Needing depth due to injuries to several members of the secondary including Maxwell Hairston, Kani Walker, Cole Bishop, and CJ Gardner-Johnson, the Bills signed CB Anthony Kendall on Wednesday. In a corresponding move, the Bills released DT Kody Huisman.
Kendall comes to the Bills after starting his career with the Tennessee Titans in 2023 before bouncing around the AFC North with the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns the last two seasons.
What’s interesting about Kendall is that he completed the rare D3 to the NFL transition, something that has been done every few years, but isn’t a regular occurrence.
Kendall will look to solidify a roster spot with hopefully strong preseason games as he looks to 2026 and after not playing in 2025.
Read below for a full injury history and analysis.
Injury History
2023 Tennessee Titans
Hip, Week 2, missed 0 games.
Kendall was questionable heading into Week 3 before suiting up and playing.
Knee, Week 8, missed 0 games.
Hamstring, Week 9, missed 0 games.
Questionable heading into Week 9, Kendall suited up for special teams.
Knee, Week 14, missed 1 total game.
Kendall battled a knee injury for the remainder of the season appearing on the injury report in Weeks 15, off for Week 16, back on for Week 17, and missed Week 18.
2024 Titans/Baltimore Ravens
No publicly reported injuries.
2025 Cleveland Browns
Left shoulder surgery, preseason, IR all year.
Kendall dealt with what looked to be a left shoulder injury that required surgery according to his Instagram post that ended his season back on August 5.
Buffalo Bills Injury Analysis
Much of this injury analysis comes from the injury reports themselves without supporting articles which makes identifying injury concerns difficult. Looking at his snap counts from the 2023 season, he saw virtually all playing time on special teams with the exception of three defensive snaps.
Most of his injuries during the 2023 season looks like someone trying to find a way to stay on the roster and playing through injuries. Considering how many snaps there are on special teams, we see guys play through various issues knowing they have to play less than a positional player.
After doing some searching on social media, I was able to find the Instagram post above where Kendall is showing a selfie with his shoulder in a sling. This indicates that he underwent surgery with the most likely surgery a rotator cuff or labrum repair. The fact that he was released from the Browns and then passed a physical with the Bills indicates that he is healthy enough, especially being a year removed from surgery.
Without more specifics, identifying the risks of whether he could injure the repaired structures is difficult to determine.
Overall, I see a player that has beaten the odds to make the NFL and do what it takes to stick around, even playing through injury when able. His biggest limitation may be whether he can get up to speed fast enough to warrant a roster spot or even on practice squad.
I’d like to welcome Anthony Kendall to Buffalo and to remain healthy this season.
Top Photo Credit: NBC Sports
Discover more from Banged Up Bills
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
