Parrish on the block; Bills sign lineman
The Buffalo Bills are calling teams to see if they can trade Roscoe Parrish, a league source confirmed Thursday. Meanwhile, the Bills acted to fill a glaring need for depth on the offensive line by signing seven-year veteran Seth McKinney, a free agent from the Cleveland Browns.
The Parrish inquiries are prompted by the fact the Bills believe they will have a logjam for playing time at wide receiver. Lee Evans and Terrell Owens are the starters. Josh Reed is the slot receiver. James Hardy was drafted in the second round last season. The coaches are high on second-year man Stevie Johnson, who brings size to the position. The Bills also re-signed Justin Jenkins, who is an ace on special teams. Most teams do not keep seven receivers on the active roster.
Parrish has had trouble getting playing time in the slot due to the fact Reed has been so effective as the No. 3 wideout. Parrish caught 23 passes in 12 games last year, down from 35 the year before. Parrish, however, arguably is the top punt return man in the league. He led the NFL each of the past two seasons on punt returns, with a 16.3-yard average in 2007 and a 15.3-yard average in 2008. He has punt returns for touchdowns each of the past three seasons.
The Bills are testing the market to see how much interest that return ability might prompt.
McKinney, a 6-foot-3, 310-pounder, was the sixth man on the Browns' line last year, filling the No. 1 backup job at both guard spots and the center position. He started three games at guard last year and the first eight games of the 2007 season at guard. He sat out the second half of the '07 season with a shoulder injury.
McKinney, who will be 30 in June, is believed to have signed a one-year deal.
The Bills were in need of veteran depth on the interior line because both Melvin Fowler and Duke Preston became free agents in March.
The prospective starter for the Bills at left guard is Kirk Chambers. The top man at center is Geoff Hangartner, signed as a free agent from Carolina last month. The starting right guard is incumbent Brad Butler. The returning backups from last year's active roster are second-year tackle Demetrius Bell and fourth-year tackle Jonathan Scott, who was activated to the roster for the last two games of last season.
McKinney is a product of Texas A&M, where he was a four-year starting center. He was a third-round pick of Miami in 2002. He started at center for the Dolphins in 16 games in 2004 and 13 games in 2005. He was born in Buffalo, Texas. He has a brother, Steve, who is an 11-year veteran offensive lineman for Seattle.
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