ORCHARD PARK – With injuries mounting, the Buffalo Bills have agreed to one-year contracts with free-agent quarterback Matt Barkley and punter Colton Schmidt.
Barkley will back up Nathan Peterman, who will likely start Sunday after Derek Anderson suffered a concussion during their Monday Night Football loss against the Patriots.
Barkley was a fourth-round draft pick out of USC by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2013.
In three seasons with the Eagles, Barkley completed 30-50 passes for 300 yards and four interceptions.
In 2015, Barkley was traded to the Arizona Cardinals for a 2016 sixth-round conditional pick. Barkley did not see any playing time, and was released after one season.
The Chicago Bears added Barkley to their practice squad in Sep. 2016. Barkley would be promoted to the regular roster shortly after signing due to injuries to Jay Cutler and Brian Hoyer.
Barkley started six games for the Bears. He went 1-5 as the starter and passed for 1,611 yards, eight touchdowns, and 14 interceptions.
During the 2016 off-season , Barkley signed with the San Francisco 49ers, but failed to make the final roster.
Barkley returned to Arizona for the 2017 season. He signed with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2018, but was cut due to a knee injury.
Colton Schmidt, who was once the full-time punter for the Bills, went undrafted in the 2013 NFL Draft out of UC Davis.
Schmidt tried out twice for the 49ers, and once for the Cleveland Browns, but failed to crack either team’s roster.
In 2014, he won the punting duties for the Bills. In four seasons, Schmidt averaged 44.1 yards on 322 punts, with a career long of 67 yards.
Before the start of the 2018 season, Schmidt was cut after losing his job to Corey Bojorquez, whom Buffalo claimed off waivers from the New England Patriots.
With Bojorquez now on injured reserve with a shoulder injury, Schmidt will return as the Bills punter.
