ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Cornerback Dane Jackson is back in Buffalo, and the Bills also added positional depth at receiver by signing Laviska Shenault and interior offensive lineman Kendrick Green on Friday.
The additions close a busy 10-day stretch for general manager Brandon Beane in filling roster holes in free agency while also locking in key players to long-term contracts. Beane said the team is now close to the salary cap limit, though he didn't rule out the potential of freeing up more space if it means improving the five-time defending AFC East champions' roster.
Buffalo's more high-profile free agent additions included edge rusher Joey Bosa and receiver Joshua Palmer. Just as important, the Bills signed quarterback Josh Allen, edge rusher Greg Rousseau and middle linebacker Terrel Bernard to long-term extensions.
The 28-year-old Jackson returns to Buffalo after spending last season with the Carolina Panthers. He was the Bills’ seventh-round pick in the 2020 draft and proved to be a valuable backup with 28 starts in 52 games with Buffalo.
Last season, Jackson was limited to three starts in nine games and cut by the Panthers last month.
He brings familiarity with Buffalo’s defensive approach and shores up a secondary that lacks a starter opposite Christian Benford, with Rasul Douglas entering free agency. The Bills also traded backup Kaiir Elam to Dallas on Wednesday.
The 26-year-old Shenault is joining his fifth team since being selected by Jacksonville in the second round of the 2020 draft out of Colorado. Shenault lasted just two seasons with the Jaguars before being traded to Carolina. He then split last season starting in Seattle, before being waived in December and closing the year with the Los Angeles Chargers.
After catching 121 passes for 1,219 yards and five touchdowns in 30 games with Jacksonville, Shenault has combined for 42 catches, 368 yards and one TD in 33 games over the past three years. In Buffalo, he will compete for a backup spot on an offense behind Palmer and returning starters Khalil Shakir and Keon Coleman.
Green has four seasons of NFL experience after being selected by the Steelers in the third round of the 2021 draft out of Illinois. After starting 15 games at center as a rookie for Pittsburgh, he didn’t play a down the following season in struggling to make the switch to guard.
The 26-year-old Green was traded to Houston in August 2023, and spent the past two seasons with four starts in 21 games for the Texans.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
FILE - Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. stands on the sideline before an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024 in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)
FILE - Houston Texans guard Kendrick Green (53) during the first half of an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Greg M. Cooper, File)
FILE - Carolina Panthers cornerback Dane Jackson (23) follows the action during an NFL football game against the New York Giants at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Steve Luciano, File)
TOKYO (AP) — Japanese star Shohei Ohtani showed off some prodigious power in his return to the Tokyo Dome on Saturday night.
In an exhibition game against the Yomiuri Giants, the three-time MVP belted a two-run homer to right field in the third inning to give the Los Angeles Dodgers a 4-0 lead, setting off a roar from the roughly 42,000 fans in attendance.
“He always seems to rise to certain occasions, expectation to put on a performance,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “Once again, he delivered.”
Ohtani led off the game with a walk and came to bat for a second time in the third inning. He didn't get his best swing on the ball, but the 6-foot-4, 210-pound slugger was still able to launch a slider from Yomiuri's Shosei Togo 391 feet, which was plenty of distance to get it over the fence.
The 30-year-old is just 4 1/2 months removed from surgery on his left (non-throwing) shoulder but has recovered remarkably fast. His big swing at the Tokyo Dome is another sign that he's feeling good heading into his eighth big league season, his second with the Dodgers.
“I was a bit out front on it, but it went out at a good angle and I thought it was going to be a home run," Ohtani said, through a translation.
The Dodgers put on quite a power display in the third with Michael Conforto, Ohtani and Teoscar Hernández all going deep to give Los Angeles a 5-0 advantage. Conforto said it was great to go deep in his first at-bat, but the conversation quickly switched to Ohtani.
“It's really amazing,” Conforto said. “In every big moment, he seems to just do what the fans want him to do.”
Los Angeles beat Yomiuri 5-1.
The Dodgers are playing in Japan as part of the Tokyo Series. The team is playing two exhibition games against Japanese teams before starting the regular season with two games against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday and Wednesday.
In 2024, Ohtani became the first player in MLB history to have at least 50 homers and 50 stolen bases in one season. He played several seasons for the Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan before coming to the U.S. in 2018 with the Los Angeles Angels.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run in the third inning of a spring training baseball game against the Yomiuri Giants in Tokyo, Japan, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Yomiuri Giants' Makoto Kadowaki, left, throws to first to complete the double play after forcing Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani, right, at second in the first inning of a spring training baseball game in Tokyo, Japan, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run in the third inning of a spring training baseball game against the Yomiuri Giants in Tokyo, Japan, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani connects for a two-run home run in the third inning of a spring training baseball game against the Yomiuri Giants in Tokyo, Japan, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani, left, and first base coach Chris Woodward, right, greet each other after Ohtani earned a walk in the first inning of a spring training baseball game against the Yomiuri Giants in Tokyo, Japan, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani waves from the field as he warms up before a spring training baseball game against the Yomiuri Giants in Tokyo, Japan, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani, rear left, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, rear right, talk as they watch a spring training baseball game against the Yomiuri Giants in Tokyo, Japan, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani waits on a pitch in the first inning of a spring training baseball game against the Yomiuri Giants in Tokyo, Japan, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani, left, and Yomiuri Giants' Yoshihiro Maru, front, greet each other before the first inning of a spring training baseball game in Tokyo, Japan, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
