Buffalo Bills: Is This Greg Little’s Last Chance in the NFL?
By Paul Taylor
Greg Little is looking to take advantage of the current questions surrounding the Buffalo Bills receiving core, but does he have what it takes to rediscover the promise from earlier in his NFL career?
With three months to go until the new season, the Buffalo Bills‘ wide receiver core does not currently inspire much confidence. There is no timeline for the return of Sammy Watkins, and Chris Hogan, last year’s fourth-leading receiver, is no longer with the team.
That is why player’s such as Dezmin Lewis have a golden opportunity to make their mark with the team. Another such player is Greg Little.
Understandably, a lot of Bills fans won’t exactly be excited by such a prospect. After all, we’re talking about someone who had just six receptions in his previous two seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, and did not play a single game last year.
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However, the Bills are hoping they will get to see the Little, whose skillset saw him drafted by the Browns in the second round in 2011. Indeed, things started well enough for him in Cleveland, with 114 catches, 1,356 yards and six touchdowns during his first two seasons, before it started to go wrong.
The 27-year old appreciates he may not get many more chances in the NFL. As such, he is going to do his utmost to stick around in Buffalo.
Speaking to Matthew Fairburn of newyorkupstate.com, Little said: “I think Rex breeds competition, and I just saw opportunity where I could come in and possibly earn a starting job. When the opportunity is there just seizing that moment and making the best of it.
“Just making a play. I think that’s what this league is really built on is guys who can make plays or extend routine plays and make them unusual.”
As the Bills look to end a playoff drought which currently stands at 16 seasons, the Durham, North Carolina native may be just what the team needs. Likely inspired by events of recent seasons, he sounds like a man with the mentality and the determination to succeed.
Little said: “I’m definitely going to try to bring an edge and a toughness mentality to play with a chip on your shoulder and be dominant. I think I’ll try to spread that throughout the room from play one, from rep one, that we’re it.
“Even though we’re not getting the ball, we’re going to make sure our assignment is taken care of. We’re going to show up on film, whether it’s blocking or catching or extending a play down field.”
Overall, the Bills aren’t exactly risking much from a financial standpoint, after signing the former high school basketball player to a futures contract. Now, it’s up to him to take full advantage of his size and explosiveness, to prove he has a future in the NFL.
Next: Will Cardale Jones become the Bills starter?
What are your thoughts about Greg Little’s chances in Buffalo? Do you see him recapturing the form he showed early in his NFL career? Let us know in the comments section below.