Tim Settle leaving hometown Commanders for Buffalo originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Tim Settle may have fallen out of Washington’s defensive line rotation in 2021, but that didn’t stop him from agreeing to terms on a contract with a new squad on the first day of the NFL’s legal tampering period.
On Monday night, Settle indicated with a very enthusiastic tweet that he is prepared to join the Buffalo Bills. As ESPN’s Adam Schefter first reported, it’ll be a two-year pact for Settle, and the transaction will become official on Wednesday at 4 p.m.
Settle only saw action on 20% of the team’s defensive snaps a season ago, thanks largely to the presence of a healthy Matt Ioannidis behind starters Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne. However, when Ioannidis made an early trip to injured reserve in 2020, Settle thrived, racking up five sacks and playing a career-high 33% of snaps.
The Virginia Tech lineman from Manassas, Va. was a fourth-round pick by Washington in 2018, and he will be just 25 years old by Week 1. His age and his sharp jump in production when Ioannidis was out both suggest he’s due for a bit of a breakout with the Bills, if not more than that.
Though the Commanders didn’t have that much use for Settle, his departure does represent a decent hit to the depth along the defensive front. Having someone with as much burst and talent as him waiting on the sidelines in case of an injury was a luxury for Ron Rivera’s franchise, and now that spot is vacant.
The last thing worth mentioning about Settle is that the shift to the AFC East gives him a chance at settling his quasi-beef with Dolphins receiver Jaylen Waddle. Settle has long done a penguin dance after recording sacks — the celebration dates back to his college days — but Waddle, due to his last name, has adopted his own penguin move as a pro.
“I feel like he tried to add his own swag in there but you can’t take [it] from me,” Settle told NBC Sports Washington’s JP Finlay in a one-on-one podcast interview about Waddle back in December. “Come on now.”
Well, Buffalo and Miami square off twice a year in that division, so the two flightless bird-loving players will have the chance to settle this issue on the field.