Easley living his dream

“How are you doing?”

“Living the dream.”

That’s become an ordinary greeting for people. Not for Nick Easley, who was afforded another opportunity to live his dream of playing in the National Football League.

Easley — a Newton native and standout receiver for Newton High School, Iowa Western Community College and the University of Iowa — was signed to a practice squad contract by the NFL’s Buffalo Bills Tuesday. The Bills signed the rookie to an undrafted free-agent contract in April then waived him Aug. 31 and did not pick him up for the practice squad Sept. 1.

No problem for Easley who has always lived by the mantra of believe in yourself. He has been an under-the-radar kind of player who works hard to achieve his goals and dreams.

“I wasn’t completely sure who I’d be with but I was pretty positive I’d get another shot in the league. That’s based on how the preseason went for me and knowing I can play at this level,” Easley said in a telephone interview Tuesday evening.

“I’m really excited to be back here in Buffalo. It feels good.”

As a member of the Bills’ practice squad, Easley explained it’s not any different than being on the active 53-man squad except “you don’t play the games.” Each NFL team has a 10-player practice squad. Easley said practice squad players can be moved up to the active squad if a player is injured or is off the team for another reason.

“‘I’ll be a slot receiver most of the time but I’ll move around just like Cole Beasley does in this offense,” Easley said. He is 5-feet-11 inches and 200 pounds.

Another NFL team could claim Easley off the Bills’ practice squad. He said if that happened, he would be on that team’s 53-man active roster for a minimum of three weeks.

Not making it onto a NFL roster or practice squad after the preseason was hard, Easley said.

“I felt I played pretty well in training camp and dealt with a little foot injury. I ended up playing pretty well in the preseason game four,” he said.

Easley caught four passes for 41 yards in the Bills’ preseason game against Minnesota on Aug. 29. One of his catches set up the Bills for a touchdown at the Viking 12-yard line.

“Unfortunately, it didn’t work out exactly as I wanted it to. I was able to go home for a little while which wasn’t all bad. I spent time with my dad and family and healed up a little bit. I got my foot back to 100-percent,” Easley said.

Easley came home to Newton. He stayed in shape by running and getting healthy. He said his dad, John Easley, helped by throwing the ball to him in some drills. Easley said he got his body right and stayed ready to go.

“I have another opportunity and it’s pretty good to be back. I’m no stranger to this situation, hopefully it will work out the way it always does. You just have to believe in yourself, know you’re good enough and trust your abilities.”

Easley went to the Iowa Western because it was an opportunity to play at wide receiver. He walked on at Iowa — his dream college team — and earned a scholarship. His work ethic was second to none and he delivered on the football field for the Hawkeyes.

“Playing in the NFL is pretty cool. You get to play with the best of the best. There are some crazy talented players in the league and you have the opportunity to play along side these athletes and find out ‘yeah, I can couple with them,’” Easley said.

Contact Jocelyn Sheets
at jsheets@newtondailynews.com