Defensive end IK Enemkpali has been claimed off waivers by the Buffalo Bills one day after being released by the New York Jets for breaking quarterback Geno Smith's jaw in a locker room scuffle, according to NFL.com's Ian Rapoport. Enemkpali reportedly punched Smith in the Jets' locker room because the quarterback owed him $600 from unused plane tickets.
Enemkpali will be entering his second season in the NFL, and knows new Bills head coach Rex Ryan well. Ryan was head coach of the Jets when they selected Enemkpali with the 210th overall pick in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. Enemkpali had two tackles and two passes defensed in six games during his rookie season.
This isn't the first time Ryan has pursued another player who had locker room problems. The Bills signed offensive guard Richie Incognito this offseason, and are expected to start him at right guard. Incognito was the focal point of a Ted Wells investigation into the bullying of Jonathan Martin while both players were on the Miami Dolphins.
As with Incognito, the Bills reportedly gave Enemkpali a chance to tell his side of the story about what happened with Smith. Ryan apparently came away from conversations confident that Enemkpali would bounce back, though he has yet to talk to the defensive end.
Rex: "We all know what happened. Obviously it was a terrible thing that happened. But IK made a mistake."
— Mike Rodak (@mikerodak) August 12, 2015
Rex: "Instead of listening to this person, that person... We had IK last year. ... He was a good teammate. Simple as that."
— Mike Rodak (@mikerodak) August 12, 2015
Rex: "It we didn't think he would be successful on field, in locker room, and in community, he wouldn't be here."
— Mike Rodak (@mikerodak) August 12, 2015
Rex: "Nothing justifies hitting someone and all that stuff. ... But I also believe that he's gonna learn from this."
— Mike Rodak (@mikerodak) August 12, 2015
What's known at the moment is that Enemkpali allegedly bought Smith plane tickets to fly to his football camp, and Smith never paid Enemkpali back after having to pull out because a person close to him died. Smith reportedly agreed to reimburse Enemkpali but never did, which led to the heated moments after Jets practice Tuesday when Smith allegedly put his finger in Enemkpali's face and Enemkpali punched him.
Afterwards, Jets head coach Todd Bowles questioned the maturity levels of both players but released Enemkpali, who could still feasibly be charged with assault by Smith. That apparently matters little to Ryan and the Bills, however.
Enemkpali was competing for a reserve role with the Jets, and may have an even tougher time moving up the depth chart on a deep Bills defensive line that isn't dealing with a key suspension (Sheldon Richardson) or injury (Muhammad Wilkerson, hamstring) at the moment. Ryan likely has an affinity for the defensive end, however, which means he could serve as a valuable special teamer, at the very least.
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