PITTSFORD, N.Y. -- Tight end Jonathan Stupar can stop feeling lonely. The Buffalo Bills finally brought in a reinforcement by signing free agent J.P. Foschi on Monday to double their healthy corps of tight ends to two.
"It was a sigh of relief to finally get some fresh legs in here and share some reps," said Stupar, who happily shook Foschi's hand as the fourth-year NFL player arrived on the field a few minutes into practice. "I got a chance to say `Hi,' to him real quick. But I'm looking forward to getting to know him."
The two will have time to familiarize themselves given the state of Buffalo's banged-up unit.
Foschi's signing came after the Bills waived/injured tight end Michael Matthews, a day after he hurt his left foot in practice. Derek Schouman, who opened as last season's starter, is expected to miss up to six weeks after hurting his right knee in a 34-17 preseason win over Indianapolis last week.
There's Shawn Nelson, who's not only nursing an undisclosed injury but will also miss the first four games of the season after being suspended by the NFL for violating the league's substance abuse policy. And then there's Joe Klopfenstein, who was placed on injured reserve a week before training camp opened.
Enter Foschi, who has been looking for an opportunity since not being re-signed by the Cincinnati Bengals in March.
"I'm just happy to be somewhere right now," Foschi said. "To be honest with you, this never gets old."
Listed at 6-foot-4 and 265 pounds, Foschi is a blue-collar type player who set career highs last season with 27 catches for 260 yards and two touchdowns in 15 games, including 10 starts. Foschi has also played for Kansas City and Oakland, and originally entered the NFL with the New York Jets in 2004 as an undrafted free agent.
The key reason for Foschi's arrival in Buffalo is his familiarity with head coach Chan Gailey. This marks the third time the two have been together after Gailey was Foschi's head coach at Georgia Tech and the player's offensive coordinator two seasons ago with the Chiefs.
That means Foschi shouldn't have any trouble learning the Bills' playbook under their first-year head coach.
"I think I can probably learn this playbook in seven to 10 days," said Foschi, who's expected to make his debut Saturday when Buffalo hosts Cincinnati in a preseason game. "The plays are all coming back to memory. I feel comfortable."
During practice, Foschi dropped a pass from Trent Edwards over the middle but rebounded by making a nice running catch from Brian Brohm in the right flat.
Gailey described Foschi as "a tough guy," who shouldn't have trouble fitting in.
That doesn't mean the Bills are done addressing the position.
Gailey didn't rule out the team signing another tight end. He added that second-year tackle Nick Hennessey will also get practice time at that spot.
Stupar now has the inside shot at opening the season as the team's starter. Initially signed to the Bills' practice squad in 2008, Stupar made the active roster last season. Used sparingly and mostly in blocking situations, he finished with six catches for 40 yards in 14 games.
"With football, you never know what can happen," Stupar said about his rise up the depth chart. "It's tough to see injuries and stuff like that, but that's part of the game."
Undrafted out of Virginia, Stupar had 80 catches for 803 yards and three touchdowns in 38 games, including 28 starts, in college.
The Bills also announced they waived defensive back John Destin, an undrafted rookie free agent out of Tulsa.
Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press
