Buffalo Bills Release James Hardy, Chad Jackson, Curt Chambers

ORCHARD PARK — The Buffalo Bills are going with a young receiving corps after releasing wideouts James Hardy and Chad Jackson to set their 53-player roster Saturday.

The two were the odd men out as the team elected to keep undrafted rookies David Nelson and Donald Jones in making its final cuts. That means the Bills prepare to open their season hosting Miami next weekend with only two receivers — starter Lee Evans and slot receiver Roscoe Parrish — who have 13 or more career receptions.
Hardy was a 2008 second-round draft pick whose career in Buffalo had been hampered by injuries. He missed all but the final two games last season while recovering from knee surgery. An undisclosed injury also prevented him from playing in the team's first two preseason games last month.
Jackson signed with the Bills in March in a bid to revive his career after he had been out of football last season. He broke into the NFL in 2006 with New England as the team's second-round draft pick.
Among the 19 total players released were veteran guard Kirk Chambers and quarterback Levi Brown, a rookie seventh-round draft pick out of Troy University. Running backs Chad Simpson and Joique Bell, who both had solid preseasons, were also cut, meaning Buffalo will carry only four running backs, including fullback Corey McIntyre.
Veteran tight end Derek Schouman was waived/injured as coach Chan Gailey said the team was not prepared to wait for the player to recover from a knee injury he sustained two weeks ago.
Strong safety Jon Corto was placed on the reserve/physically unable to perform list after having surgery in July to repair a broken wrist.
Assessing his receivers, Gailey said Nelson and Jones were both rewarded for solid preseasons.
"In our opinion, they gave us the best chance to win football games," said Gailey, in his first year as Bills coach. "One thing when you come in without any preconceived ideas, everybody gets to start on an even keel. And those guys played well, when they got their chances. They made the most of it."
Nelson, one of Tim Tebow's