Jerel Worthy could be the answer to the Bills’ roster woes

Sometimes in life there really is something to be said about being in the right place at the right time. Heading into training camp, I’m not sure that Jerel Worthy was assured of a roster spot with the Buffalo Bills, all things being equal. That’s been par for the course for the former Green Bay Packers second-round pick who hasn’t started a regular season or been on an active roster since 2013.

It has been quite the NFL journey for Worthy. All of a sudden he finds himself in position to not only make the roster, but be a part of the regular defensive line rotation on game days for the Bills.

I liked Worthy a lot when he came out of Michigan State in 2012. He played decent as a rookie with four starts, notching 2.5 sacks in 14 games. With some technique work, I thought, he might be a fixture in Green Bay for many years to come. But then he tore his ACL in Week 17 of that first season and never seemed to be the same player.

He was only active for two games in 2013. He sustained an injury lifting weights that ultimately required back surgery, and Green Bay eventually decided to move on and traded him to the New England Patriots that August.

The Patriots decided that he wasn’t a fit and cut him at the end of camp that season. The Kansas City Chiefs picked him up on their practice squad for the rest of 2014, but then waived him in August of the next year. The Detroit Lions subsequently picked him up on waivers, but then decided to cut him before the regular season started, too. That’s the career merry-go-round that Worthy found himself on ... until now.

I’m sure at some point during all that, Worthy started to wonder if he was ever going to get a shot again.

Finally, near the end of November the Bills put him on their practice squad. Unlike with those other teams, Worthy was actually elevated to the active roster for the last two games of the season and got a little bit of playing time to boot.

I wouldn’t say he set the world on fire in those limited reps, but he certainly wasn’t awful. It was evidently enough for the Bills to keep Worthy around this offseason, which it turns out was fortunate for both him and the team.

With Kyle Williams coming off knee surgery, IK Enemkpali out for the season with a torn ACL and Marcell Dareus suspended for four games, the Bills suddenly find themselves a little thin up front heading into the regular season. If the first two preseason games are any indication, Worthy appears ready to make the most of the opportunity.

At 6’2 and 308 pounds, Worthy isn’t all that big by 3-4 defensive linemen standards, but he still is quick off the snap and flashes with his lateral movement. He also appears to have gotten better with his hand technique, which should allow him to hold up well against the run even though he is a little undersized for two-gapping. Rex Ryan likes to use a lot of different alignments and stunts with his defensive linemen anyway, so that should be right up Worthy’s alley and play to his strengths.

Keep in mind that for Worthy to have a breakout season, he doesn’t exactly have to put up Pro Bowl type numbers. I’m sure for him just playing in 16 games would be quite the accomplishment at this point.

I don’t expect him to start unless there is another injury or suspension, but I do believe that Worthy will have a productive season for the Bills if he can stay healthy. He isn’t just some slappy who lucked into a good situation -- the guy still has some uncommon athletic ability for a man his size.

I believe that this season, not only will Jerel Worthy best his career numbers of 15 tackles and 2.5 sacks, I also think he plays well enough to finally earn himself some stability in one place, something that has eluded him up until this point.