Bills Add 3-Time Super Bowl Champ WR Hours Before Crucial Week 11 Matchup
The Buffalo Bills head into Sunday’s Week 11 matchup against the NFC South-leading Tampa Bay Buccaneers having lost three of their last five games, and just struggling to hang on to a chance at their sixth straight AFC East title. Despite being led by reigning NFL MVP quarterback Josh Allen, much of the blame for the Bills’ struggles since winning their first four games has fallen on their passing attack — or lack of an effective one.
It’s not just fans and pundits complaining about the Buffalo passing game. The team’s own coach of nine years, Sean McDermott publicly points the finger in the same direction.
“It’s an important part of our offense,” McDermott said followings team’s humiliating 30-13 loss to the 3-7 Miami Dolphins last week, as quoted by
“We’ve got a great quarterback and you want to be able to move the ball two dimensionally. We should be able to move the ball with Josh through the air,” McDermott continued. “But it can’t just be one phase of your offense. It starts up front with the line of scrimmage. (Allen) made some amazing plays, which he does. We got to move the chains. We’re not holding the ball long enough.”
Bills Make Sudden Moves at Wide Receiver Position
With those issues in mind, McDermott and the Bills took a drastic step in an attempt to inject some new energy into the Bills’ aerial attack, only about 24 hours before they were set to kick off at Highmark Stadium against the visiting 6-3 Bucs.
First, at least according to one report which has not been denied by the team, they benched 2024 second-round draft pick Keon Coleman, potentially placing the second-year wide receiver on the inactive list, even though the 22-year-old former Florida State Seminole is fully healthy.
At the same time, apparently to take Coleman’s place in the Bills’ offensive lineup, the team signed former Kansas City Chiefs receiver Mecole Hardman to the 53-man roster.
Hardman Brings ‘Speed and Versatility
Hardman was a 2019 second-round draft pick for the Chiefs out of Georgia, and in his rookie year caught 26 passes for 538 yards and six touchdowns as the Chiefs advanced to what was then their first Super Bowl since 1969.
Hardman, 27, had been out of a job since his release from the Green Bay Packers practice squad on September 23. The Bills signed him to their own practice squad on Monday, then signed him again, to the active roster this time, on Saturday.
“His speed and versatility make him both a vertical threat and a weapon to use on special teams, both areas the Bills need help in,” wrote SB Nation Bills analyst Sara Larson on Saturday. “The Bills have cycled through returners for much of the season, with Brandon Codrington frequently being downgraded to the inactive list as a healthy scratch.”
Hardman Signing Spells End For Codrington
In a corresponding move, the Bills released Codrington on Saturday as well. Because the NFL trade deadline is now history, NFL rules require that Codrington will be placed on waivers before he is fully cut from the team.
The Bills game against Tampa Bay will be televised to most of the country by CBS in the 1 p.m. Eastern time slot. Only the Baltimore and Cleveland markets will not receive the game.
“Must Be His Charlie Kirk Tribute”: NFL Fans Lose It After Spotting Maxx Crosby’s Obscene Sideline Move, ESPN Cuts the Feed Fast
Naughty NFL players know how to grab the limelight and embarrass the broadcast cameraman, which ultimately becomes a comic relief for fans in cold media. Maxx Crosby, a defensive end for the Las Vegas Raiders, has now added his name to this list after giving fans more than they bargained for.
During the Raiders’ primetime matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers, a cameraman caught the All-Pro pass rusher doing an inappropriate stretching routine warmup that quickly corkscrewed into internet infamy.
The viral moment on Monday Night Football literally had ESPN producers scrambling for the cut button. In the comments, people are joking about it and teasing others who try to sexualize everything.
Maxx Crosby’s Wild On-Air Act Forces ESPN to Cut Away Mid-Game
ESPN’s production crew was completely unprepared for the pregame incident, which occurred during the Raiders’ warmup coverage. Cosby was doing his routine exercise. But he had an evil smile on his face. Something visibly naughty was running inside his brain.
Before the broadcast crew understood his plan, he lay down suddenly and started something unusual, which was actually called a physical therapy-recognized stretch for the pelvic floor. But Crosby passionately did it in a manner that looked absolutely inappropriate.
He was lying on his back, thrusting his hips upward while extending his tongue, creating an intentionally obscene movement that sent the production team into damage control mode. ESPN immediately moved the camera elsewhere to minimize the exposure.
However, the brief glimpse was enough to capture viewers’ humorous attention. But for him, a crunchy act like that is the icing on the cake. Most football fans are kind of familiar with his questionable behavior. Therefore, it was aired live, and nobody can even defend it by saying it was his routine warmup because Crosby’s intention was wrong.
Fan Reactions Go Wild Over Maxx Crosby’s Bizarre Display
People on social media should have called Crosby out for his raunchy act and asked why he did that on live TV. But instead, they turned it into meme material, almost like they were cheering him on. Even some include Charlie Kirk references in their playful comments.
“Must be his Charlie Kirk tribute,” one fan joked, connecting the incident to recent political controversies.
Another remarked, “Bro is the most raidery-looking player possible, and I’m not even a Raiders fan lmao,” capturing the Raiders’ rebellious brand.
Some fans defended the NFL star with humor, with one writing, “God forbid a white boy got a little motion.”
The commentary got darker with prison references. “He’d be the worst prison cell roommate,” one user added.
A fifth claimed, “This is how I be looking at my girl.”
Another fan criticized Crosby’s focus but found it humorous as well. He noted, “Bro, warming up for something other than the task at hand?”
ESPN thought the awkward moment the Raiders’ defensive end created could be jarring for viewers expecting standard football coverage. But after seeing those reactions, it feels like folks just laughed and treated it like comic relief.
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Sami Haider
Sami Haider is a college football writer at Gridiron Heroics, where he brings the energy and excitement of the game to life. His experience spans the NFL, NBA, MMA, boxing, and NASCAR, with his work featured in SI, College Football Network, Pro Football & Sports Network, EssentiallySports, TotalProSports, MMAUK, and SportsKnot. He covers latest news, game recaps, recruiting news, previews and predictions, and historical pieces for college football.
