Bills reportedly adding veteran return specialist who was born in Rochester

The Buffalo Bills are adding veteran wide receiver and return specialist Greg Dortch to their practice squad, reports indicate. Dortch, born in Rochester in 1998, moved to Virginia with his family at a young age. The 28-year-old is returning to his hometown as Buffalo aims to address a significant special teams challenge: punt returns.

Buffalo did not have an experienced punt returner on its initial 53-man roster last season, and the team averaged a mere 6.5 yards per punt return on 30 attempts, which placed them 28th in the league. In contrast, Dortch, who played for the Arizona Cardinals last year, averaged 11.6 yards on 16 punt returns, ranking 11th in the NFL.

The Bills explored various options during training camp, utilizing Ray Davis, Keon Coleman, Mecole Hardman, Skyler Bell, and Khalil Shakir as punt returners. However, Davis muffed a punt in the preseason finale against the Steelers, while Hardman, a Pro Bowl return specialist in 2019, was released during final roster cuts. Dortch has contributed significantly to the NFL, returning 99 punts for 886 yards and 75 kickoffs for 1,773 yards during his career.

He has also caught 145 passes for 1,310 yards and 10 touchdowns. Dortch's punt return average has improved in each of the last three seasons, rising from 6.6 yards in 2022 to 11.6 last season. Standing at 5-foot-7 and weighing 180 pounds, Dortch previously spent five seasons with the Arizona Cardinals before joining the Detroit Lions in March and later being released.

Despite his journey away from Rochester as a child, Dortch already has ties to the Bills' coaching staff. Wide receivers coach Drew Terrell and special teams coordinator Jeff Rodgers, both from Arizona, coached Dortch during his time with the Cardinals. This story originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.