The NFL preseason is basically a meat grinder. One day you’re the "hidden gem" everyone is hyping up on Twitter, and the next, you’re clearing out your locker because the team needs a backup kicker for a single exhibition game. That is the cold reality of the kelly akharaiyi bills release. It wasn't just one cut, either. It was a bizarre, back-and-forth saga that left fans wondering if the Mississippi State product ever really had a fair shot in Orchard Park.
Kelly Akharaiyi entered the league with a decent amount of buzz for an undrafted free agent (UDFA). He had a monster 2023 season at UTEP, racking up over 1,000 yards before transferring to the SEC. When the Buffalo Bills scooped him up in April 2025, analysts like PFF’s Ben Cooper were calling him the team’s top UDFA to watch. But the road from "offseason sleeper" to "53-man roster" is paved with roster transactions that feel more like accounting than football.
The First Kelly Akharaiyi Bills Release: A Short-Lived Exit
The rollercoaster started right before training camp even got moving. On July 22, 2025, the Bills waived Akharaiyi for the first time. It felt like a "blink and you'll miss it" move. Most people assumed the team just needed a different body type for the start of camp.
But football is weird.
Just four days later, on July 26, the Bills did a total 180 and re-signed him. The reason? Wide receiver David White Jr. was placed on the reserve/retired list. Suddenly, there was a vacancy, and Buffalo went back to the guy they had just shown the door. It gave Akharaiyi a second life—a chance to actually put on the pads at St. John Fisher University and show Josh Allen he could be a reliable target. He was back in the mix, wearing jersey number 87, and trying to claw his way up a crowded depth chart featuring names like Keon Coleman and Khalil Shakir.
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Why the Second Release Hit Different
The honeymoon didn't last. By August 8, 2025, the second kelly akharaiyi bills release became official. This one felt a bit more calculated, or perhaps just more unfortunate. The Bills were heading into a preseason opener against the New York Giants, and starting kicker Tyler Bass was dealing with a pelvic injury.
General Manager Brandon Beane couldn't risk going into a game without a healthy leg. To make room for kicker Caden Davis, the team sacrificed Akharaiyi. It’s the kind of move that happens every year, but it’s brutal for a rookie. Akharaiyi was essentially the "last man on the roster," making him the easiest chip to move when an emergency arose at another position.
Honestly, it’s a numbers game. When you’re an undrafted rookie, you don't just have to beat out the guys in your room; you have to be more valuable than the 4th-string safety or the emergency kicker. In this case, the Bills prioritized special teams' stability over wide receiver depth.
Scouting the Player: What did Buffalo See?
If you look at the tape from his UTEP days, you see a guy who can absolutely fly. He averaged over 21 yards per catch in 2023. That’s explosive. However, the transition to Mississippi State in 2024 was tougher. His production dipped to 391 yards, and some scouts, like the NFL’s Lance Zierlein, questioned if he had the "suddenness" to separate against elite NFL cornerbacks.
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Zierlein actually suggested Akharaiyi might need to move inside to the slot to survive in the pros. He’s well-built at 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds, but he lacks that elite, twitchy speed that makes GMs drool.
- The UTEP Peak: 48 catches, 1,033 yards, 7 TDs (2023)
- The SEC Reality: 25 catches, 391 yards, 2 TDs (2024)
- The Bill Snapshot: Zero targets in regular season play.
After the second kelly akharaiyi bills release, he didn't stay on the street long. The Arizona Cardinals came calling on August 12, 2025, looking for depth after Trishton Jackson went down with an injury. It’s the classic NFL journeyman cycle. You get cut, you wait for a phone call, and you hop on a flight to the next city hoping the scheme fits your style better than the last one.
The Bottom Line on the Bills' Receiver Room
Buffalo’s decision to move on from Akharaiyi (twice) says a lot about how they viewed their depth. They were comfortable enough with their core—Samuel, Shakir, Coleman, and Mack Hollins—that they felt they could rotate the bottom end of the roster frequently.
For Akharaiyi, the "hidden gem" label never quite materialized into a roster spot. He became a victim of the 90-man roster churn. It wasn't necessarily that he played poorly; it was that he wasn't indispensable. In the NFL, "expendable" is a dangerous place to be.
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What to Watch Next
If you're following Kelly’s career path, keep an eye on the practice squad trackers as we move through the 2026 season. Players with his build and collegiate production often bounce around three or four teams before finding a coaching staff that wants to develop them as a specific "big slot" project.
For the Bills, the kelly akharaiyi bills release is a closed chapter, but for the player, it's just another data point in the grind. If you're a fan of a team looking for a developmental deep threat, he’s still a name that pops up in workouts.
To stay updated on these types of fringe-roster moves, you should regularly check the official NFL Transaction wire or follow beat reporters like Aaron Wilson, who usually gets the scoop on these waivers before they even hit the wire. Understanding the "why" behind these cuts—like the injury to Tyler Bass—helps make sense of the otherwise chaotic world of NFL roster management.
Monitor the Arizona Cardinals' injury reports as well, as that's been his most recent landing spot. If he can stay healthy and avoid being the "emergency cut" for a specialist, he might finally see a regular-season snap.