By Budd Bailey, Buffalo Sports Page Columnist

Mark Anderson – Signed by the Bills in 2013

Some free agent signings don’t require much time to be recognized as mistakes. Defensive end Mark Anderson qualifies in this department from the Bills’ standpoint.

The fifth-round draft choice of the Bears was an instant hit in 2006. He had 12 sacks and finished second in the voting for defensive rookie of the year. Anderson didn’t reach those heights again during the rest of his time with the Bears. He made a comeback in 2012, recording 10 sacks as a pass-rusher specialist.

The Bills saw enough of Anderson that season to think he could help their defensive line. He signed a deal that was four years in length and potentially worth $19.5 million. Anderson played in five games with one sack, and suffered a season-ending knee injury. The Bills had seen enough of Anderson again, and released him. The veteran was guaranteed a little less than $8 million, but Buffalo saved some money. Even so, it was one of the worst free-agent signings in Bills history. Anderson never played in the NFL again.

Here’s a highlight of Mark’s time here:

(Follow Budd on Twitter @WDX2BB)

Budd Bailey

Budd Bailey has been involved in almost every aspect of the local sports scene for the last 40 years. He worked for WEBR Radio, the Buffalo Sabres' public relations department and The Buffalo News during that time. In that time he covered virtually every aspect of the area's sports world, from high schools to the Bills and Sabres and everything in between. Along the way, Budd served as a play-by-play announcer for the Bisons, an analyst for the Stallions, and a talk-show host. He won the National Lacrosse League's Tom Borrelli Award as the media personality of the year in 2011, and was a finalist for that same award in 2017. Budd's seventh and eighth books, one on the Transcontinental Railroad and the other about Ichiro Suzuki, are scheduled to be released in the fall.

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