.
Kendrick Green is bound to be signed to an active NFL roster in 2025
There was no question that Green was going to sign on to at least a practice squad following his release earlier this week. He is a veteran offensive lineman under the age of 30 who has 19 starts under his belt.
Green brings a lot of value to a locker room, not just in talent but also in locker room leadership. This guy has been through a lot, with Illinois being a bad program when he was there, to having to fight for a job in the NFL. You are getting someone who is willing to put the nose to the grindstone and fight for everything he has. That is someone who can help cultivate a culture.