28 E.J. Gaines CB

The Bills waived Gaines on Friday, Field Yates of ESPN.com reports.

The Bills signed Gaines to a one-year deal before the cornerback opted out of the 2020 campaign. The 28-year-old hasn't seen regular-season action since 2018 while with the Browns, and he apparently won't get the opportunity to do so in Buffalo. The decision to cut Gaines will save the team $850,000 against the salary cap, per Sal Capaccio of WGR Sports Radio 550 Buffalo.

Gaines will opt out of the 2020 season, Chris Brown of the Bills' official site reports.

Gaines, who missed last season because of a groin injury, was expected to challenge for a starting cornerback spot -- either outside or nickel -- but he's decided to sit out the 2020 campaign due to COVID-19 concerns.

Gaines is signing with the Bills, Jay Skurski of The Buffalo News reports.

The cornerback will thus embark on his third stint with the Bills. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network suggests that Gaines, who will sign a one-year deal with Buffalo, figures to "challenge for a starting (cornerback) spot, either outside or nickel." For that to happen, however, the 28-year-old will have to prove that he's past the groin injury that derailed his 2019 campaign.

Gaines (abdomen/groin) had a workout with the Texans on Tuesday, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Gaines was released off injured reserve by the Bills with an injury settlement in mid-August, but it appears he's now healthy two months later. The 27-year-old played only six games with the Browns last season and recorded 13 tackles.

The Bills released Gaines (core muscle/groin) from injured reserve with an injury settlement Sunday, Field Yates of ESPN reports.

Gaines suffered the injury during practice and was deemed to be out "a few weeks" following his diagnosis. He'd been competing for a starting cornerback role in Buffalo but was only seeing second-team reps before his injury. Now that he's been released, once healthy, Gaines is free to sign with any team in the league and could be a hot commodity in free agency.

Gaines (core muscle/groin) has been placed on injured reserve by the Bills.

Coach Sean McDermott said Tuesday this was immediately determined to be a multiple-week injury, and the Bills decided they can't hold the roster spot for what will end up being much of a lost season for Gaines. Injuries continue to mar Gaines' career, as he's been in the league since 2014 and has only played more than 11 games once. If he heals quickly enough, he can shoot for an injury settlement with the Bills in order to look for work elsewhere.

Coach Sean McDermott said Tuesday that Gaines (groin) will be out "a few weeks," Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN reports.

Gaines suffered the groin injury during Sunday's practice, and while the team has not revealed any additional details regarding the injury, it's clear that it's a fairly serious one. Gaines had been earning mainly second-team reps during training camp so far while competing for a starting cornerback job in Buffalo, but this injury will certainly derail those efforts. This leaves Levi Wallace and Kevin Johnson as the top candidates to start in the secondary opposite of Tre'Davious White, with Wallace currently listed as the starter for the spot.

Gaines will sit out Monday's practice session due to a hip/groin injury, Chris Brown of the Bills' official site reports.

Gaines is in a battle with Kevin Johnson to be the No. 3 cornerback, so this injury won't help his cause, especially with Johnson reportedly having a strong training camp.

Gaines, who missed time with an undisclosed injury during spring work, was practicing with the top unit during the first day of training camp Thursday, Chris Brown of the Bills' official site reports.

Gaines had a few big plays during the session, so he appears to be well past what was hurting him. While Levi Wallace is the holdover and frontrunner for the No. 2 cornerback job opposite Tre'Davious White, Gaines and Kevin Johnson both have starting experience and will at least be given a shot to win the spot.

Gaines did not participate in Tuesday's practice due to an undisclosed injury, Mike Rodak of ESPN.com reports.

Gaines has been reportedly healthy since he was cleared by a concussion specialist back in March, so it's unclear what sort of injury he is dealing with. Consider Gaines -- who will be fighting for the No. 2 cornerback job -- day-to-day as the offseason carries on.

Gaines said Monday that he's healthy and has been cleared by a concussion specialist, Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic reports.

Gaines played just six games (two starts) with the Browns last season due to concussion symptoms. Encouragingly, the 2014 sixth-round pick now appears to have managed a full recovery ahead of training camp. Gaines will face competition from Levi Wallace and Kevin Johnson for the No. 2 cornerback role this offseason.

Gaines is signing a one-year, $3.6 million contract with the Bills, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Injuries have limited the 2014 sixth-round pick to 43 NFL appearances, including 11 starts in 2017 as a member of the Bills. Concussion symptoms were the problem this past season, with Gaines playing just six games (two starts) during his lone season in Cleveland. He now figures to compete with Levi Wallace and Kevin Johnson for the starting job opposite top cornerback Tre'Davious White.

Gaines (concussion) has been placed on injured reserve, which will effectively close out his 2018 campaign, Andrew Gribble of the Browns' official site reports.

After suffering a concussion earlier in the season, Gaines returned for Sunday's game against the Chiefs and subsequently suffered another one. Given how long he missed the last time, it appears the Browns will take a precautionary route and sit Gaines for the remainder of 2018.

Gaines won't return to Sunday's game versus the Chiefs due to a concussion, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

It's a major blow to the secondary, since Damarious Randall (groin) was inactive and Denzel Ward suffered a hip injury in the first quarter and is questionable to return. Expect T.J. Carrie to see an uptick in usage for the remainder of the game.

Gaines (concussion) was a full participant in practice Wednesday, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.

Gaines originally sustained the concussion in Week 6 against the Chargers and hasn't played since. The 26-year-old didn't practice at all last week, so his full participation Wednesday bodes well for his Week 9 status.

Gaines (concussion) is ruled out for Sunday's game against the Steelers, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Gaines will miss his second consecutive game while nursing a concussion. As long as Gaines remains sidelined, Damarious Randall (groin) and TJ Carrie should be in line for increased snaps at the cornerback position. Gaines will look to return to the field against the Chiefs in Week 9.

Coach Hue Jackson said he doesn't expect Gaines (concussion) to suit up Sunday against the Steelers, Andrew Gribble of the Browns' official site reports.

Gaines has yet to clear the NFL's concussion protocol and was unable to practice Wednesday, according to Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer. The lack of practice participation suggests that Gaines hasn't made much progress in his recovery from the concussion, which he sustained in the Week 6 loss to the Chargers. T.J. Carrie will likely remain in the starting lineup Sunday if Gaines is unavailable, while safety Briean Boddy-Calhoun earns more work at cornerback in nickel packages.

Gaines (concussion) was ruled out for Sunday's game against the Buccaneers, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Gaines was placed in the concussion protocol Thursday so it's unsurprising he won't be ready for Sunday's game. TJ Carrie should step into a starting role at cornerback for the Browns while Tavierre Thomas is likely to carry duties as the nickelback.

Coach Hue Jackson said that he expects Gaines (concussion) to miss Sunday's game against the Buccaneers, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

Gaines' expected lack of availability is no surprise, given that he was placed in the concussion protocol earlier Thursday. The 26-year-old reportedly didn't absorb contact during Wednesday's practice, so his concussion symptoms may have stemmed from Cleveland's Week 6 loss to the Chargers. With Gaines not on track to clear the NFL's protocol for head injuries prior to the weekend, TJ Carrie is set to replace him as a starting cornerback Sunday in Tampa Bay.

Gaines is in concussion protocol and will not practice Thursday, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Gaines was already dealing with a groin injury last week, and to make matters worse, appeared to suffer a concussion in Week 6 against the Chargers. The former Missouri standout will have to clear concussion protocol before a possible return to the field, and his absence from practice Thursday certainly doesn't bode well for his Week 7 availability. Tavierre Thomas could be in line to see an increase in snaps if Gaines is forced to miss time.