Bills Make Silly Publicity Stunt Signing Gable Stevenson
By Cem Yolbulan
NFL teams have certainly expanded their visions in recent years, scouting and finding talent in unconventional places. There have been plenty of success stories of players who have never played football carving a path for themselves in the NFL.
However, this can go too far at times. These success stories can cause teams to think too far outside the box. That is exactly what the Buffalo Bills did with their most recent signing.
According to Adam Schefter, the Bills are signing Olympic gold medalist wrestler Gable Stevenson. The 24-year-old athlete has never played football before but will try to make the Bills' final roster.
Bills Sign Olympic Wrestler Gable Stevenson
This is nothing more than a silly publicity stunt for a variety of reasons.
Schefter followed up his post by saying that Stevenson will attempt to play defensive line despite not having any prior experience. He added that Stevenson wore cleats for the first time in his life at a recent Bills workout.
It will be an uphill battle for the professional wrestler to make the team. It is not like he has elite physical measurements for the NFL. In fact, at 6'1" and 265 lbs, he is undersized for a defensive lineman.
Plus, he is taking a spot from someone who could realistically make the roster. Are the Bills really going to use a valuable spot on the final roster on a professional wrestler with no experience?
Stevenson won a gold medal for the United States in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He is a multiple-time world champion and one of the most decorated collegiate wrestlers. His athletic feats are undeniable. Whether that can translate to the football field is an entirely different question.
Of course, there's one thing even the most ardently anti-Buffalo Patriots fans need to acknowledge here: Stephen Neal was a college wrestler who hadn't played football when he signed in New England, and he started 81 games for us. Still, expect the Bills to get more social media posts than games started out of Stevenson when all is said and done.
It's also noteworthy that Stevenson didn't make this NFL transition until after he was released from his WWE contract. Playing football as a backup plan to professional wrestling isn't exactly a surefire transition.
Despite having a poor offseason, the Bills start the season as the AFC East favorites. On FanDuel Sportsbook, they have +160 odds, while the Patriots are in last place at +2400.
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