The Buffalo Bills have signed former Alabama defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis for their practice squad, the NFL team announced on Wednesday morning.
Mathis was available after the New York Jets waived him on Aug. 21.
Mathis fills the practice-squad spot left vacant when the Bills signed kicker Matt Prater to their active roster. Prater made three field goals, including a 32-yarder on the final snap of the game, in Buffalo’s 41-40 victory over Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night. The Ravens gashed the Bills defense for 238 rushing yards.
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A second-round draft pick in 2022 after playing in 55 games at Alabama, Mathis sustained a knee injury on the third snap of his NFL career and missed the remainder of his rookie season.
In 2023, Mathis opened the season on injured reserve after suffering a calf injury during the preseason and missed the first seven games.
Mathis played a career-high 257 defensive snaps in 12 games for the Washington Commanders last season before being waived on Dec. 28 to create a roster spot for former Crimson Tide All-American Jonathan Allen, who was returning from injured reserve.
The Jets claimed Mathis off waivers, but he did not play in New York’s remaining game.
The Jets waived Mathis last month the day after obtaining defensive tackles Harrison Phillips and Jowon Briggs in trades with the Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns, respectively.
Each NFL team can have a practice squad of 16 players. Members of the practice squad do everything the players on the active roster do except play in games. But two practice-squad members can be elevated to active status for each game, although no player can be elevated from the practice squad more than three times in a season.
The Bills play the Jets at noon CDT Sunday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
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