The UDFA rookie is an explosive athlete with solid potential
The Buffalo Bills under head coach Sean McDermott have been a factory for depth in the defensive backfield. Throughout McDermott’s tenure, the Bills have made the most of their secondary talents, finding diamonds in the rough and making household names out of previously little-known players.
With change afoot in the defensive backfield — the team released cornerback Tre’Davious White and safety Jordan Poyer, and safety Micah Hyde remains a free agent after his contract expired at the end of the 2023 season — there may be some openings along the back of the roster. The Bills still have a strong defensive backfield, but the names and faces are going to be a little different than the ones we’ve seen over the last few years.
In today’s installment of our “91 players in 91 days” series, we profile a cornerback that the Bills signed as an undrafted free agent after the 2024 NFL Draft.
Name: Keni-H Lovely
Number: 38
Position: CB
Height/Weight: 5’10” 176 pounds
Age: 24 (25 on 5/12/2025)
Experience/Draft: R; signed with Bills as UDFA following the 2024 NFL Draft
College: Western Michigan
Acquired: UDFA signing
Financial situation (per Spotrac): Lovely signed a three-year contract with the Bills, and it’s worth a total of $2.843 million with just $13,000 guaranteed. For the 2024 season, Lovely carries a cap hit of $799,333 if he makes the roster, and the Bills would be on the hook for a dead-cap charge of that $13,000 signing bonus if he’s released.
2023 Recap: Lovely had another strong season for the Broncos, notching 48 tackles, seven pass breakups, two interceptions, three forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery returned for a score. For his efforts, he was named Third Team All-MAC for the second consecutive season. While he wasn’t invited to the NFL Scouting Combine, he put on a show at his pro day. Lovely ran a blistering 4.39-second 40-yard dash, and he registered a 38.5” vertical jump, a 10’3” broad jump, and a 6.93-second time in the three-cone drill. While he’s just 5’10”, his wingspan is a touch over 74”, so he appears to play a little bigger than he is.
Positional outlook: Lovely finds himself in a crowded secondary, as the Bills return nearly every player who took most of the snaps at the position last season. Christian Benford, Kaiir Elam, Rasul Douglas, Taron Johnson, Ja’Marcus Ingram, and Cam Lewis all return. Te’Cory Couch, Dee Delaney, Kyron Brown, and Daequan Hardy round out the group.
2024 Offseason: Lovely was present at rookie minicamp and at OTAs.
2024 Season outlook: Lovely, whose first name is pronounced Ken-eye, seems like the perfect player for the Bills to stash on the practice squad. He needs to add a little mass to his frame, and he can do that with a year in a professional strength and conditioning program.
On a team that specializes in developing defensive backs, Lovely could turn into a strong find. At worst, he’s a plus-athlete who needs time to acclimate to the pro game. At best, he could be an eventual special teams fill-in who performs like a more athletic Levi Wallace, who was another UDFA signing that the Bills developed into a solid starting NFL corner.
I think that the Bills will keep Douglas, Benford, Johnson, and Elam, with Hardy and Lewis likely to make the roster, as well, for their ability on special teams. That leaves limited space for Lovely to make the roster, although a trade to recoup some value on Elam should the coaching staff want to move on shouldn’t be ruled out entirely. Lovely is an under-the-radar player worth watching this summer.