Buffalo Bills Part Ways With 9-Year NFL Veteran

The Buffalo Bills released wide receiver Dante Pettis on Saturday as they trimmed the roster toward the 53-player limit. Pettis was among 13 players cut on August 29.

Pettis has been in the NFL since 2018, when the San Francisco 49ers drafted him in the second round (44th overall) out of Washington.

The 6-foot-1, 195-pound receiver arrived in Buffalo on July 30 after a training-camp workout and a corresponding move that sent Jalen Virgil to waived/NFI. One month later, he was gone.

Buffalo signed Pettis for veteran depth and return work. He holds the NCAA FBS record with nine career punt-return touchdowns at Washington and contributed on special teams with the New Orleans Saints the past two seasons.

In 2025, he played eight games, catching nine passes for 127 yards while averaging 23.4 yards on kickoff returns and 6.1 yards on punt returns.

His regular-season production never matched the early promise. As a 49ers rookie he posted 27 receptions for 467 yards and five touchdowns in 12 games before a knee injury.

Production dropped in 2019, and San Francisco waived him in 2020. Stops followed with the New York Giants (2020–21), Chicago Bears (2022), and Saints (2024–25). Across 66 career games he has 92 catches for 1,231 yards and 13 touchdowns.

The Bills’ receiver room is crowded. DJ Moore, Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman, Joshua Palmer, and rookie Skyler Bell sit ahead of late-camp additions.

Pettis was always a long shot to stick as a pass-catcher; his best path was as a returner while Buffalo looks to keep Shakir off punt duty. He did not separate enough in preseason to earn a roster spot.

At 30, Pettis remains a known quantity who can still help a team that needs return experience or injury insurance. He could land on a practice squad or sign elsewhere before Week 1.

For Buffalo the move is routine roster math: a veteran signed for camp competition who did not crack the final 53.

The Bills enter the regular season with Super Bowl expectations and a more settled wide-receiver group after the Moore trade.

Pettis’ brief stay is another reminder that even eight-year veterans face a steep climb when the numbers do not add up.