Buffalo Bills waive Olympic wrestler turned defensive lineman Gable Steveson

The Buffalo Bills tried to find some production in a developmental prospect over the course of the summer, bringing in former superstar wrestler Gable Steveson as a prospect along their defensive line.

It wasn’t the craziest idea in the world, and some believed Steveson had a shot to make the Bills. However, he’ll be relegated to the practice squad as he continues to workout some kinks in his game, as Buffalo waived Steveson on Tuesday.

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“The #Bills are waiving DL Gable Steveson, source says,” NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo posted on X. “Former wrestler is a developmental prospect so this won’t be the end of the line for him, whether in Buffalo as a member of the practice squad or elsewhere.”

The NFL was Steveson’s latest venture, after a disappointing stint with the WWE. He initially retired from wrestling after the 2022 NCAA Wrestling Championships, after he won his second national title.

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Afterwards, Steveson teased a collegiate return following his victory at Final X, where he earned the United States World Team spot at 125 KG. At the college level, Steveson finished with 86-2 over the course of four seasons at Minnesota.

The 2020 campaign ended prematurely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and Steveson finished third at the 2019 NCAA Tournament. Regardless, after accumulating an Olympic gold medal during his career, he’s shown a ton of athletic potential throughout his life.

Still, athleticism can only take you so far, especially when you’re playing a sport you’re not accustomed to, as Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell explained when examining Steveson’s potential.

“There are some things where being really strong and powerful and quick that you can do, but there’s some things instinctually that make it difficult.” Fickell explained, via Baschamania. “So I’ll be watching. I know that I’m kind of curious about the mini camps and things like that to see how he does.

“… So I’ll be curious, not playing in high school is going to be a little bit harder. His size, like we all know, can be difficult but it’s going to be about, you know, how much time will they give him and spend with him.”

Perhaps this is the end of the road for Gable Steveson, but time will tell if football is worth sticking with for the former wrestler. At the least, it’s an interesting story to keep a tab open on in the future.

On3’s Nick Kosko contributed to this article.