Enfield native Matt Mulligan has earned one of the coveted 53 roster spots with the Buffalo Bills and will be in the lineup when the Bills open next Sunday at home against the Indianapolis Colts.
Mulligan, who has a reputation in the NFL as a strong blocker, may have benefited from what is expected to be an offense emphasizing the run under new Bills head coach Rex Ryan.
Former University of Maine standout Mulligan is one of five tight ends Ryan decided to keep on the team.
Two other former UMaine standouts, tight end Justin Perillo and defensive back Kendall James, have earned spots on NFL practice squads, Perillo with the Green Bay Packers and James with the Cleveland Browns.
Another former UMaine player, Damarr Aultman, was cut by the Miami Dolphins.
Mulligan, who is 6-foot-4 and 267 pounds, will wear No. 82 with the Bills. He began his career in 2009 with the New York Jets playing for head coach Ryan and spent three seasons with the team.
The 30-year-old Mulligan’s strength as a blocker is a role he filled not only with the Jets but also for the St. Louis Rams in 2012, the New England Patriots in 2013 and with the Chicago Bears, Arizona Cardinals and Tennessee Titans last season.
He has 16 receptions for 160 yards and two touchdowns in 69 career NFL games.
Mulligan was cut by Arizona last December after appearing in three games with the Cardinals. He had signed with the team Nov. 18, two months after being cut by the Chicago Bears, who had signed him to a one-year contract in April 2014.
The Bills become the eighth team on which Mulligan has played since completing his career at UMaine under head coach Jack Cosgrove in 2007.